December 2004

Joanna Karaplis

Welcome to Tanabe! With a population of over 70,000, Tanabe is the second-largest city in Wakayama prefecture. Located 100 km south of Wakayama City, it is easily accessible by the JR Kinokuni-sen rail line. It is famous for both umeboshi (sour pickled plums) and mikan (sometimes called Mandarin oranges). Tanabe is also rich in history: both Benkei (a famous warrior-priest of the 12th century) and Morihei Ueshiba (founder of the martial art Aikido) were born in Tanabe.

Tanabe International Exchange Center
If you visit Tanabe, be sure to drop in at the International Exchange Center, located on the third floor of the Tanabe Shimin Sogo Center (this translates as “Tanabe Civic Center”). The Center has over 500 English novels in its library, as well as Japanese-English/English-Japanese dictionaries, books about Japanese culture and history, Japanese language-learning materials, and a variety of guidebooks on local and international destinations. Visitors can also peruse copies of the events-oriented magazine Kansai Time Out, or keep up with the news by reading the Daily Yomiuri, a local English-language newspaper. Internet access is also available at a cost of 200 yen per hour. Additionally, the Center rents out bicycles and helps to arrange Japanese lessons; both services are provided free of charge.
The Tanabe International Center is easy to reach from Kii-Tanabe station; simply take your first right and follow the narrow road until you reach a large intersection with a set of traffic lights. You will see a big pink building across the street on your left; that’s the Shimin Sogo Center. The International Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., Monday to Friday. The phone number is 0739 - 26 - 5997.

Things to See and Do
Although the city of Tanabe is quite spread out and somewhat difficult to navigate without a car, the area around Kii-Tanabe station is filled with interesting shops and tasty restaurants. Directly to the right of the station, above Big Echo karaoke, is the foreigner-friendly restaurant Tsubohachi. Each menu item is illustrated with a picture, so non-Japanese speakers can order without having to resort to wild gestures. A wide variety of food (from pizza to yakisoba) is offered, and the prices are reasonable. Both western and Japanese dining areas are available.
For those interested in buying fresh food at local markets, the Benkei Market is held at the Tokei Shrine on the third Sunday morning of each month. Come early to get the best items before they’re gone, or simply wander among the tents marveling at the sheer variety of foodstuffs and the liveliness of the vendors and shoppers alike.
When you’re ready for some exercise, you’ll be glad to know that Tanabe is the entry point to the Nakahechi route of the ancient Kumanokodo pilgrimage route, which was designated as a World Heritage Site this year. Although pilgrims are required to walk the entire distance, tourists can hop on a bus and spend the day hiking around points of interest, such as the Hosshinmon Oji (an oji is a small shrine where pilgrims could rest and worship; there were originally 99 of them along the Kumanokodo route) or the Hongu Grand Shrine. For simpler hikes, Tanabe also boasts many local hills and mountains within the city.
If hiking is not your thing, Tanabe is also only 20 minutes away from the glorious white-sand beaches of Shirahama. Although the sand washes away during typhoons and must be continually imported from Australia, that doesn’t stop the beaches from becoming extremely crowded during summer. Besides its beaches, Shirahama also boasts a number of natural hot springs.
Whether you visit Tanabe as a daytrip or for a week, you won’t be disappointed!

Posted on December 2004 in the following categories: Places