Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [336]
If you’d like to self-cater, Sakae Supermarket is five minutes’ walk from the main beach.
Getting There & Away
Shirahama is on the JR Kii main line. There are tokkyū trains from Shin-Osaka Station (¥5450, 132 minutes). There also futsū trains on the same line (¥3260, 207 minutes). The same line also connects Shirahama to other cities on Kii-hantō such as Kushimoto, Nachi, Shingū and Wakayama city. A cheaper alternative is offered by Meikō Bus (42-3008; www13.ocn.ne.jp/~meikobus, in Japanese; 9am-6pm), which runs buses between JR Osaka Station and Shirahama (one way/return ¥2700/5000, about 3½ hours).
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KUSHIMOTO, SHIONO-MISAKI & KII-ŌSHIMA
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The southern tip of Kii-hantō has some stunning coastal scenery. Shiono-misaki, connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, has some fine rocky vistas, but the real action is over on Kii-Ōshima, a rocky island accessible by bridge.
The main attraction on Kii-Ōshima is the coastal cliffs at the eastern end of the island, which can be viewed from the park around Kashino-zaki Lighthouse (). Just before the park, you’ll find the Toruko-Kinenkan Museum (; 65-0628; 1025-25 Kashino, Kushimoto-chō, Higashimuro-gun; admission ¥250; 9am-5pm), which commemorates the sinking of the Turkish ship Ertugrul in 1890.
Backtracking about 1km towards the bridge, there are small English signs to the Japan-US Memorial Museum (; 65-0099; 1033 Kashino, Kushimoto-chō, Nishimuro-gun; admission ¥250; 9am-4pm), which commemorates the visit of the US ship Lady Washington in 1791, a full 62 years before Commodore Perry’s much more famous landing in Yokohama in 1853. There is a lookout just beyond the museum from which you can see the magnificent Umi-kongō () formations along the eastern point of the island.
If you’re without your own transport, the best way to explore Kii-Ōshima is by renting a bicycle at Kushimoto Station (per four hours/full day ¥600/1000, discount for JR ticket holders), but be warned that there are a few big hills en route and these bikes are better suited to shopping than cruising. Otherwise, there are buses from the station, but take note of schedules as departures are few and far between.
Misaki Lodge Youth Hostel (; 62-1474; fax 62-0529; 2864-1 Shionomisaki, Kushimoto-chō; per person dm without meals/minshuku with 2 meals from ¥4200/7350) is the best place to stay in the area. It’s in a good position, on the southern side of the cape overlooking the Pacific. It’s also a minshuku, offering large rooms and two meals. Take a Shiono-misaki-bound bus from Kushimoto Station (20 minutes) and get off at Koroshio-mae.
Kushimoto is one hour from Shirahama by JR tokkyū, and 3½ hours (¥6280) from Shin-Osaka. Futsū services are significantly cheaper but take almost twice as long.
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NACHI & KII-KATSUURA
The Nachi and Kii-Katsuura area has several sights grouped around the sacred Nachi-no-taki (), Japan’s highest waterfall (133m). Nachi Taisha (), near the waterfall, was built in homage to the waterfall’s kami (Shintō spirit god). It is one of the three great shrines of Kii-hantō, and it’s worth the climb up the steep steps to get there. Next to the shrine, Sanseiganto-ji () is a fine old temple that is well worth a look.
The most atmospheric approach to the falls and the shrine is the fantastic tree-lined arcade of Daimon-zaka. To get to Daimon-zaka, take a bus from Nachi or Kii-Katsuura Station, and get off at the Daimon-zaka stop (ask the bus driver to drop you at Daimon-zaka and he’ll point you in the right direction from the stop). The way isn’t marked in English, but it’s roughly straight uphill just in from the road. From the bus stop to the shrine is roughly 800m, most of it uphill. It