Exploring Sandanbeki Cave is a thrilling experience. The cave is in Sandanbeki Cliff, which is a 50-meter cliff that is located in Kii Peninsula, Wakayama Prefecture. The cliff is famous for the wonderful view of the ocean. But the cave inside the cliff is also a fantastic tourist spot. The cave is located at 36 meters below ground. Visitors reach there through elevator. After a 24-second ride of elevator, the adventure in limestone cave starts. The cave is almost like a maze. You see a lot of odd shaped rocks that were formed by waves and water over the long years. Sazanami Rock is one of such rocks. Stripes on the rock tell you the power of nature. Turbulent waves hit walls of the cave. When you see the ocean from the cave, the landscape is utterly different from that from the cliff. The cave was once a secret base of Kumano Suigun, which was navy and sometimes pirates in the 10th -15th centuries. The guard house and alter of Benzaiten (the goddess of the sea and water) make you imagine the days when Kumano Suigun was active.
| FEE |
Adults (aged 13 and over): 1200 yen Children(aged 7 - 12): 600 yen Group discount is available. |
|---|---|
| HOURS |
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Admission is until 4:50 p.m.) |
| CLOSED |
Irregular |
| ADDRESS |
Sandan, Shirahama Town, Nishimuro County, Wakayama Prefecture 649-2201 |
| ACCESS |
Take bus heading for Sandanbeki at Shirahama Station of the JR Kinokuni Line. The bus ride is 25 minute. |
| CONTACT |
Sandanbeki Cave: 0739-42-4495 |
| MAP |
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Wakayama Castle was constructed in 1585 by Hidenaga Toyotomi, the younger brother of Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi Toyotomi ordered him to build it after attacking Kishu to control the area. In 1619 Yorinobu Tokugawa the 10th son of Ieyasu Tokugawa took over the castle and it became one of the three outposts of the Tokugawa family. In 1846 the castle tower was struck by lightning. It was severely damaged and was rebuilt, but was burned down again in 1945 by wartime air strikes. In 1958 it was reconstructed to look as it did during the Edo period. 
Kimiidera is famous for having the earliest cherry blossoms in the Kansai region. There are many historically significant buildings such as important cultural assets: Sakuramon, Rokkakudo, and Tahouto. Close to Wakayama castle, in the Edo Period Kimiidera was a common place for lords to come to pray for the prosperity of the Tokugawa Family.
Built in 1000 by the order of the Ichijo emperor, it was cared for by the Kishu Tokugawa clan through the Edo period. There is a Kishu Tokogawa clan family graveyard, and many precious cultural assets such as Hondo (main hall), Tahoto, and Daimon, which are designated as national treasure, are also here.
During the period of civil war, it built up a large fortune through various business activities and organized an armed group of priests called "Negoroshu." After that, Hideyoshi Toyotomi destroyed almost every building in the compound. Negoro-ji is resplendent with stunning scenery and beautiful gardens.
An important national cultural asset built in 701, there are many stories related to this temple such as the sad, romantic tale "Anchin Kiyohime." Anchin is a traveling priest who betrays princess Kiyohime's love and runs away and hides under a large bell. Kiyohime is so angry that she turns into a huge snake, and burns Anchin, bell and all. "Kaminagahime" tells the story of the construction of Dojo-ji.
Koyasan is located in about 30km west southwest of the "Yoshino Omine mountains". It is a sacred site whose head temple is Kongobu-ji, built in 816 as the training grounds in mountains for Shingon esoteric Buddhism brought from China by Kukai. Garan in Kogobu-ji is a unique structure with hondo and tahoto based on the doctrine of Shingon esoteric Buddhism. It is a good model Garan of Shingon temples all over Japan. The deity of Nibutsuhhime jinja is the local god around koyasan, they say the god gave the place to Kukai and enshrined as tutelary deity of Kongobu-ji.
Kumano sanzan is located southeast of the Kii mountains. There are three shrines "Kumano hongu, Kumano hayatama, Kumano Nachi" which are about 20 - 40km apart and two temples "Seiganto-ji, Fudarakusan-ji". It is said that the three shrines used to
As belief in the three sacred sites got more popular, the three pilgrimage roads called "Omine okugake-michi, Kumano sankei-michi, and Koyasan choishi-michi" were improved. These roads are training grounds for people to be close to the sacred places of Shinto and Buddhism. In a steep and clean natural environment, the roads remain well maintained and show a cultural scene full of mountains and forests. Omine okugake-michi, connects Yoshino Omine and Kumano sanzan which are two big sacred sites, they are considered the most important training places. Kumano sankei-michi is the pilgrimage road to Kumano sanzan. It consists of "Nakahechi" used frequently by people from around Kyoto, "Koheji" is connected to Koyasan, "Ohechi" is along the coastline in the southwest part of the Kii peninsula and "Iseji" is connected to Ise jingu. Koyasan choishi-michi is opened by Kukai from Jisonin from the foot of Koyasan to the top. There are stone made signs called choishi in every town. 
It is Wakayama Prefecture that created soy sauce, a condiment known the world over. It is said that the creator of soy sauce was a priest at Koku-ji named Kakushin during the Kamakura period. At present it is exported all over the world.
Hamaguchi Gihee is a famous person from Wakayama as the founder of a soy sauce company. Hamaguchi Goryo devoted himself to making soy sauce as the seventh Gihee and also took an active part as a politician. He flourished from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period and communicated with many intellectuals. In the writings of Fukuzawa Yukichi, he was said to be "a person of broad knowledge".
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