Wakayama

  • Wakayama Ramen

    Prefectural soul food featuring rich pork bone soy sauce broth with thin straight noodles.

    Rooted in 'chuka soba' originating from postwar street stalls. Cloudy white soup from pork bones and chicken bones combined with soy sauce tare, featuring unique style of eating with haya-zushi (mackerel pressed sushi) and boiled eggs. Old establishments and new shops line the city, bustling with locals and tourists late into the night.

  • Kue Hot Pot

    Winter luxury hot pot featuring thick slices of phantom high-grade fish kue in kelp broth.

    Kue over 10kg features rich umami white flesh and gelatinous skin. Delicious as blanched or sashimi, but slow simmering in hot pot makes flesh fluffy and broth rich collagen soup. Finishing rice porridge is enjoyable, making it staple of winter ryokan plans in Shirahama and Kushimoto.

  • Mehari-zushi

    Large one-bite sushi wrapped in large takana mustard leaf.

    Originally born as preserved food lunch for Kumano forestry and agricultural work. Exquisite balance of pickled takana flavor and vinegared rice, called 'mehari' (eye-opening) sushi because one bite is eye-openingly large. Locally enjoyed as simple lunch with warm tea.

  • Kaki-no-ha-zushi

    Pressed sushi of mackerel or salmon wrapped in persimmon leaves.

    Traditional food born to preserve seafood in mountainous Kumano. Polyphenols in persimmon leaves enhance antibacterial effects while adding refreshing aroma. Standard for festivals and Buddhist memorial services on special occasions; appreciated as souvenir.

  • Whale Cuisine

    Diverse whale dishes born from whaling culture inherited centered in Taiji Town.

    Enjoy different textures by part including tatsuta-age fried, obake (tail fin sarashi whale), and hari-hari nabe. Combined with Whale Museum conveying ancient whaling history to learn cultural background.

  • Shirasu-don

    Seafood bowl piled high with boiled whitebait shirasu.

    Boiling immediately after catch seals fluffy texture and sweetness. Local style involves topping with soft-boiled egg, pickled plum, and chopped nori seaweed, pouring soy sauce. Popular as breakfast in Arida and Gobo harbor towns.