Wakayama City, from Osaka

Wakayama Castle

Wakayama Castle sits on a hill at the centre of the city, with substantial original Edo-period stone walls surviving even where the main tower itself is a later reconstruction. It's a quieter, far less crowded castle visit than Osaka's own, with good views back over the city and Wakayama's harbour.

The tuna-cutting show at Kuroshio Market

At Marina City, a short bus or taxi ride from the station, Kuroshio Market runs a genuinely popular live tuna-cutting show, where staff break down a whole tuna with long knives in front of a crowd before selling the fresh cuts as sashimi and rice bowls on the spot. It's touristy in the best sense — a real skill performed as a real show, not staged as artificial spectacle.

Getting there

Wakayama is reachable from Osaka via the JR Kuroshio limited express from Shin-Osaka or Osaka Station, or via the Nankai Main Line from Namba to Wakayamashi Station, both running close to an hour — making this a comfortable, unhurried day trip rather than a rushed one.