Kii-hantō

Introducing Kii-hantō

The remote and mountainous Kii-hantō (Kii Peninsula) is a far cry from central Kansai’s bustling urban sprawl. Most of the peninsula’s attractions are found in Wakayama-ken, including the mountaintop temple complex of Kōya-san, one of Japan’s most important Buddhist centres. Other Wakayama-ken attractions include the onsen clustered around the village of Hongū, in the centre of the peninsula, the beachside hot-spring resort of Shirahama, on the west coast of the peninsula, and the rugged coastline of Shiono-misaki and Kii-Ōshima, at the southern tip of the peninsula.

The JR Kii main line (Kinokuni line) runs around the coast of the Kii-hantō, linking Shin-Osaka and Nagoya stations (some trains originate/terminate at Kyoto station). Special Kuroshio and Nankii tokkyū trains can get you around the peninsula fairly quickly, but once you step off these express trains you’re at the mercy of slow local trains and buses, so plan accordingly. For this reason, renting a car is a good option for exploring this area.

We present the information in this section anticlockwise, working from Wakayama-shi around the horn to Mie-ken, but it’s perfectly possible to do this the other way round (perhaps starting in Ise).

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009