INTRODUCTION　　

　　　Wakayama's seaside towns offer charm,
wacky surprises.

　Those who travel beyond the concrete confines of Japan's urban sprawls know that rural areas, such as the seaside towns of Shirahama and Tanabe in Wakayama Prefecture, offer distinct and loony surprises.
　A wacky mixture of culture and legend, new and old, and cool and kitsh await the curiosity-seeker who ventures to these towns.
　Squeezed between the mountains an expansive coastline littered with hot springs Tanabe and Shirahama straddle Tanabe Bay. Abundant vegitation and azure waters greet visitors, making arrival by train or plane a visual treat.
　Roughly two hours from Osaka by train and a little more than 90 minutes from Tokyo by plane, the prefectural tourist association is hoping the bucolic charm of these towns will entice more visitors, especially foreigners, to make the trek.
　If your first stop is Tanabe, prepare your mind for a dose of culture and history. The first intriguing sight you come upon is likely to be a very martial-looking satatue of the loyal and courageous Musashibo Benkei, positioned in front of Kii Tanabe station, as if the legendary warrior is strategically placed to protect the city into perpetuity.
　The prefecture's most reknowned hero, this monk-warrior became famous for protecting his lord, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, from his brother and future shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo, until the bloody end.
　If you saunter down the street to Tokei Shrine, or "cockfight shrine," you can learn how the legendary monk entered the world with a full head of hair by electing to spend twice the conventional nine months in his mother's womb.
　Some of Benkei's treasures, including his first bathtub and a fan, as well as a flute that belonged to Yoshitsune, are also on display.
　But this shrine's greatest claim to fame is that it's the place where a pivotal cockfight put the area's support behind the Genji clan. Around 1180, Benkei's father, who ruled the area, couldn't decide who to support --Genji or Heike --, in the Genpei War.
　The match was decided when the white cock representing the Genji clan beat the red cock fighting for Heike, moving Benkei's father to throw his support Genji's way. This helped the clan win the war and establish the Kamakura shogunate.
　History aside, Tanabe is working to modernize the city image.
　The recently established Tanabe City Museum of Art, a jagged brik and glass structure, protruding from its natural surroundings lke a misplaced piece of modernity, is a clear indication that revitalization is afoot.
　In 2001, the museum will be joined by another unlikely neighbor -- an "all-purpose"park, replete with gardens, athretic fields and a massive outdoor stage for musical performances. City offcials have high hopes the park will prove to be a popular tourist attraction.
　Apart from these recent adventures in architecture, culinary idiosyncrasies may be what really distinguish the residents of Tanabe.
　Simply put, most locals are apricot clazy. Firecely proud of their apricot, or "Kishu ume," locals say that 70 percent of the nation's ume are grown here. A cursory look at the pervasiveness of ume culture lends credence to this claim.
　A jaunt through the Nakata Foodes Co. factory, a 100-year-old company offering 250 types of ume products and 50 ways to pickle, shows just how serious locals take their ume.
　Appearances suggest that the factory's stoic scientists in white lab coats might be working to develop a vaccine to save the world. Instead they are devoting their energies to raising quality control and devising new ume products.
　Jam, juice, noodles and alcohol are ammong the ume products offered by the company, which is striving to make inroads into foreign markets and develop products that suit foreign palates.
　Tradition runs strong in Tanabe.
　Nanbanyaki is another longtime local favorite. "Nanban" means "southern barbarian," or "foreigner," and "yaki" means "to roast." The name suggests some sort of cannibalistic dish--but actually it is something much more bizarre.
　Nanbanyaki refers to sliced pieces of burdock root, or "gobo,"squashed together using fish paste as an adhesive and wrapped in fish skin. The origin of this bizarre product is unclear, but one local shopkeeper whose family has been in the business for over a century said it has even made its way to the shelves of select Tokyo department stores. Fresh fish is the key to good nanbanyaki, say local vendors, who attribute the arrival of this twisted culinary concoction to the city's proximity to the ocean.
　Shirahama, another sightly seaside town, lies just south of Tanabe.
　Many years ago, when overseas vacations were a pipe dream for most, this town was a prime destination for many shiny-eyed newlyweds. And it is easy to see why, since it is packed with natural hot springs and amazing scenary.
　However, affluence and the incleasing ease of international travel have gradually debilitated Shirahama's tourist industry.
　Attempts to resuscitate tourism have left little more than an infrastructure of tacky tourist sites. Chief among these are Shirahama Energy Land, the glass-bottomedboat tour and Adventure World. Anyone with an attention span longer than that of a 4-year -old will probably want to skip these attractions and stick to conventional sites that retain traditional charm.
　The town boasts numerous scenic sites, including hot springs mentioned in Japan's most ancient texts and reportedly frequented by emperors.
　Unique natural sights include Engetsu Islet, a 130 meter island directly off the coast, the middle of which has been neatly eroded to form a moon-shaped structure.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　<by Mick Corliss staff writer>

　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　Above is quoted from "The Japan Times" (June 10, 1998)

RETURN