{"id":77159,"date":"2021-02-10T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=77159"},"modified":"2021-02-26T20:58:50","modified_gmt":"2021-02-26T11:58:50","slug":"cycling-japan-shirahama-wakayama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/cycling-japan-shirahama-wakayama\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Spend a Day Cycling in Japan through Wakayama’s Shirahama"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u2019m a big believer in cycling as the optimum method of exploring a new area \u2014 especially cycling in Japan<\/strong>. As I cycled up and down the expanse of Shirahama<\/strong> (\u767d\u6d5c) in Wakayama Prefecture<\/strong> on two wheels, my preconceived notions were confirmed.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shirahama’s Cycling Routes, Beaches, and Onsen Hot Springs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hanging southward from central Honshu into the Pacific Ocean, the bulbous Kii Peninsula is defined by toothy rock features, wave-battered sea stacks, towering shoreline bluffs, and white sandy beaches<\/strong>. Wakayama Prefecture sits on the southern end of the said peninsula where you\u2019ll find some of Japan\u2019s most dramatic coastal cycling routes<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shirahama (meaning \u201cwhite sands\u201d) is a pretty seaside town, framing its namesake beach. The 500-meter-long cove opens up to the Pacific Ocean\u2019s embrace, with high-rise apartment blocks and hotels nestled behind it looking to the great horizon beyond. It\u2019s no wonder Shirahama is a popular weekend escape for city slickers in Osaka 100 miles to the north. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of the scenery, Shirahama has long been a hotbed of geothermal activity; some of the individual onsen<\/em> (hot springs) have 1,350-plus-year histories. A range of therapeutic properties, from alleviating aches and pains to encouraging better blood flow, imbue Shirahama\u2019s bubbling spring waters. These factors have contributed to it becoming one of the top onsen resort towns<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On my first day in Wakayama Prefecture, I cycled through much of the fairly compact Shirahama town confines, visiting some of its most important sites. I passed scenery that would stop me dead in my tracks, tucked into an al fresco lunch with views the Pacific, boarded an elevator down through a rocky cliff to a former pirates\u2019 hideout before I sunk into a hot spring after dark. This eclectic combination of experiences really endeared me to Shirahama, while providing a perfect introduction to Wakayama Prefecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I flew into Nanki Shirahama Airport<\/a> on a fresh December morning, cold enough to merit a shiver as I stepped from the plane which had carried me the 75-minute journey from Tokyo. I met up with my travel companions in the one-room lobby of the tiny airport, and in the fashion of most visitors to Shirahama, we headed straight for the coast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seafood Feast on Shirahama <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In coastal regions of Japan \u2014 where the fish is, of course, rather plentiful \u2014 you\u2019ll often find a proliferation of Italian seafood restaurants<\/strong>, including Pizzeria Pescatore<\/strong>. It was at one of these haunts, a pasta and pizza specialist with an outdoor terrace with views of the ocean, where we dined on the fishy osusume<\/em> dish. Pescatore was not only the restaurant\u2019s name but also one of the best sellers on the menu: a mini mountain of looping spaghetti cooked in a garlicky sauce and topped with an assortment of local seafood and shaved parmesan. I may have rolled inelegantly out the restaurant post-meal, but a cycle was on the cards to reinject the energy of which the delicious carbs had robbed me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pescatore
My seafood pasta meal at Pizzeria Pescatore injected much-needed energy I’d need for my cycling trip.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Renting Bikes on Shirahama<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After another short drive, we rented cross bikes from the GIANT STORE NANKI SHIRAHAMA<\/a> (electric bikes also available), which was conveniently connected to our accommodation for the evening, Shirahama Key Terrace Hotel Seamore.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Both regular and electric bike are available for rent at GIANT STORE NANKI SHIRAHAMA.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Senjojiki Rock Plateau<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we got pedaling along the coast, the winter sun blazed shimmering trails across the ocean\u2019s surface, while the undulating roads of Shirahama required us to break a little sweat. Shedding layers of quickly moistening clothing, we arrived at Senjojiki, a sandstone formation<\/strong> created by millennia of wave erosion, whose name translates to \u201cone thousand tatami mats\u201d indicating both its size and shape. Here, I got a real flavor of the kind of scenery the Shirahama coastline is famous for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Senjojiki Rock Plateau, also known as \u201cone thousand tatami mats\u201d is a sandstone formation created by millennia of wave erosion.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Senjojiki Rock plateau, part of the Yoshino-Kumano National Park, <\/strong>consists of little plateaus of sandstone that feed down toward the ocean in light brown striations. As we made our way toward the foamy breakers on the ocean side of Senjojiki Rock plateau, I couldn\u2019t help but notice the stone, composed of innumerable fine sediments packed tightly together, had a perceptibly soft texture. Further evidence of this could be seen in naturally-formed indents in the rock bed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Going Underground to Sandanbeki Cave<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Next, we made a short skip along the coast to the Sandanbeki Rock Cliff, a viewpoint looking toward Senjojiki Rock plateau, and the eponymous Sandanbeki Cave,<\/strong> which plunges to sea level. From the 50-plus-meter viewpoint, we were met by headlands shooting into the ocean on both flanks and a vast seascape spreading out in front of us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sandanbeki
Sandanbeki Rock Cliff offers spectacular views of the vast seascape below. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The subterranean scenes were equally impressive, and to catch a glimpse of these, we took the 36-meter elevator down into the Sandanbeki Cave below. This network of tunneled passageways was at once atmospheric, with lanterns casting dim glows, the constant trickle and drip of water through the permeable rock, and a Buddhist shrine dedicated to the Buddhist deity of water, Benzaiten. At various points in time, the cave was also said to be a hangout spot for local pirate gangs and the KumanoNavy. Snippets of this loaded historical intrigue were studded around the natural walls of the cave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n