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HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Wakanoura Pleasure Boat Tour
View Japan’s most poetic bay from a fishing boat
Wakayama City
Believed to be the home of the goddess of poetry, Wakanoura Bay’s striking scenery of islands, rock formations and regular tidal flats has inspired Japanese poets for centuries.
There is now a new and unusual way for you to take in the views of this scenic bay in Wakayama Prefecture.
The Wakanoura Pleasure Boat is, in fact, a fishing boat. The same kind used for local sardine fishing. Take in the panoramic view from its open deck as it cruises around the bay bringing you closer to the sights.
Choose from three courses. There is a 40-minute one that takes you on a loop around the bay and back. An evening course, which takes an hour, ends with a view of the setting sun. The last course, also 60 minutes long, passes near the Marina City theme park to watch its evening show of fireworks.
As an added bonus, you can experience feeding seagulls that often circle fishing boats in the hopes of a free lunch.
How to get there
About 18 to 30 minutes by bus from Nankai Electric Railway's Wakayamashi Station.
