Japan's Amalfi Coast in Wakayama Prefecture

Saikazaki is a cape located in Wakayama City, Wakayama. It is a designated special area of the National Park. The landscape of houses lining the hills surrounding Saikazaki Fishing Port has earned it the nickname “Japan's Amalfi.” It is part of the coastal area of Wakaura in the southwestern part of Wakayama City. It is a scenic spot mentioned in the Manyoshu, Japan's oldest anthology of poems as “Saika no Ura” during the Muromachi period (1336-1573), many fishermen settled there for net fishing. Wakaura, an ancient scenic spot selected as the top coastal destination in the “New Japan Tourism Spots 100 Selection (1950),” lost most of its scenic coastline due to development that began in the late 1960s. Therefore, this cape is the only remaining natural coastal scenic spot in Wakaura.

Don't miss the Saikazaki Lighthouse standing on a hawk's nest. It overlooks the Kii Strait, Bandoko-no-hana, Oshima Island, Nakanoshima Island and Futago Island. You can also visit the Bandoko Garden at Bandoko-no-hana and Saikazaki Battery constructed by the Kishu Domain during the late Edo period (in the 1700s) at the tip of the Cape's northernmost point, known as “Tonga's Nose.” It was designated as a historical site by Wakayama Prefecture in 2010.