Mella Risya: JAPAN TRAVELOGUE : SIDE TRIP TO WAKAYAMA

First, I'd like to say happy new year everyone! May we have a good year ahead... Oficially, this is my first post this year, it got me excited to share with you guys...

Continuing my travelogue. This time I want to recap about my side trip to Wakayama. Yes, we decided to go off the beaten path this time, not many tourists had set their foot here so we wanna give it a shot! It took just an hour by train from the hustle and bustle of Osaka to this quite neighborhood. Actually we planned to go to Tomogashima island from Kada port here in Wakayama. I heard that the island resembles one of the Ghibli movie, Laputa in the sky. I was so looking forward to it, but too bad the ferry bound for the island was not operating due to the huge wave and bad weather.

But when you’re travelling unexpected things are bound to happen. Don’t let it ruin your mood, look around and you’ll find something good.

So from wakayama-shi station we headed to Kada, using this train called “Medetai train”. Medetai is cray fish as a symbol of this city. It looked so cute in pink so I couldn’t help to take a picture inside and outside of the train , lol.

Pinku train!

Cute mascot of Wakayama station, Tama-chan!

So, when we arrived at Kada station we went to the sea. It was only 10 minutes walk from there. Well, it wasn’t as wonderful as the tropical land might offer but beach in Kada was also pretty. The temperature at the time was only 12'c but felt like 7'c. It was so windy and cold even though I had some layers beneath my sweater.

Welcome to Kada beach....

It was so windy here in Kada

It was sunday, the town was so quiet and barely any town's people in vicinity..

This is the port we supposed to take a ferry from, in order to go to Tomogashima island :'(

On our way back to the Kada station

After taking pictures here and there around the beach, we decided to go back to Wakayama city to visit one of the attraction called Marina city. So we hopped on the train from Kada station toward JR Wakayama station, There was a bus stop there bound for Marina city, it took an hour by bus to go to this place.

In Marina city there were three attractions, first is the Kuroshio traditional fish market, second is kinokuni fruit market and the last is the grand Porto Europa. Porto Europa is an amusement park, it was so huge mimicking the European style buildings, it was free of admission fee to enter if you want to take pictures and all, but you wil be chared if you want to join the rides. But at the time we arrived, there was an illumination festival night so we were charged 1800 yen to enter. So we decided to spend the night there , I was freezing at the time, but managed to take some pictures,LOL. I really not cut out to live in a four seasoned country I guess.

A glimpse of Porto Europa

Kinokuni fruit market

Inside the Kuroshio fish market

Many fresh seafood sold here!

Tickets for Festa Luce illumination festival

It was an amazing sight! Turning an amusement park into a world of illumination really a magical sensation. If it wasn't for the chill, I might have shot more pictures.. :(