Wakayama Gourmet Guide: Ramen, Mehari Sushi and Mikan

Blessed with a mild climate and rich seas and mountains, Wakayama offers distinctive local dishes and specialties. From the widely loved Wakayama ramen and the rustic mehari sushi of the mountain villages, to the sweet mandarins produced in some of the largest quantities in Japan, there are flavors here you can taste nowhere else. Paired with sights such as the World Heritage Kumano Kodo trails and Shirahama hot springs, it is a captivating destination for savoring the food of Wakayama.

Wakayama Ramen

Wakayama ramen is a local style built on a soy sauce base enriched with pork bone. It is known for a rich, deep broth that suits medium-thin straight noodles, and locals affectionately call it chuka soba. Many shops keep hayazushi, a pressed mackerel sushi, and boiled eggs on the table to nibble while you wait for your bowl. The prefecture has many distinctive shops, so comparing them to find a favorite is part of the fun.

Mehari Sushi and Mikan

In Wakayama's mountainous Kumano region, mehari sushi is a home-style dish of rice wrapped in leaves of takana mustard greens. Its name is said to come from opening your mouth wide and your eyes wider still as you eat, and it was long enjoyed as a boxed meal during forestry and farm work. The gentle saltiness of the greens harmonizes with the plain rice. Wakayama is also famous as one of Japan's leading mandarin regions, and its sweet, juicy mikan are loved nationwide as a taste of winter.

Best Season and Access

Wakayama food can be enjoyed year round, but the local mikan are at their best in winter, when their sweetness is exceptional. Arida mandarins are generally available from around October into January, peaking in November and December. For access, using stations such as JR Wakayama or Shirahama as bases makes it easy to tour the food spots and sights. Combining the trip with a Kumano Kodo pilgrimage or a relaxing stay at Shirahama makes for a memorable journey.

Practical Travel Notes

Wakayama's specialties differ greatly between the north around Wakayama City and the south in the Kumano area, so an itinerary of two days or more is reassuring if you want to see both. Wakayama City fare such as ramen, shirasu bowls, and kamaboko is roughly an hour or so from Osaka Namba on a Nankai Railway limited express, an easy distance for a day trip. The southern Kumano area, home to mehari sushi, sanma sushi, and Nachikatsuura fresh tuna, is several hours from the Osaka side by the JR limited express Kuroshio, so it pairs well with sights like Shirahama, the Kumano Sanzan shrines, and Nachi Falls.

• As a budget guide, a bowl of ramen or a rice bowl is around a thousand yen, while souvenirs such as mikan or plums start from a few hundred yen. Branded beef and fresh tuna courses cost considerably more, so it helps to set a budget in advance.
• Popular shops and specialties can sell out by early afternoon. Hours and closed days change easily, so check official sites or social media for the latest information before you go.
• Arida mikan, Nanko plums, and Yuasa soy sauce are popular keeping souvenirs, available at roadside stations, direct sales shops, and station stores.

A Quick Tip

Start by choosing one specialty for the area you visit and let the rest of your food journey grow from there. Little local habits such as alternating ramen with the counter sushi, or choosing slightly small, deeply colored mikan, will deepen the flavor of your trip.