Wakayama is home to some of Japan’s most sacred sites including the Kongobuji Temple UNESCO world heritage site. Explore Mt. Koya, the center of Shingon Buddhism, a key start location for one of the routes on the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage path, and an iconic temple town nestled in the mountains among the trees, which turns a vibrant red and yellow in the fall. Explore the culinary history of soy sauce in Yuasa Town, the rumored birthplace of soy sauce in Japan, indulging your palette in soy sauce tastings; and your curiosity in tours of the local soy sauce factories/breweries. Explore much of the preserved architecture from the Edo Period in the designated “Historic Preservation District of Traditional Buildings” before contemplating the eternal serenity of Yosuien Garden, a designated “Special Place of Scenic Beauty”, hosting a large tranquil seawater pond surrounded by evergreen trees.