JR Wakayama Station

JR Wakayama Station is one of the city's two main terminals and the natural starting point for exploring the prefecture. Three JR lines converge here—the Hanwa Line linking Osaka and Kansai International Airport, the Wakayama Line heading toward Nara, and the Kisei Line (Kinokuni Line) running south along the coast to Shingu—and the limited express Kuroshio connects the station directly with Shin-Osaka and Kyoto on its way to the hot spring resort of Shirahama and the Kumano region. The station is also where travelers board one of Japan's most charming local railways: the Wakayama Electric Railway Kishigawa Line, famous worldwide for Tama, the calico cat appointed stationmaster of Kishi Station. The whimsical cat-themed trains depart from platform 9. At the central exit, the MIO shopping complex and Kintetsu department store gather restaurants, souvenir shops, and hotels under one roof, while the bus terminal out front offers easy connections to Wakayama Castle and beyond. The surrounding streets are also home to celebrated Wakayama ramen shops—reason enough to arrive hungry or linger before departure.