Wakayama's 15 Declined Tourist Spots: Why They Changed Dramatically From Their Peak
Once packed with millions of visitors, these Wakayama spots have faded. Discover the bubble-era bust, forgotten ropeways, and ruins that drew crowds again.
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Tomogashima: Fortress Island to Ruin Tourism
Tomogashima, a fortress island off Wakayama City, became a deer-and-goat tourist island under Nankai Electric Railway in 1947 onward, peaking 1955–1965, then declined and was ruined-tourism revived after 2012.
- Island off Wakayama City; Meiji-era artillery fortifications built to guard Osaka Bay
- Nankai Electric Railway began tourism in about 1947; Setonaikai National Park designation in 1950; deer and goats released
- Peak period about 1955–1965; about 96,000 visitors in FY1964 (Tokyo Olympics year)
- FY1999 visitors about 25,000, about one quarter of peak; tourism deficit about 130 million yen
- March 2002: Nankai withdrew; Tomogashima local fishing-cooperative-backed company took over in 2006
- 2012 visitors 21,425; 2017 over 80,000 after the ruins drew comparisons to Laputa; 2020 about 30,727; 2025 about 46,690
Wakanoura: Resort Street Decline
Wakanoura, a seaside resort street with about 3 million annual visitors in the Showa 30s, declined after the 1965 honeymoon shift to Kyushu, with hotel fires, closures, and falling guest numbers.
- Developed from 1911 by businessman Morita Shobei; company formed 1917; ranked first in 1950 Mainichi Shimbun seaside category
- Showa 30s: about 3 million visitors per year
- 1971 fire at Ryokan Jukichiro killed 16 people; tram line also abolished that year
- Ryokan count fell from about 15 in early Heisei to half by 2018
- Guest numbers fell from 308,307 in 1985 to 117,240 in 2016, 38% of the peak
- 2018 former Okaro site became a hotel; Wakanoura designated a Japan Heritage site the year before
Wakanoura Ropeway and Hilltop Amusement Park
Wakanoura's mountain ropeway and hilltop amusement park, operated 1960–1997, were dismantled; an earlier outdoor elevator from 1910 also failed after six years.
- Ropeway opened May 15, 1960 up Mt. Takatsuki; length 254 m; travel time 3 minutes; two gondolas
- Hilltop had a rotating observation tower, slider, and monorail; night operations until about 10 pm around 1992
- Appeared in 1987 film Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Torajiro Monogatari
- Suspended in 1996; officially abolished February 1, 1997 after 37 years
- 1999: Nankai Electric Railway built a concrete unmanned observation deck
- Earlier 30 m iron elevator on Mt. Tengu built 1910, removed after six years
Porto Europa: Bubble-Era Marina Theme Park
Porto Europa, a European-style theme park on reclaimed land in Wakayama Marina City, was built as a bubble-era project, then passed through several owners, with an IR casino plan rejected in 2022.
- Plan announced 1987 by Wakayama Prefecture and a company; reclamation from 1989; island area 65 hectares including water
- Expo 1994 World Resort Expo: January 16 to 72 days; about 2.98 million visitors versus target of 1.5 million; over 3 billion yen surplus
- Theme park Porto Europa opened November 1994
- Parent company debts exceeded 500 billion yen; withdrew in 2005
- Operated by foreign investment fund, then acquired in 2013 by a Kurojio market operator
- March 19, 2016: admission made free; about 600,000 visitors the previous year
- April 20, 2022: Wakayama prefectural assembly rejected IR plan 22 to 18; projected 6.5 million visitors lost
- August 2026: Tokyo real estate group announced acquisition of all shares
Arita River Cormorant Fishing
Ariake River cormorant fishing, a roughly 600-year tradition in Arita, has been suspended since FY2013 with no public explanation found.
- Fishing performed by wading in the river, not from boats, holding torches in one hand and lines in the other
- Origin in Muromachi-era Oei period; designated a Wakayama Prefecture intangible folk cultural asset in 1962
- Season June 1 to first Saturday of September; closed on full-moon nights and flood days
- Suspended since FY2013 according to Arita City; no reason found in public records
- Some travel websites still list June to early September; prefectural cultural page still lists it
Misaki Leisure Facilities and Abandoned Lodge
Hayama Misaki Park and Misaki National Lodge, on a headland in Minabe, fell into disuse; the Canada Museum moved, and in 2026 metal theft was reported from the abandoned lodge.
- Nankai Group developed the leisure facility in the 1950s–1960s; lighthouse dating to 1895 on the cape
- Amerika-mura village in Minabe; over 2,000 emigrated to Canada before 1940
- National lodge closed February 2015 citing road works; old Misaki Park also closed
- Canada Museum moved to a Minabe private house in 2018 after coastal slide
- September 2026 theft from lodge: 21 air conditioner units, boiler, 150 electric wires, copper pipes, aluminum doors; loss about 18 million yen
Kawabe Astronomical Park
Kawabe Astronomical Park in Hidaka opened in June 1996; loss of its two specialist staff in 2014 and a 120 million yen planetarium upgrade cost led to closure, and a 2024 redevelopment plan followed.
- Opened June 1996 in Hidaka town with a large reflecting telescope, planetarium, and lodging
- Two specialist staff left in 2014 (August and November); planetarium and star shows stopped December 2014
- Planetarium system renewal cost about 120 million yen
- February 2024 town plan: futsal court, dog run, ball pool in planetarium room; cost about 800 million yen; target completion FY2027
Ryujin Onsen: Beautiful Skin Spring
Ryujin Onsen in the Kii Peninsula, known as a beautiful-skin hot spring, saw guest numbers fall from a 1996 peak of 109,353 to 38,138 in 2025 amid road toll removal and COVID-19.
- Legend: discovered by En no Ozunu; opened about a century later by Kobo Daishi following a dragon king's revelation
- Edo-era Kishu Tokugawa clan established a bath house
- 1989 sister ties with Shimane Yukawa and Gunma Kawanaka onsen; sold as Japan's beautiful-skin hot spring
- 1996 peak: 109,353 overnight guests
- 2003: Ryujin Skyline made toll-free, previously 2,090 yen
- 2009: 59,825 guests; 2019: 50,834; 2021: 30,015; 2025: 38,138, about one third of 1996
Hotel Kawakyu: The Bubble Castle
Hotel Kawakyu in Shirahama, rebuilt for 40 billion yen in 1991 as a luxury bubble-era hotel, went bankrupt within four years and was sold for 3 billion yen; its gold-leaf ceiling is now a museum.
- Founded 1949 as Ryokan Kawakyu; full rebuild around 1989–1991, designed by architect Nagata Toru
- Floor area 26,000 square meters; ceiling with 190,000 sheets of 5 cm gold leaf applied by French craftsmen
- Membership fees: 20 million yen (individual) to 60 million yen (corporate); room rates 100,000–600,000 yen per night
- Occupancy fell to the 20% range; opened 1995, bankrupt in four years with debts about 40 billion yen
- Bought by a Hokkaido tourism company for 3 billion yen, less than 1/10 of construction cost
- Became Kawakyu Museum in 2020 with works by Dalí, Chagall, and Yokoyama Taikan
Nanki Shirahama Onsen
Nanki Shirahama Onsen depended heavily on corporate retreats; after the bubble collapse, company resorts closed, and visitor numbers fell, though the 2025 panda departure had limited effect.
- Hot spring discovered 1922; Emperor Showa's 1929 visit spread the name
- Postwar honeymoon destination, later a family resort town
- 1996 overnight guests: 2,275,280; corporate resorts were key customers
- 2011 council discussed closures of 20 years of corporate facilities and reliance on Shirahama in summer
- 2023: 19 remaining corporate resorts in Shirahama area with 606 staff
- 2020 visitors about 2.37 million, lowest since 1972 statistics; August 2024 Nankai Trough temporary advisory closed Obon period
- Summer 2024 swimming beach visitors 146,764, lowest on record
- June 28, 2025: Adventure World's giant pandas transferred to China; 2025 overnight guests 1,817,488, up from previous year
Shiono-misaki Kanko Tower
Shiono-misaki Kanko Tower, built in 1960 in Kushimoto as a Honshu southernmost tourist tower, lost its tour bus business; the mid-floors are unused, while Kushimoto's overall tourism has increased.
- Built October 22, 1960 in Kushimoto; 37 m tall, seven floors; observation deck height 100 m
- Issued Honshu Southernmost Visit certificates to visitors
- Tour buses once brought visitors; Kushimoto folk dance performed on the sixth floor
- Floors 2 to 7 are now largely unused; only the observation deck operates
- Kushimoto area tourists in 2025: 2,059,528; Hashikui Rock and a private rocket launch site draw visitors
Taiji Whale Museum
Taiji Whale Museum opened in 1969 with live dolphin shows, peaked near 500,000 visitors, then declined after aquariums spread; shows ended in 2010 and visitors were 130,575 in FY2023.
- Opened 1969 to preserve Taiji's whaling history; live dolphin capture began with local fishermen
- First year over 200,000 visitors; about 500,000 around 1975
- 1980s: rival aquariums opened nationwide, reducing demand for dolphins
- 1998 visitors fell below 300,000; 2008 about 140,000
- Orca transferred to Nagoya Port Aquarium in 2010, ending orca shows
- 2013 visitors 80,700, partly affected by Kii Peninsula floods
- FY2023 visitors 130,575
Nanki Katsuura Onsen: Cave Bath Town
Nanki Katsuura Onsen, famed for its cave baths and Hotel Urashima, shrank from 1.35 million guests in 1995 to 256,625 in 2020 amid group-tour decline and floods; the town hopes to attract fewer, higher-satisfaction guests.
- Cave bath named after a Kishu Tokugawa lord who reportedly did not want to leave
- Developed in the 1960s; Showa 30s honeymoon destination; 1978 Kisei Main Line electrification improved access
- 1995 guests 1,351,705; below 1 million by 2002; 618,447 in 2011 after Kii floods; 405,335 in 2019; 256,625 in 2020
- Hotel Urashima has 365 rooms, the largest in the prefecture
- 2018: Nakanoshima reduced to 44 rooms after dismantling three towers
- April 2025: Nanki Katsuura Onsen Ryokan Association dissolved
- 2025 overnight guests recovered to 504,648; foreign guests increased
- August 2026: about 4 billion yen spent to rebuild one tower of Urashima
Kumano Dorokyo Jet Boat Tour
The Kumano River jet boat tour, which ran through the Kii Mountains from Shingu, was ended by a 2011 flood, unpaid repairs, and COVID-19; it was officially abolished in April 2025.
- Jet boat service in the Kumano River gorge in the 1960s; about 48 staff; boat about 18 m long at 40 km/h
- Round trip about 50 km from Shingu city, taking nearly two hours
- Peak 1992: about 280,000 riders
- FY2006 about 100,000 riders, FY2019 about 40,000
- 2011 Kii Peninsula floods: up to 9 m flooding; boat dock and roadside station damaged
- Hotel Doro at the destination closed in 2004
- April 2020 suspension; January 2021 operations halted; April 10, 2025 official abolition; 10 boats scrapped