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Kushimoto – The town of Kushimoto, located at
southermost tip of Honshu, is the perfect place to snorkel. The water
is warm, the coral reefs are populated with gobs of small colorful fish.
Rent snorkels and masks in town. |
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 Kushimoto
Marine Park – This marine park has a very long underwater tunnel
and observation pod offshore. In the tunnel, you’ll see sharks, stingrays, and colorful fish. Also, take a ride in a glass-bottomed boat. |
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Oshima
Island – Take the ferry to Oshima Island to see the Umikongo Rocks,
a fabulous rock formation. From the observation platform,kids can look for the pyramid
rock, and another shaped like a lion's head. |
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Nachikatsuura – |
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Nachi
Waterfall (Nachi) – The sacred Nachi Waterfall is the tallest in
Japan. Not a massive, powerful rush of water, the Nachi Waterfall is a graceful,
delicate falls, tall and straight, surrounded by ancient cedar forests.
A must do. At the Fire Festival on July 14, there's traditional music and
dance, and twelve torches are carried in procession around the falls. |
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Whale
Museum (Taiji) – Taiji was once a whaling town, now you can go
to the Whale Museum to find out about whales, dolphins and local marine
life. Don't miss feedings and sea lion shows. Close to the museum there
are also tidepools to explore. |
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Katsuura – Early in the morning, stop into the Katsuura Tuna Market,
to see all the just-caught silvery tuna. Take a sight-seeing boat to
Kino-matsushima Island, or just soak in the hot springs next
to the ocean at the Katsuura Spa. |
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Shingu – At Shingu city, the Kumano
River flows into the ocean. Chose from several water activties: |
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Go
canoeing on the Kumano River, a wide and gentle river surrounded by
lush, dense vegetation. |
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Ride
a log raft – Traditionally, logs were floated down the Kitayama
river, which joins the Kumano River to flow to Shingu on the coast. Today,
you ride a logging raft (ikada), which is small tree trunks lashed
together. The skillful crew use long poles to navigate the rafts down the
river. This is not for little kids, because you stand on the rafts, but
it's lots of fun and a unique experience for older kids (10 and up). (From Shingu, take
a bus upriver to the raft landing (Ikada Center). Make reservations in advance. |
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Dorokyo
Valley – Take a jet boat up the Doro Gorge. The comfortable
glass-roofed boats provide views of the impressive rock formations in the
river gorge. The trip is a two hour boat ride. |
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Kawa-yu (near Hongo) – Relax in the rustic town
of Kawa-yu, where you can spend the day playing by the river, fed by hot
springs. The river is wide and shallow, perfect for snorkeling, inner-tubing,
or building rock dams. |
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