10 Best Local Dishes from Shirahama

Shirahama is full of great ramen restaurants thanks to the famous ramen of Wakayama Prefecture (Shirahama is in Wakayama). From classic destinations to hidden gems, the choice is yours. Shirahama’s ramen uses local ingredients to give it a unique twist.

A good place to start is with light pork broth and soy sauce soup ramen, a Wakayama classic. Other options include salt-flavoured soup with seafood broth, spicy soup, and a range of more creative soups. You can even buy ramen to take away as a souvenir.

Narezushi is a type of sushi made from salted mackerel widely eaten throughout Wakayama Prefecture, including Shirahama. Its history goes back 800 years, having been prepared in local households for centuries as a festival meal and for entertaining guests.

It used to be a very time-consuming and labour-intensive dish to prepare. These days, hayanarezushi, which is not fermented and can be enjoyed at restaurants, is more common. As well as mackerel, saury and sweetfish are sometimes used.

Kue nabe (longtooth grouper hot pot) is a winter delicacy in Wakayama Prefecture. Wild longtooth grouper is known for being an expensive fish. Its soft flesh has an elegant sweetness and richness, with an irresistible concentrated flavour. The rice porridge traditionally eaten after the hot pot is also exceptional.

If you’re really getting into it, try a multi-course meal serving longtooth grouper in various forms such as sashimi, nigiri (hand-rolled) sushi, fried, tempura, and steak. These meals are served at specialised restaurants, ryokan (traditional Japanese inns), ryotei (traditional high-end Japanese restaurants), seafood restaurants, and izakaya (Japanese-style pubs).

If you want to try a premium branded beef in Shirahama, Wakayama’s Kumano beef has to be top of the list. The finest-quality Wagyu beef is tender and sweet, with a melt-in-the-mouth fatty flavour. Probably the best ways to try it are as steak or yakiniku (Japanese barbecue), where the flavour of the meat is carefully preserved.

You can find Kumano beef served at Japanese and Western-style hotels, traditional Japanese restaurants, Western restaurants, steakhouses, and yakiniku restaurants. At the more affordable end, there are also buffet restaurants where you can try it.

Yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) in Wakayama is slowly grilled over local Kishu Binchotan charcoal, which is said to be ideal for cooking, producing incredibly delicious flavours.

Locally-raised chicken is charcoal-grilled with excellent control of heat, seasoned with salt, sauce, or both. The finishing touch is Japanese pepper, sansho, a Wakayama speciality. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and with the refreshing touch of Japanese pepper, Wakayama’s yakitori is some of Japan’s finest.

Nanki Shirahama is all about barbecues with seafood from Kishu. Head to the seafood markets to find a wide variety of local fish and a feast for the eyes. Also popular are the facilities where you can enjoy seafood barbecues, such as Fisherman’s Wharf Shirahama.

Grab a beer and enjoy the excellent, fresh seafood under a blue sky overlooking the sea. If you’re feeling adventurous, try some rare seasonal shellfish as well as scallop, shrimp, squid, and abalone.

Why not try Buddhist vegetarian cuisine when visiting Shirahama? If you visit the Mount Koya (Koyasan) and Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail (which are registered as a World Heritage Site as Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range), you can enjoy this unique cuisine at shukubo (temple lodgings). However, you can also find it at restaurants in Shirahama.

If you want to try a wide variety of dishes, head to restaurants such as Shikisaisai Non or Goroan, which focus on authentic Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. The endlessly creative side dishes using local ingredients guarantee a wild foodie adventure. It’s fair to say that the ancient vegetarian flavours of Japan are perfect for the 21st century.

You’ll notice Kishu umeboshi (pickled plums), a local delicacy of Wakayama, at various points when dining in Shirahama. It’s an essential part of breakfast in Japanese and Western-style hotels and is also commonly served at ramen restaurants, izakaya, and traditional high-end Japanese restaurants. It’s even used to delicious effect in desserts and drinks.

It also makes for a great souvenir. Authentic pickled plums are available in a variety of packages for personal use or as a gift. You can find them at many souvenir shops and specialist shops throughout Shirahama. "Imperfect" discounted crushed plums are also a popular choice.

Spring is the season of mochigatsuo, fresh bonito served within a few hours after being caught. The just-landed bonito has a chewy texture like mochi (rice cake), hence the name, and if you're a fish lover, you won't be able to get enough of it. This is one of Shirahama’s most popular delicacies and it’s only available here.

Restaurants serve it in various forms such as sashimi, nigiri (hand-formed sushi), zukedon (marinated sashimi on rice), and chazuke (sashimi on rice with green tea or broth). Mochigatsuo is full of seasonal flavour and stands out as one of the definitive local dishes of Shirahama. You can also buy it to take away at Nanki Shirahama Toretore Market.

Ekiben (boxed lunches sold at stations) full of local flavours are a key part of the fun of train travel in Shirahama. Each ekiben is like a treasure box filled with local ingredients including meat, seafood, vegetables, and fruits. While watching the scenery from a train window, you can enjoy typical flavours of Shirahama such as Kishu pickled plums and locally-raised free-range chicken grilled over Binchotan charcoal.

There are also ekiben containing seafood, including different kinds of traditional pressed sushi wrapped in leaves. Most famous are the kodai suzume sushi (small bream sushi) and kakinoha Sushi (sushi wrapped with persimmon leaves). Both have a delicate, mouth-filling flavour.