Shirahama, Japan
白浜町
Shirahama is a town of 23,325 people in Wakayama, Japan, founded in March 1, 2006.
Why visit Shirahama
Townapedia lists 47 museums and landmarks, 23 parks and trails, 260 places to eat, 53 places to stay and 9 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Shirahama Aquarium, Cape Bansho lighthouse, Minakata Kumagusu Archives and Isoma Rock Shelter Site.
Weather in Shirahama
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Shirahama
Shirahama (白浜町, Shirahama-chō) is a town in Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 October 2021, the town had an estimated population of 20,704 in 11,024 households and a population density of 100 persons per km2. The total area of the town is 200.98 square kilometres (77.60 sq mi).
From the Wikipedia article Shirahama, Wakayama (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Shirahama on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do9
Museums and landmarks47
Isoma Rock Shelter Site
Monument and historic site · 5.2 km
Archaeological site in Tanabe, Wakayama, Japan
35 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds23
Adventure World
Park · 2.9 km
Theme park and zoo in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
11 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes260
まる正ラーメン
Restaurant · Ramen, Drinks, Noodle
Wi-Fi is WAKAYAMA FREE Wi-Fi. To use need mail address registration.
890-37, 白浜町
Mo-Su 11:00-14:30,17:00-22:00; Th off
Restaurant Ailes 翼(エール)
Restaurant · French
9, 白浜町
Th-Mo 11:30-14:00,16:00-22:00; We[1,3,5] 11:30-14:00,16:00-22:00
248 more on the map.
History
The area of the modern city of Shirahama was within ancient Kii Province. The hot springs in this area have been used since ancient times and are mentioned on several occasions in the Nihon Shoki and throughout the pre-modern period. The seaside of Shirahama was famous for its white quartz sands, which had also been celebrated in poetry as a makurakotoba for "whiteness". These sands were exploited commercially for their high silica content for use in glass production and were also exported. The village of Setokanayama (瀬戸鉛山村, Setokanayama-mura) was established with the creation of then modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. From 1919, local volunteers began developing the seaside area in competition to the older springs in the mountains and efforts to drill for a hot spring source were successful by 1922. A local commercial shipping company, the Shirahama Onsen Motor Co., Ltd., began promotion of the area as a resort. This received a boost by a visit of Emperor Showa in 1929. The village was promoted to town status on March 1, 1940. The neighboring village of Minami-Tonda was annexed on March 15, 1955, and Nishi-Tonda on July 1, 1958. On March 1, 2006, the town of Hikigawa, from Nishimuro District, was merged into Shirahama.
From the History section of Shirahama, Wakayama on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay53
Churches and places of worship54
Shopping54
Gas and EV charging12
Schools, colleges and libraries25
Healthcare40
Map of Shirahama
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Nanki-Shirahama Airport (SHM) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 3 km away.
- Tanabe 6 km north, about 6 min by car
- Yuasa 42 km north, about 42 min by car
- Shingū 59 km east, about 59 min by car
- Udono 61 km east, about 1 h by car
- Hannan 73 km north, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Sennan 74 km north, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Kumano 75 km east, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Izumisano 82 km north, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Kishiwada 87 km north, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Kawachi-Nagano 87 km north, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- 131221 Shirarahama Beach Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan09bs, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirarahama Beach Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan07s3bs, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan14s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan10s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan20s3t, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan01s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan04s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan23s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirarahama Beach Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan15s, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirarahama Beach Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan11s, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan15n, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan11o, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan06s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirarahama Beach Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan02s5, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirarahama Beach Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan14s, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan12n, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan02s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan09s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirarahama Beach Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan13s, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirarahama Beach Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan08bs, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirarahama Beach Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan12s, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan08s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan13n, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirarahama Beach Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan06s3bs, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan16s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan07s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan21s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirarahama Beach Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan03s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirarahama Beach Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan01s3bs, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan19n, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan03n, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirarahama Beach Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan05s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan05s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan20s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan22s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131221 Shirahama Onsen Shirahama Wakayama pref Japan17bs, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- Isoma Rock Shelter Site A, さかおり, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Panda Adventure World Shirahama, No machine-readable author provided. Krisgrotius assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain
- Shirahamaaquarium, Pterocirrus, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 南方熊楠記念館, Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 251011 Minakata Kumagusu Archives Tanabe Wakayama prefecture Japan04s3, 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kashima High School, Asasa198, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 131222 Shinjo Park Tanabe Wakayama pref Japan07s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131222 Minami Wakayama Medical Center Tanabe Wakayama pref Japan01s3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- 131222 Tanabe City Museum of Art Wakayama pref Japan01bs3, 663highland, CC BY 2.5
- Kisyu museum001, Opqr, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 251011 Tokei-jinja Tanabe Wakayama prefecture Japan03s3, 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mud Dykes of Torinosu Peninsula A, さかおり, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 三段壁 白浜にて Sandan-beki 2014.1.04 - panoramio, Nankou Oronain (as36…, CC BY-SA 3.0
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