Michi-no-Eki Nachi (Roadside Station)

Overview

Michi-no-Eki Nachi is a roadside station right next to JR Nachi Station on National Route 42, an easy stop on the way to Nachi Falls and Kumano Nachi Taisha, both about ten minutes away by car. With around 50 parking spaces, clean 24-hour toilets and an on-site hot spring, it is a popular base for travellers, including those sleeping in their cars.

The bathhouse, Nishiki-no-Yu, has a large tub with sweeping views of the Pacific (indoor baths only, no open-air section); spend 1,000 yen or more at the shop and you get a discount on admission. Next door, the Kumano Nachi World Heritage Center introduces the 'Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range,' with panels on the grand shrine, Seiganto-ji, the falls and Daimon-zaka, plus a three-screen film of the Nachi Fire Festival and a replica of the Nachi pilgrimage mandala. The produce market sells local vegetables, fruit, the area's prized tuna and preserved goods such as pickled plums.