5 Awesome Things About Tanabe-shi!

I figured it'd be important to write down my impressions and keep track of what to expect before I arrive at my JET placement in Tanabe (田辺市)! Here are five awesome things that I found out through a little bit of internet research:

1. The specialty of this region is umeboshi (梅干し).
   
   Umeboshi are delightful sweet-sour pickled plums. I love them so much that I'll keep eating them straight from the container until I have a stomach ache. According to this article from MSN Japan the Association for Kishu Plums (a.k.a. plums grown in a certain part of Wakayama prefecture) held events around the country to promote their product this past Friday. Events included a special ceremony at Kumano Taisha (Grand Kumano Shrine), which goes to show just how important these plums are!
   
   
   

   

   They may not look like much, but they sure are delicious...
   (Image from tanabe-ume.jp)

    
2. Speaking of Kumano Taisha (熊野大社)...
   
   The city of Tanabe falls along an ancient Buddhist pilgrimage route called the Kumano Kodo (熊野古道), which may date as far back as the 9th century! It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, so you KNOW it's a place worth visiting.
   
   

   

   I think my investment in hiking boots has already paid off.
   (Image from kumano-travel.com)
   
   

    
3. The city is also home to Benkei the warrior monk, who is a popular subject of Japanese folklore.
   
   Ironically, during my year abroad at International Christian University (国際基督教大学) I did research on warrior monks for my Medieval Japanese course. It's up for debate whether or not there really were warrior monks in Japan, but is still awesome to know that if such a badass monk existed, he came from Tanabe.
   
   

   

   Statue of Benkei in front of JR Kii-Tanabe. Scary, right?
   (Image from wikipedia.com)

       
4. There are many onsen (温泉), or natural hot springs to enjoy.
   
   Hot springs are one of those things that those who come to Japan either love or hate, since it involves public nudity (generally gender segregated, of course)! If you take a peek at what reviewers on TripAdvisor.com have to say, you'll see that the top-ranking activity in Tanabe is a visit to one of these traditional bath houses.
   
   The best part? A trip to a bath house is both easy on the wallet (admission is usually less than ¥1,000) and incredibly rejuvenating. Some locations even boast that a soak in their baths can improve health or cure physical ailments!
   
   

   

   Yunomine Onsen in Tanabe: the highest ranked activity in the town!
   (Image from onsenjapan.net)

5. Location, location, location.
   
   Even though Tanabe is regarded as the inaka (田舎) the location is still advantageous! You have the choice to either enjoy the nature surrounding the city while still being decently close to Osaka. When opportunities to venture a little further arise there are also cities like Kyoto, Nara and Kobe close by. It's also worth mentioning that Kansai International Airport is 1.5 hours away for those traveling long distances domestically!

These are just a few things I've dug up during my preliminary research on my placement city. Now just to sit tight until more detailed placement info comes from my contracting organization!