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Kii Katsuura       Maps     Video

Kii Katsuura is a quiet resort town just south of Nachi Katsuura. It is perhaps most famous for its "Bokido" onsen, but is perhaps more important for its position as the largest tuna fishing port of its class in Japan. The fact that Japan has the biggest tuna-fishing industry in the world only underscores the importance of Kii Katsuura.

Onsens
The onsens of Kii Katusuura are actually "rotemburo" which means they are outdoors. The "Bokido" rotemburo belongs to the Urashima Hotel and is located in a large cave with a spectacular view of the ocean. The water here is good for the skin, joints and stress. The Nakanoshima Hotel also has a rotemburo facing the ocean. This rotemburo has several split-level pools that are practically in the sea. The pools' sulpher water is good for increasing circulation and removing toxins from the body. To reach the cliff-side pools, you will need to go by boat from the hotel. Other spas in Kii Katsuura that require boat access are "Kishu Chomon-no-Yu" with hot water springs under water, and "Rakuda-no-Yu" (Camel Spa) with hot springs next to a camel shaped rock.

Tuna Market
Well, maybe tuna isn't something that most people have given much thought to beyond orders of maguro in sushi restaurants or the "save the dolphin" campaigns that led to "dolphin safe" canned tuna lables. However, in Japan "tuna" is really big stuff and I don't just mean the 400kg size of an average Bluefin Tuna (Maguro). Japan caught 15,868 tonnes of tuna (about 25% of the total world catch) in 1999 from oceans all over the world. However, much of the best fishing in the world is located on Japan's doorstep in the Kuroshio Current (Black Current or Japan Current)--the world's fastest! If you get up early enough and have a chance to get to Kii Katsuura's Morning Tuna Market, you might be interested by some of the facts below.

Tuna

--Northern Bluefin Tuna (Maguro): among the largest fish in the ocean, adults can weigh 681 kg.
--Other Tuna: Albacore, Yellowfin, Bigeye, Skipjack, Frigate tuna, Eastern Pacific Bonito, Yellowtail Amberjack.
--Tuna are the fastest swimming fish in the ocean with adult speeds reaching to 88 km per hour. It can swim across the ocean in a few weeks.
--Sushi quality tuna can sell from $20,000 to $80,000 per fish.
--20% decline in Atlantic and S. Pacific tuna over past 20 years is attributed to the Japanese sashimi market.
--Bluefin appear to spawn only in waters off southern Japan--research is currently being done to check this theory.

Kuroshio current:

--Starting from the Philippines, it flows north offshore of Shikoku and the tip of the Kii Peninsula.
--Largest and fastest current in the world: speed 40km-120 km/day (1.6-4.8km/hr), depth: 1006m.
--The warm water of this current keeps winter along the Pacific coasts relatively mild.
--The warm Kuroshio current from the south and the cold currents from the north meet off the coast of Japan and forms a large mixed water zone that churns the waters. The churning keeps the nutrients suspended in the water allowing the food chain to flouish. The merging of currents is also responsible for the great variety of cold and warm water fish, and explains why Japan is one of the world's principal fishing nations.

Dolphins:

--hunting dolphins has grown in popularity since the early 1990's.
--most dolphin hunts in Wakayama start from Taiji and Katsuura.
--Dolphin hunting season is February to August and the current kill limit for the area is 520 dolphins.
--Japan kills the largest number of dolphins in the world.

Tours - Japan Discovery visits Kii Katsuura.
Click here for more information regarding when Discovery visits this destination.

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