Once we arrived at 白浜駅 Shirahama Station, we quickly made our way to 三段壁 Sandanbeki and 千畳敷 Senjojiki via bus.

三段壁 Sandanbeki is a cliff with rocks engraved with the works of nature. Ripple marks were created on the surface of the layers about 16 million years ago when waves and currents moved sand and mud from the seabed. At the bottom, there’s a legendary cave where Kumano naval force hid ships as long ago as the Heian Era, and one of Japan’s largest bronze statue Murodaibenzaiten is dedicated in the cave. One can pay to go down an elevator to the cave but we didn’t venture.

千畳敷 Senjojiki meaning “one thousand tatami mats” is a rocky coastal plateau in Wakayama known for unique geological formations. This is a vast, white, terraced rock plateau eroded by the Pacific Ocean, allowing for coastal hiking.

The weather was beautifully sunny—great for photos, but not so great for our sun-fried selves, LOL! Luckily, a refreshing strawberry-flavored shaved ice (¥150) from one of the souvenir shops revived us a little.