\Wakayama prefecture is located in the southwestern part of the large Kii peninsula, which is part of Japan’s main island, Honshū, and is known for it’s mild climate, beautiful scenery and famous hot springs. Facing the Pacific Ocean, Wakayama’s 600km coastline has rows of precipitous cliffs which have attracted people since ancient times as sacred sights, including Mount Koya-san the 1,200-year-old sacred ground for Buddhism in Japan and the ancient pilgrimage route Kumano Kodo. Also making up Wakayama prefecture are 130 islands of varying size which stud the sea around the main part of the prefecture. As Sake breweries tend to be situated in colder areas of Japan, there is a limited amount of Sake breweries in the Wakayama prefecture because of its year round mildness. There are only 23 active breweries currently registered in the prefecture. Wakayama does however have a long history in other forms of fermentation such as shoyu [soy sauce] over 800 years ago.
Wakayama is surrounded by mountain and sea, as such dishes tend to be from both the land and sea. Because sakes are considered for pairing with dishes, many Wakayama sakes tend to be Junmais; it is also a major feature that it follows the tradition by keeping the old recipes.
