Kada's Dolls & Ruins

What?
Kada (加太) is a quiet fishermen’s town near Wakayama (和歌山). Apparently it has a rich history as a port town, but don’t expect anything that will remind you of that. The town has a few rather bland beaches and one peculiar shrine full of dolls (Awashima Shrine 淡嶋神社), but it serves mainly as a hub to nearby Tomogashima. Is there nothing else to see then? Well, suppose you can’t get on the ferry to the former war island - due to the weather or because of the crowds - Kada has a valid alternative in the form of gun battery ruins along the coast.
Where?
Kada is located in Wakayama Prefecture (和歌山県), just over the border with Osaka Prefecture (大阪府). The Nankai Railways (南海) connect Osaka’s Namba Station (難波駅) with the fisherman’s village. Take the train to Kada terminal (加太駅), changing tracks in Wakayamashi Station (和歌山市駅). From Namba it takes around two hours. I can highly recommend the Nankai all line two day pass.
URL
Osaka Info Walking Along the Nankaido Wikipedia

I can’t quite believe it myself, but this was my third time in Kada. It’s not that I am a big fan of the town, because honestly, rural towns have their charm but there are better examples. Then why??

Well, the first time I came here to get to Tomogashima, but as the ferry was overcrowded we eventually visited Wakayama Castle instead. The second time I did manage to hop on the ferry and visit the island with remaining war ruins.
And now the third I came here because Tomogashima really impressed me. The thing is, not a lot of people are aware that there are also impressive battery ruins on the Kada side of the Seto Inland Sea.

There are actually three sites in Kada with war remains. Before that however I wanted to see the Awashima doll shrine which I previously forgot to visit.
Pick up a leaflet at the station with the adorable trains or follow google maps. The road is pretty straightforward and leads you through the center of the town. When arriving at the shrine it didn’t look very special to me, but pretty soon a sturdy WTF? feeling took over. This shrine is stuffed with dolls, little statues and - simply put - a huge pile of junk. It makes for a surreal world where every nook, every smallest corner is inhabited by some cute or scary or shiny or dilapidated “spirit”. I just love this and think this shrine is worth a visit, but it shouldn’t take over 20 minutes of your time.

Back to the war ruins. In fact, the most accessible of the three sites is located right behind the Awashima doll shrine. If you want you can go up and you’ll bump into two buildings: old toilets of the garrison and a shack where they made ammunition. According to the map these two buildings are part of more ruins (the Kada Battery), and while they are still accessible, they are now part of an ultra-modern and ultra-empty international exchange youth center (whatever that may mean). Not only is it clearly a gigantic waste of taxpayers’ money, it also ruined the ruins (see what I did there?). On Tomogashima the remains are overgrown by the forest and breathe an atmosphere of both panic and claustrophobia on the one side, and calm and peace of mind on the other. Here we have a parking lot on top of one of the bunkers and another one sealed off because they planted a beehive there.

Somewhere on the playground of the center I saw a simple handmade gate that said “access to the sea”, so I decided to descend to enjoy some breeze on a beach full of either sand or pebbles, but even this was a huge disappointment as it just led to a concrete road that straddled the coastline. Bugger.
Behind the youth center, a small road goes up to the second ruins; those of the Takurazaki Battery. Unfortunately the road was closed. Bugger again.

The inside of the train is 10 times cuter.

Apart from the dolls, Awashima Shrine houses a ridiculous amount of statues.

These pictures at the Kada Battery ruins show how it ised to be.

The Miyama 2nd Battery withstood time pretty well.

I recommend skipping these sites (unless you are an adept of such ruins) and instead heading for the third site – the Miyama battery - a little bit farther away. It’s around an hour walk to the north (don’t follow google maps, just follow the coastline. Maps will send you around the mountain for no good reason) or a 10 minute taxi ride. If you take a cab, ask the driver to drop you off at Kyukamura Kishu Kada (休暇村紀州加太). It’s actually a relaxation resort on top of a nearby hill with a gorgeous view over the Seto Inland Sea. First of all absorb the view and then check the small park behind the parking lot. In fact, here are the leftovers of the Miyama 2nd Battery, but today these were hidden behind big boards to prevent the structure from collapsing. I really wasn’t having any luck…
But you should proceed back down the road, back the way you came from. Pretty soon there are two forest roads on the left. Taking the right one lets you pass the battery ruins first, the left one leads to the ocean. Either way, they form a loop so whichever one you choose, you’ll pass both. I started with the ruins which were bigger than expected. They reminded me of the 3rd battery on Tomogashima. They can’t be compared as Tomogashima ‘s ruins are bigger, more complete and part of a complex on the whole island, but if you can’t make it there you will find a noteworthy alternative here. Especially because if you climb up on top of the tunnels you have a beautiful view on nearby Jinoshima and Tomogashima islands.

If you continue the loop you have an easy walk that leads you along some great vantage points from where you can see the resort above you, Kada west of you and the Seto Inland Sea with its islands in front of you. Eventually you come to a split in the road. Just keep right to go to the sea. Another war ruin will await you here, this time of a marine base. Right behind these scattered foundations you can access a rocky beach with a broken down pier. On the short but powerful loop, this is the last reminder of the war.
I had my lunch here and enjoyed the great weather, emptying my mind as I watched several vessels drift by.
When after 40 minutes or so two other people exited the forest onto the shore, I took that as a sign to leave. It took another 15 minutes to complete the loop, after which I followed the road down to some big parks. Families and school kids were enjoying this sunny Tuesday, probably not knowing that at that exact spot was located the Miyama heavy artillery regiment.

I’m sure that all along Kada’s coastline will be leftovers of fortifications, slowly disappearing underneath vegetation or added concrete. Tracking them all down might be a good way to get away from the cities.

Let’s imagine that you came here to visit Tomogashima, but that just like me the first time, you couldn’t access the island. In that case I would suggest visiting the doll shrine, get a bit out of your way to see the Miyama gun battery ruins and visit Wakayama castle in the afternoon. You wouldn’t have done your planned route, but you will have had a good day nonetheless.