[Grand Mercure Wakayama Minabe Resort & Spa] Complete the free study of summer vacation with travel! From sea observation to clock making, there is an accommodation plan with free research that can be completed in one day.
Set in the sea of Wakayama, a summer limited program to experience learning, discovery, and creation appears for elementary school students. We carry out "experience-based stay" that parents and children can participate in with content that can be utilized in free research.
Grand Mercure Wakayama Minabe Resort & Spa, an all-inclusive hotel overlooking the magnificent Pacific Ocean from all guest rooms (Minabe-cho, Hidaka-gun, Wakayama Prefecture / General Manager: Kazunori Tanaka) will sell an accommodation plan for elementary school students "Summer Vacation Free Research Support|Sea Experience x Clock Making Plan". It takes about 3 hours from observation on the sea of Wakayama to the production of original watches, and the completed works can be brought back as free research. This program is accompanied by an instructor of the Kishu Experience Exchange Dream Club to support the experience. A new summer stay style that allows you to balance the fun and learning of travel, further expands your family's smiles and experiences.
Background of the project
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in "experience value" that allows students to gain knowledge and learning while touching nature and culture, as well as sightseeing. In addition, the concept of "travel education" that promotes the growth of children through travel, mainly for the child-raising generation, is expanding, and the needs of experience with learning are expanding. (*) Utilizing Wakayama's rich natural environment, we propose new value to complete free research while traveling by providing a learning process of "observing," "thinking," and "shaping" as an experience. As a program of “two birds with one stone” that reduces the burden for parents and balances memories and learning for children, we aim to create family demand during summer vacation.
（*） Reference: Promotion of high value-added travel (JNTO)
https://www.jnto.go.jp/projects/overseas-promotion/theme/luxury-travel.html
Reference: What is "Travel Education" that attracts the attention of the child-raising generation of Shukuken Co., Ltd.? Introducing new ideas for attracting family members
https://www.yadoken.net/knowledge
[Summer Vacation Free Research Support|Elementary School Students] Completed in one day! Experience of the sea × watchmaking plan <with evening breakfast and lounge>
Program contents (required time: about 3 hours)
１. Observation and collection at the beach
We collect and observe shells, seagrass, driftwood, driftwood, driftwood, etc. at Omezuhama, adjacent to the hotel. In a calm atmosphere like a private beach, you can deepen your learning while interacting with nature. The collected materials are recorded for each type, leading to later production.
２. Looking back on the discovery
Return to the hotel and organize the observation contents while classifying the materials collected at the beach into "natural-derived" and "artificial-made". Using slide materials, you will learn where the drifting plastic comes from and how it is connected to our lives through the sea. We will give you time to think about environmental issues as yourself through the question "What can I do to reduce plastic waste?" We will use the awareness gained through our experience into words and lead to consideration as free research.
３. Watchmaking experience
The collected materials such as shells, seagrass, and driftwood are washed before production, and dirt is removed before use. We make use of the color and shape of the material itself to create an original clock only in the world. By using the materials collected by yourself, you can not only leave memories of your experience, but also create a process of observation, classification, and consideration as a single work. The finished clock can be taken home as a free study, and can be used as a result of summer vacation.
Outline of the event
Accommodation Target Date: Friday and Saturday, August 1st to August 22nd, and August 13th
Time: From 9:00 to 12:00 the next day (about 3 hours)
Meeting place: Hotel 1st floor lobby
Place of implementation: Coast and Hotel Facilities
Implementing Organization: Kishu Experience Exchange Dream Club
Capacity: Up to approximately 10 people (jointly implemented with other customers)
What is included in the plan: 1 night and 2 days accommodation, dinner buffet, breakfast buffet, lounge, hot spring,
Experience fee for one elementary school student, set of clock production kits, tablet for water and heat stroke measures
※Additional elementary school students: 6,500 yen per person (paid on the day)
Reservation URL: https://grand-mercure-wakayamaminabe-resortandspa.jp/plan/jiyukenkyu_umitaiken/
Notes:
・Please take measures against heat stroke, such as frequent hydration.
・Observations on the beach may be changed depending on the weather and sea conditions.
・In case of rain, a program will be held in the hotel.
・In rainy weather, the required time may be shortened due to the change of contents.
・In consideration of safety, please follow the instructions of the staff.
New menu at dinner & breakfast buffet
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- Image of "Marche"
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- Ume-simmered Kumano pork and spring radish
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- Ume ~ Katsu burger
On April 1, 2026, the second anniversary of its opening, the buffet restaurant Le Sensoriel has started offering a signature menu inspired by the new CONCEPT Marche of Food & Beverage. We will deliver "the fun of discovery" that makes you want to stop your feet unintentionally, the "excitement" of a live kitchen where you can finish cooking in front of you, and the "fresh experience" unique to your destination. In addition, a new menu has appeared as a local menu, and "Kumano pork and spring radish plum boiled" using marbled pork "Kumano pork" grown jointly by Wakayama Prefecture and Kinki University, and a cutlet burger that can be enjoyed refreshingly with the refreshing acidity of plums are recommended by the hotel.
"Grand Mercure Wakayama Minabe Resort & Spa"
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- A superb view location that stands on a hill in Minabe-cho and overlooks the sea below
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- Hot spring open-air bath where you can feel the breeze blowing from the sea
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- Breakfast buffet where you can enjoy a rich taste, such as comparing the taste of Nankoume, a specialty product
This is an all-inclusive resort hotel located in Minabe-cho, Japan's largest plum production area (*1) in the central part of Wakayama Prefecture. You can enjoy breakfast-style meals in the morning and evening, alcohol during dinner, drinks containing alcohol in the lounge, and local confections within the room rate. In addition, you can enjoy a resort stay that has forgotten the hustle and bustle of everyday life, overlooking the magnificent Pacific Ocean scenery from various places in the hotel, such as guest rooms, open-air baths, and footbaths with hot springs.
（*1） Reference Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Statistics Survey 2025 https://www.maff.go.jp/j/tokei/kouhyou/sakumotu/sakkyou_kazyu/pdf/syukaku_biwa_25.pdf
[Location] 348 Omotsumari, Oaza Yamauchi character Minabe-cho, Hidaka-gun, Wakayama 645-0012, Japan
【TEL】 03-6627-4732 (Reservation Center)
[Access] Approx. 10 minutes by free shuttle bus from JR Minabe Station (advance reservation required), approx. 10 minutes by car from Minabe IC
[Official Website] https://grand-mercure-wakayamaminabe-resortandspa.jp/