Hot springs in Nachikatsuura

Nachikatsuura Onsen is a hot spring resort town on the Kii Peninsula, positioned close to Nachi Falls, the tallest waterfall in Japan. The harbor sits along the ancient Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route, and the town's baths offer two distinct outlooks: some face out over the Pacific Ocean, and others look directly toward the sacred falls. That pairing is rare to find anywhere in Japan.

Nanki-Katsuura Onsen sits along a jagged section of the Kii Peninsula coastline in Wakayama Prefecture, within the boundaries of Yoshino-Kumano National Park. More than 100 springs surface from the cliffs and headlands bordering Katsuura Bay. Among the area's most unusual bath facilities are those carved into sea caves and others perched on small islands that visitors reach by boat from the harbor.