Hot springs in Shirahama

An old coastal resort town where hot springs meet the Pacific. The white-sand beach and dramatic rock formations create a setting unlike most onsen destinations. The ancient outdoor baths of Saki-no-Yu sit directly above the ocean. You soak while watching the waves crash below you.

Tsubaki Onsen occupies a single large bathhouse on the Kii Peninsula in Wakayama Prefecture, surrounded by forest and roughly 2.5 hours from Osaka by train. The spring registers pH 9.9, placing it among the most alkaline waters in Japan. The facility is straightforward and well-maintained, attracting visitors from the Kumano region as well as day-trippers traveling in from the coast.

Nanki-Shirahama is a coastal resort town on the Kii Peninsula where hot springs have drawn emperors since the seventh century. The geography is unusual for a resort: a broad white-sand beach fronts the Pacific, and hot spring hotels fill the ground behind it. The old outdoor rock baths of Saki-no-Yu are built directly above the ocean.