Photo: 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Nanki-Shirahama Onsen

Wakayama · 南紀白浜温泉

Nanki-Shirahama Onsen is a hot spring town in Wakayama, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 32–85°C, hot enough that it has to be cooled before anyone can get in. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring, bicarbonate spring and carbon dioxide spring.

Getting there

From Kyoto / Osakaabout 3 h

CarNot needed

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Shirahama Station (JR)
Local bus, about 10 min

Fly into Kansai (KIX) or Itami. Times are rough estimates worked out from station locations, not a timetable — check the exact route on Google Maps.

Chloride springBicarbonate springCarbon dioxide spring

The water here

Chloride spring 塩化物泉

Salty water. The salt leaves a thin film on the skin, so you stay warm well after leaving the bath.

Bicarbonate spring 炭酸水素塩泉

Smooth, slightly slippery water. Often nicknamed bihada-no-yu, the water for beautiful skin.

Carbon dioxide spring 二酸化炭素泉

Fine bubbles cling to your skin. Rare in Japan, and usually cooler than other springs.

More photographs

From Wikimedia Commons. Tap a photo for the photographer and licence.

Things to see nearby

Tanabe CastleCastle · 6 km

ShirarahamaBeach · 4.1 km

Tanabe City Museum of ArtArt museum · 2.7 km

Haso FallsWaterfall · 9.1 km

Tōkei ShrineShrine · 6 km

Susa ShrineShrine · 7 km

Places from Wikidata, photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Distances are in a straight line from the town.

With tattoos

Many public baths still turn away visible tattoos, and the rule is set by each bath, not by the town. The reliable way round it is to bathe privately: a room with its own open-air bath, or an inn with a private bath you can book for yourselves.

Rooms with an open-air bath — Shirahama Town Inns with a private bath — Shirahama Town