Kaike Onsen is a hot spring town in Tottori, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 89°C, hot enough that it has to be cooled before anyone can get in. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring. Its sources put out around 56 litres a minute. 20 inns take visitors here. About 388,032 people a year come to bathe.
Getting there
From Kyoto / Osakaabout 4 h
CarNot needed
JR PassCovers the train
Train to Yonago Station (JR)
Local bus, about 19 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 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.
More photographs
From Wikimedia Commons. Tap a photo for the photographer and licence.
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.