Saki-no-yu

What to expect

Saki-no-yu is a town-run open-air bath at Yuzaki, the rocky headland at the southern end of Shirahama in Wakayama Prefecture. The pools are hollows in the shore rock, a few steps from the Pacific. On a calm day you hear the surf and smell the salt. On a rough one, spray from the waves comes over the edge. The town lists only open-air baths here, with no indoor bath. You come for the water, the rock and the sea.

The town calls it the oldest bath in Shirahama, and the tourism association says it is the only one left of the old Yuzaki Seven Baths. It has a men’s side and a women’s side. For the wider spa town, its other public baths and the beach, see our Shirahama Onsen listing.

History

Shirahama’s fame as a hot spring goes back about 1,400 years, and the town says Saki-no-yu was where it started. In the Asuka and Nara periods the spring was called the Muro hot spring (Muro no Yu), and it appears in the Nihon Shoki and the Man’yōshū. The town’s timeline records a stay by Prince Arima in 657, a visit by Empress Saimei the next year on his recommendation, and visits by Empress Jitō and Emperor Monmu in 701. Later, nobles and the retired emperor Go-Shirakawa bathed here on pilgrimages to Kumano. The town counts it, with Dōgo and Arima, among Japan’s three oldest hot springs.

In those days the bath was a natural basin worn into the sandstone, with a view of the sea. The town says today’s pools still give that feel. Later records note a thatched roof replaced with tiles at the end of the Edo period, and an 1878 debate in the village over glass doors on the bath house.

The water

The bath draws on the Miyuki source, supplied by Yuzaki Onsen Kankō Co. It is a sodium chloride spring, clear and medium-salty, and the town puts the source temperature at 172°F78°C. The flow rate is listed as not measurable. The town describes the pools as free-flowing open-air baths, and the water drains straight out to the sea. Neither the town nor the tourism association publishes the temperature of the water in the pools.

Prices and booking

Prices are from the town’s page, updated July 16, 2026.

Item	Price
Entry, age 3 and over	¥500
People with disabilities (helper included)	Free
Towel	¥200
Coin locker	¥100

There is no booking. A vending machine is on site. Bring a towel or buy one at the entrance.

Hours change with the season:

• October 1 to March 31: 8:00-17:00
• April 1 to June 30, and September: 8:00-18:00
• July 1 to August 31: 7:00-19:00

Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. There is no regular closing day, but the bath can close for maintenance, and the town says hours may change or entry may be limited depending on conditions. With the pools this close to the waves, call ahead (0739-42-3016) if the sea is rough or a typhoon is near.

Onsen etiquette

• No soap. Shampoo, conditioner and body soap are banned, because the water flows into the sea. There is no washing area, so rinse before you come.
• Bathe naked on your side of the bath and keep towels out of the water.
• Children aged about 7 and over must use their own sex’s side, under the town’s rule for its public baths.
• Do not take photos of other bathers.

Getting there

Saki-no-yu is at 1668 Shirahama-chō, Nishimuro District.

• By train and bus: take the JR Kinokuni Line to Shirahama Station, then the Meikō Bus bound for Shin-Yuzaki, about 15 minutes. Get off at Yuzaki and walk about 5 minutes.
• By car: about 15 minutes from the Nanki-Shirahama IC on the Kisei Expressway. There is a free car park for 15 cars, so arrive early in summer or come by bus.

When to go

The bath is open every day of the year apart from maintenance closures. Summer brings the longest hours, from 7:00 to 19:00, but also the beach-season crowds. Spring and autumn are calmer, and in winter the warm water against a cold sea wind is the whole point. The bath closes early, at 17:00, from October to March, so do not leave it until the end of the day. A weekday morning soon after opening is usually quietest.

Where to stay nearby

You cannot stay at Saki-no-yu. Shirahama’s hotels and ryokan spread around Shirarahama beach and the Yuzaki area, and many have their own baths. The town also runs two other public baths, Shirarayu and Muro-no-yu, with an annual pass that covers both, so you can wash properly there before or after. Our Shirahama Onsen page covers them.

From March 1, 2027, Shirahama will charge an accommodation tax on hotel, ryokan and private-lodging stays: ¥200 per person per night when the room-only rate is under ¥10,000, ¥300 from ¥10,000, ¥500 from ¥20,000 and ¥1,000 from ¥50,000. Children under 12 and school trips are exempt.

If you are touring the Kii Peninsula, Nachikatsuura Onsen and the Kawayu Onsen Sennin-buro river bath are further along the Kumano coast and inland routes. For the other two of the “three oldest” springs, see Dōgo Onsen Honkan and Arima Onsen.

Safety notes

• Waves: the pools are on the open shore. Stay out of the water and away from the edge in heavy surf, and follow staff if they close the bath.
• Slippery rock: the rock is wet and uneven. Walk slowly and watch children closely.
• Sun and heat: the pools are open to the sky. In summer, drink water and keep soaks short.
• Salt water: the spring is salty. Rinse off afterwards if you can, especially if your skin is sensitive.