Wakayama

Wakayama has 50 onsen areas and 506 springs (Ministry of the Environment, FY2024), with more than 3.1 million overnight stays a year. Nanki-Shirahama appears in the ancient Chronicles of Japan, Yunomine is where Kumano pilgrims purified themselves, at Kawayu hot water wells up when you dig into the riverbed, and Ryujin is called one of Japan's three 'beauty baths'. Spas rich in history and faith are scattered across the coast and mountains of the Kii peninsula.

Main onsen areas

On the coast are Nanki-Shirahama in Shirahama and Nanki-Katsuura in Nachikatsuura. Inland, Yunomine, Kawayu and Wataze cluster around Hongu in Tanabe, Ryujin sits on the Hidaka River in another corner of Tanabe, and Wakayama city has Kada Awashima among others.

Characteristic spring types

Bicarbonate springs are the most common in our records, followed by chloride and sulfur springs. Ryujin is a sodium bicarbonate spring, Yunomine a sulfur-bearing sodium bicarbonate spring and Kawayu a 73°C sodium bicarbonate-chloride spring. Nanki-Shirahama's sources run hot at 67–78°C and are nearly all chloride springs, while Nanki-Katsuura has more than 100 sulfur sources.

Reachable by public transport

Nanki-Shirahama is 10–15 minutes by Meiko bus from JR Shirahama Station (about 2 h 40 min from Shin-Osaka on the Kuroshio limited express), and highway buses run from Osaka. Yunomine and Kawayu are about two hours by Ryujin bus from JR Kii-Tanabe, or about an hour by bus from JR Shingu. Ryujin is about 1 h 20 min by Ryujin bus from Kii-Tanabe. For Nanki-Katsuura, get off at JR Kii-Katsuura and take the inn ferry from the pier (about 5 minutes) or a taxi (5–10 minutes).

For solo travellers

Nanki-Shirahama has many public baths and plenty of places to eat around the spa town and beach, so it is easy alone. Yunomine has a guesthouse that welcomes solo travellers, and Kawayu has an inn that states it accepts single guests.

Food & culture

Yunomine's Tsuboyu became part of the 'Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range' World Heritage site in 2004, a bath you can actually get into, and it carries the tale of Oguri Hangan restored to life through Princess Terute's care. At Nanki-Shirahama, Saki-no-yu on the rocks of the headland is held to be the 'hot water of Muro' in the Chronicles of Japan. Ryujin is said to have been found by En no Gyoja and opened by Kobo Daishi, and in the Edo period it was a retreat for the Tokugawa lords of Kishu.