What other travelers are saying about Hirauchi Kaichu Onsen
Amazing experience walking down to this onsen at 8pm (low tide was at 10) on a Sunday night, and sharing the place with a few locals. There was an electrical storm on the horizon and the pool was not too hot.
Incredible being in warm water while waves rushed in towards us (but never hit us) and watching the lightning on one horizon… and looking up at the stars on the other side of the horizon….unforgettable…
The onsen is accessible via bus or taxi from Ibusuki Station. It’s about a 30-minute drive from the station. Make sure to check local transportation schedules for the best route.
The onsen has limited accessibility features. It may be challenging for those with mobility issues due to its natural beach setting and uneven terrain.
Hirauchi Kaichu Onsen features a mix of open-air baths with natural sea views. The baths are filled with mineral-rich water sourced directly from the ocean.
The onsen is in an amazing location, amidst rocks on the shore line. And it's worth a visit if you're in the area. However, if you're an onsen lover the visit maybe just to say you've been.
The bath itself is not very warm and is quite shallow. As you'd expect, it's very popular with both locals and visitors. Despite what I read online, the Japanese ladies in the bath were both wearing bathing dresses. And one of them was definitely local. The Japanese men were naked.
There's nowhere to leave your clothes, except on the nearby rocks. If it's windy, weigh them down somehow. I almost my underwear and trousers!
Fascinating unusual onsen. Mixed nude bathing. But you can also have a simple foot bath in one of the the small shallow pools at the end of the walkway. Although the signs refer to lockers, bring a bag to put your clothes in when you go for your onsen and store your gear on the nearby rocks. Take a basin or ladle to wash yourself in sea water near the onsen. With high levels of calcium in the water it is very slippery, so take your time and be careful. As the tide slowly comes in it is fun to move to the small pools closer to the sea and get washed back in.
Very amused by shoes being left at end of cement walkway instead of the rocks where most people left clothes.
Multiple pools but I only tried two of them.
Unsure if we're in a low tide time, we stayed nearby for a couple days and anytime we went the water wasn't near.
Signs say no bathing suites but most women wore shirts.
Public restrooms nearby.
At least at this time of year the cliff blocks view of the sunrise.
Very cool place. Highly recommend. The low tide that day was around 2pm; we went around 4:30pm and it was still very good. Almost everyone was local. No one was wearing swim suits, but all the men and women were using towels to cover their bodies. I unfortunately didn’t bring a towel, so I went in fully naked… The people were respectful, but I was worried that I offended them… oh well.
Before you go in, grab a little basin and wash yourself with the water from the two smaller pools.
