I was visiting around 11:40am. Not available all tubs but one was warm. Worth it to visit. 300 yen per person and recommend to bring bath tower for cover your body in the onsen.
An intimate and restorative outdoor hot spring on the southern point of Yakushima Island, Japan. This onsen is unique in the way that it is only available twice a day, during the low tide; timing is crucial. I had the privilege of donating money, washing up, then soaking in this space after acclimating to its natural heat.
View my video of the space on YouTube~
Sidenote: I'm a tourist and saw other tourists doing weird things. Be mindful.
No photography allowed. Need to pay 300yen to enter and enjoy the natural onsen. A unique onsen where man and woman are not separated.
Mixed gender open-air onsen that's right by the beach. Open 2 hours before or after low tide. That's two times a day - once in the morning and then again in the evening. You pay $300 to the drop box. There are no people attending it but there is a camera at the entrance thanking you for donating every time you passed by.
There's a separate changing room for the ladies and men. Ladies can wrap themselves in a towel. The guys bring a small towel to cover up before entering the pool. It's pretty much nude. There are two water hose stations you can use to wash yourself before and after. There are sea critters by the onsen but they are not in the water.
It's pretty cool especially if you go during the sunset. I'd expect night time would be good too to see the stars. The rocks are very slippery so be careful. There's parallel parking right before entering the place that holds about 10 cars. There's a couple spots right be the onsen entrance but I would not try it unless you have a really compact car. You may have to back out all the way to the main road if you can't find any open spots.
There are three main onsen pools and smaller individual ones. Try all three main pools as the temperature varies. The first one I got in was not too hot. The second one was wayyy to hot and the last one was perfect.
No pics and videos allowed so none attached. I didn't have any gear as I was just driving by. I stopped by at a nearby food store for a ¥150 small towel and got ¥300 in change. I'd say it's better than indoor onsens especially if you go during a sunset.
Very unique spot. Sits directly on the ocean, the waves crash again the rocks just in front of the pools.
As others have mentioned, it seems the custom is to have a small modesty towel to cover yourself when in the onsen. I saw one local gentlemen who wasn’t while the pools were empty. Women can have full towels to cover.
As for changing there ARE actually two change rooms directly at the onsen. The “gate” building houses a men’s and women’s, just go through the gate and turn around.
As for storing your belongings I found I could leave my shoes just short of a marked line in the way to the pool. For the rest there were many large rocks that were no where near the water (at least at the level of tide during my visit) where you can place your clothing.
One more tip. If the tide is low, after walking down the ramp, immediately to the right and somewhat back there is what i presume is/was a pool. When I was there the water was no where near this area so it was bone dry. It’s sunken into the ground such that I could dry off and change without issue.
