Wakayama Shirahama Town
A Nanki resort hotel where you can immerse yourself in Shirahama's spectacular scenery and famous hot spring
"Nanki Shirahama Onsen Hotel Kawakyu" is an onsen ryokan and resort hotel in Shirahama Town, Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture. Its architectural beauty, which won the Togo Murano Prize in 1993, is a hallmark of the property, and the 22.5-karat gold-leaf ceiling has been recognized by Guinness World Records. In the two onsen salons, guests can enjoy a sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate spring sourced from Shirahama Onsen, one of Japan's three oldest hot springs. The high-temperature sauna is equipped with self-löyly, and a wide range of bathing facilities, including a reclining bath and a silky bath, make it easy to relax. At the lounge Musee, which overlooks Tanabe Bay, original sweets and drinks are served. With all-suite rooms offering ocean views, it is a place to savor extraordinary luxury.
An ocean-view bathhouse where you can soak in Shirahama's hot spring, one of Japan's three oldest hot springs with a history of over 1,350 years, while looking out over Tanabe Bay below. The experience of being enveloped by the sea breeze and the scent of onsen is a special moment unique to Nanki Shirahama. In the silky bath, micro-fine bubbles wrap around your whole body, leaving your skin feeling as smooth as silk after bathing. The reclining bath lets you lie back and relax with your body supported by the buoyancy of the water, reducing strain on the joints and muscles so you can unwind for a long time. There is also a residence-style living space where you can sweat on the underfloor heating while watching the flames of the fireplace, and spend a leisurely time with a drink in hand. The entire space concludes with a relaxing living room-like atmosphere.
Features a large bath using abundant Koya-maki, the sacred tree of Mount Koya, as well as an open-air bath surrounded by lush greenery. The walls of the large bathhouse are decorated with a painting of an immortal by ceramic artist Reizo Aoyama and a Chinese poem by Tao Yuanming, while soft indirect lighting creates a dreamlike atmosphere. In the open-air bath, you can become one with nature while soaking in Shirahama's hot spring rising from the earth. The fragrance of the sacred wood blended with the onsen makes this a refined bathing area that can only be experienced at Hotel Kawakyu.
A high-temperature dry sauna installed in the Royal Spa. Because self-löyly is available, you can enjoy the heat waves of aufguss at your own pace. With its clean white-themed design, it blends seamlessly into the living-room-style spa space. Large windows let in natural light from outside, and features such as fireplace benches and underfloor heating create a refined hotel-only atmosphere where you can work up a thorough sweat. While taking in the ocean-view scenery, you can warm your body deeply and completely.
A wooden barrel sauna installed in the 1F Eternal Forest area. The compact space envelops the body in dense, concentrated heat. In a quiet environment without a TV, the experience of sauna in nature stands out vividly.
A cold bath adjoining the Royal Spa. It quickly cools down a body warmed by the high-temperature sauna, helping regulate body temperature. Positioned alongside the silky bath and reclining bath, it allows for cooling down in a calm, residence-like living space. The flow from the sauna is excellent, making alternating hot and cold bathing smooth and effortless.
A cold plunge bath installed in the Eternal Forest area. In the calm, forest-like setting, you can thoroughly cool down your body after warming up with the sauna and onsen.
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Irregular Holidays
Visited by the Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief visited in person in March 2026
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