Wakayama · Nanki-Shirahama Onsen
Shirahama Onsen Muro-no-yu
白浜温泉 牟婁の湯
Shirahama's other classic public bath, on the Yuzaki seafront near Saki-no-yu. Its draw: two distinct springs — Mabuyu and Miyukiyu — under one roof. 7 am to 10 pm, ¥420.
- Price (adult)
- ¥420
- Hours
- 09:00–11:00 (last entry 10:30) / 14:00–21:30 (last entry 21:00)
- Closed
- Tue
- Access
- Bus from JR Shirahama Station (17 min) to Yuzaki
- Water type
- Simple spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥420 / ages 6–11 ¥140 / 3–5 ¥80. 10-ticket book ¥3,000. Towels ¥200, soap ¥40, shampoo ¥40; dryers free; lockers ¥100. 7:00–9:00 residents only
- Baths
- Two big tubs per gender: one fed by the “Mabu-yu” spring rising right beside the building, the other by the same “Miyuki” spring as Saki-no-yu — a rare chance to compare two sources side by side. Full washing area and showers. Rest room
- Water
- Mabu-yu: sodium chloride (salty, hot) / Miyuki-yu: sodium chloride-bicarbonate (soft). From Edo to Taisho times all of Yuzaki’s baths were pools dug where water rose from the shore rocks; Muro-no-yu carries on that public-bath tradition
- Parking
- Free, only 5–7 spaces. Right by the “Yuzaki” bus stop; ~5 min on foot to Saki-no-yu
- Phone
- 0739-43-0686
- Official site
- nanki-shirahama.com ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Two different springs in one bath
- Long hours, 7 am to 10 pm
- Pair with Saki-no-yu
Two springs side by side: Yuzaki’s stately public bath
Muro-no-yu stands proudly in the middle of Yuzaki, the birthplace of Shirahama Onsen, bearing the ancient place-name “Muro” from the Nihon Shoki and ranking with Saki-no-yu as the district’s signature public bath. Its hallmark: each bathroom has two large tubs fed by different springs — the salty, hot “Mabu-yu” rising right beside the building, and the soft “Miyuki-yu” shared with Saki-no-yu — so one visit lets you compare both. With washing stations and showers, it is the natural finish after a soak-only Saki-no-yu: the classic Yuzaki routine. At ¥420 it is a bargain too.
Tips & cautions
- Two sessions, 9–11 and 14–21:30; closed Tuesdays. 7–9 residents only.
- The Mabu-yu tub is very hot — start with Miyuki-yu.
- No soap or shampoo (¥40 to buy). Dryers free, lockers ¥100.
- Only 5–7 parking spaces — come by bus or use lots around Yuzaki.
- Do Saki-no-yu first, then walk 5 min here; in the evening it makes the perfect finish after sunset on the Yuzaki shore.
Getting there
~17 min by Meiko bus (toward Sandanbeki) from JR Shirahama Station to “Yuzaki”, right there (Shirahama 1665). ~8 km / 10 min from Nanki-Shirahama IC. Free parking, 5–7 cars.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- As a communal bath there is no soap or shampoo — bring your own or buy at the shop.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Price
Mood & scenery
Convenience
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-09 Operating status and rates cross-checked against the official site and onsen guides (full source notes in Japanese on the JA page)
Prices and hours change. Check official sources before visiting.
More in this area
Saki-no-Yu
An open-air-only bath at the edge of the Pacific. One of Japan's oldest springs, mentioned in the 8th-century Nihon Shoki; on rough days sea spray reaches the tubs. No roof, no wash stations.
Ryujin Onsen Motoyu
The source bath of Ryujin Onsen, counted with Yunokawa and Kawanaka among Japan's 'three beauty baths'. It stands on the Hidaka River deep in the Kii mountains, with a cypress indoor bath and a rock rotenburo overlooking the stream. The silky bicarbonate water is famous for leaving skin smooth. ¥800, 7:00–21:00, open daily. An hour by car from Koyasan via the Koya-Ryujin Skyline, or about 80 minutes by bus from Kii-Tanabe.
Yunomine Onsen Tsuboyu
The only hot spring inscribed as a World Heritage Site that you can actually bathe in, listed together with the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes. A tiny hut over the stream in Yunomine — said to be Japan's oldest onsen at 1,800 years — shelters a tub hollowed from natural rock that fits two adults. The sulfurous water is said to change colour seven times a day and served pilgrims for ritual purification. Private 30-minute slots, ¥800, sign up at the public bathhouse (6:00–21:00). Waits of several hours are common on holidays; boil onsen eggs in the hot-spring trough while you wait.
