Kagoshima · Kagoshima City (Shiroyama & Tenmonkan)
Shiroyama Hotel Kagoshima – Satsuma-no-Yu
SHIROYAMA HOTEL kagoshima 展望露天温泉 さつま乃湯
The lookout open-air bath of a long-established hotel crowning Shiroyama hill above Kagoshima city. Facing Sakurajima across Kinkō Bay, the outdoor bath is celebrated as one of Kagoshima's finest views, and after dark the city lights and the smoking volcano's silhouette are magical. The bicarbonate spring from 1,000 m underground is a skin-smoothing 'beauty bath', offered in indoor and outdoor pools plus the 'Ion Spa' hot spring sauna. Day bathing runs 13:00–21:00 and costs ¥3,500 for adults (tax and bathing tax included), ¥3,350 for junior-high students, ¥1,750 for elementary pupils and ¥800 for infants. It is pricey, but face and bath towels are included and you can use the hotel lounge, the Ippinkan gift shop and restaurants, making it a popular splurge for the view alone; reservable private baths start at ¥4,950 on weekdays for day guests. A free shuttle bus takes about 15 minutes from Kagoshima-Chūō Station, or 10 minutes by car from Tenmonkan. Pair it with the Shiroyama observatory and Saigō Takamori's historic sites and make a soak facing Sakurajima the highlight of your trip.
- Price (adult)
- ¥3,500
- Hours
- 13:00-21:00
- Closed
- Open daily
- Access
- About 15 min by free shuttle bus from JR Kagoshima-Chūō Station; about 10 min by car from Tenmonkan; about 15 min by car from Kagoshima-Kita IC on the Kyūshū Expressway
- Water type
- Bicarbonate spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Day-use bathing adults ¥3,500 (tax and bathing tax included), junior high ¥3,350, elementary ¥1,750, infants ¥800, free for under 3 and for hotel guests. Private onsen for day visitors ¥4,950 weekdays / ¥5,500 weekends and holidays (bathing tax extra, reservation required, no view, with an open terrace). Face and bath towels included. Hotel restaurants, esthetic salon, bodywork, and the gift shop Ippinkan (from 16:00 weekdays, 14:00 weekends). Cash and cards
- Baths
- A view rotenburo onsen belonging to a long-established hotel on the summit of Shiroyama, looking down over the city of Kagoshima. The rotenburo faces Sakurajima, rising across Kagoshima Bay, and is one of Kagoshima's finest scenic baths, taking first place in Kyushu (second nationally) in the Onsen Grand Prix 2024. A hydrogen carbonate spring from 1,000 m underground serves an indoor bath, a rotenburo and the onsen sauna 'Ion Spa', and with parking for 780 and several restaurants and an esthetic salon the hotel lets you finish bathing and eating in one place
- Spring water
- A hydrogen carbonate spring welling from 1,000 m underground. Slick water that seems to soften the skin's old surface, it is called a beauty spring and many say the skin turns smooth afterwards. From the rotenburo you can watch the sun rise over Sakurajima in the morning, and at night the city lights and the silhouette of the smoking volcano. It is not free-flowing source water (it is circulated and heated), and day bathing starts at 1 p.m., so a visit aimed at the sunset and the night view is especially good
- Access & parking
- About 15 minutes on the free shuttle bus from JR Kagoshima-Chūō Station, about 10 minutes by tram or bus from Tenmonkan, about 50 minutes by car from Kagoshima Airport, about 20 from Kagoshima IC on the Kyushu Expressway. Parking for 780. Easy to combine with the Shiroyama lookout, Sengan-en (Iso Garden) and the Sakurajima ferry, and being close to the centre of the city it suits both day trips and overnight stays
- Phone
- 0570-07-4680
- Official site
- shiroyama-g.co.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Stay in this onsen town
Compare and book stays in Kagoshima City (Shiroyama & Tenmonkan). Day bathing itself needs no booking.
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Why go
- Kagoshima's signature view bath facing Sakurajima
- Bicarbonate 'beauty' spring from 1,000 m plus hot-spring sauna
- ¥3,500 incl. towels; 13:00–21:00; free shuttle from Chūō Station
A rotenburo facing Sakurajima squarely
Satsuma-no-Yu is the view onsen on the third floor of SHIROYAMA HOTEL kagoshima, standing on the summit of Shiroyama with the whole city below. Everything here is arranged toward the view. Settle into the rotenburo and Sakurajima stands squarely in front, rising across Kagoshima Bay, with the city spread beneath it. In the morning you watch the sun come up over the volcano, at midday the smoke from its crater, in the evening the sunset sinking into the bay, and at night the city lights and the black silhouette of Sakurajima — every hour of the day shows a different face. This view took first place in Kyushu (second nationally) in the Onsen Grand Prix 2024. The water is a hydrogen carbonate spring from 1,000 m underground, slick in a way that seems to soften old skin, hence the name 'beauty spring', and many say the skin turns smooth afterwards. There is an indoor bath (one for each sex), a rotenburo (one for each sex) and the onsen sauna 'Ion Spa', built open so that nothing blocks the view, letting you take the onsen with the breeze. Rates are ¥3,500 for adults (tax and bathing tax included), ¥3,350 for junior high, ¥1,750 for elementary and ¥800 for infants, free for under 3s and for hotel guests. That feels high next to an ordinary day-use onsen, but it includes a face towel and a bath towel and the use of the hotel lounge, the Ippinkan gift shop and the restaurants — it is more accurate to think of it as buying an afternoon of the hotel, not a bath alone. Couples wanting privacy can reserve the private onsen (¥4,950 weekdays, ¥5,500 weekends and holidays for day visitors, bathing tax extra), which has an open terrace but no view, so if the view is the point, choose the great bath's rotenburo. Day bathing runs 13:00–21:00 all year with no closing day (access may be limited when groups are using the hotel, so confirming is wise). It is 15 minutes from Kagoshima-Chūō Station on the free shuttle, parking is for 780 so a rental car is easy, and it combines well with Sengan-en, Sakurajima and the Shiroyama lookout into a single day.
How to use a hotel onsen, and the private bath
Arrive by car (780 spaces) or on the free shuttle from Kagoshima-Chūō Station and go up to Satsuma-no-Yu on the third floor. The fee (¥3,500 for adults) includes a face towel and a bath towel, so there is nothing to prepare; put your clothes in a locker and walk straight into the bathhouse. A recommended circuit: wash in the indoor bath and soak 10 minutes — a quiet bathhouse away from city noise; step out to the rotenburo and spend 15–20 minutes with Sakurajima in front — the facility's real purpose, and because the water is warm you can stay long even when the wind blows; 8–10 minutes in the onsen sauna 'Ion Spa'; then back to the rotenburo to finish with the sunset or the night view. The hydrogen carbonate water is slick with good heat retention, so the body stays warm and the skin smooth afterwards. Afterwards eat in one of the hotel restaurants, take esthetic or bodywork, and choose Satsuma goods in the Ippinkan gift shop (from 16:00 weekdays, 14:00 weekends) to fill half a day — there is also a day-use plan combining a kaiseki at the kappō Shisui with the onsen (¥8,500, reserve by 5 p.m. two days ahead), good for a special occasion. The private onsen is a room with an open terrace, costing ¥4,950 weekdays and ¥5,500 weekends and holidays for day visitors (bathing tax extra) and requiring a reservation, but it has no view, so choose the great bath's rotenburo if the view is the aim. Notes: day bathing is 13:00–21:00 (mornings are not available); the private bath needs a reservation and costs extra; access may be limited when groups are in (confirm by phone); parking is charged (check the hotel's terms); cash and cards accepted. Satsuma-no-Yu is the best-viewed onsen in Kagoshima, and scores especially highly slotted into the evening of the last day of a trip.
Practical details and a Kagoshima sightseeing route
Day bathing is 13:00–21:00 with no closing day (access may be limited when groups are using it, so confirming is advised); rates are ¥3,500 for adults (tax and bathing tax included), ¥3,350 junior high, ¥1,750 elementary, ¥800 infants, free for under 3s and hotel guests; the private bath is ¥4,950 weekdays and ¥5,500 weekends for day visitors (reservation required); parking for 780. Access is 15 minutes on the free shuttle from Kagoshima-Chūō Station, 10 from Tenmonkan. Suggested routes: (1) a day in Kagoshima — Sengan-en (Iso Garden), the Shiroyama lookout, a bath at Satsuma-no-Yu, dinner in Tenmonkan; (2) Sakurajima — the ferry across, the Yunohira lookout and a walk over the lava, then the sunset from Satsuma-no-Yu; (3) a scenic evening — sightseeing in town in the afternoon, a bath around 5 p.m., taking in sunset and night view at once; (4) a special day — the day plan of kaiseki at the kappō Shisui plus the onsen (¥8,500, reserve two days ahead), then esthetic; (5) staying — overnight at the hotel and the onsen is free, with breakfast, for baths morning and evening over two days. Notes: no morning bathing (from 1 p.m.); the private bath has no view and needs a reservation; weekend evenings are crowded (sunset hours); parking is charged; cash and cards accepted. Satsuma-no-Yu is the best onsen with which to close a trip to Kagoshima on a view and a beauty spring.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Ryokan day-use hours are limited and may be suspended in peak season — phone the same morning.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Sauna & wellness
Rules & private
Mood & scenery
Who with
Language support
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-10 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.
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