Wakayama · Kumano Hongu Onsen (Yunomine & Kawayu)
Yunomine Onsen Tsuboyu
湯の峰温泉 つぼ湯
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.
- Price (adult)
- ¥800
- Hours
- 06:00–21:00
- Closed
- Irregular (cleaning closures)
- Access
- About 100 min by Ryujin Bus from JR Kii-Tanabe Station to Yunomine Onsen, then 1 min on foot; about 70 min by bus from JR Shingu; 10 min by car from Kumano Hongu Taisha
- Water type
- Sulfur spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Phone
- 0735-42-0074
- Official site
- www.hongu.jp/onsen/yunomine/tuboyu ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Stay in this onsen town
Compare and book stays in Kumano Hongu Onsen (Yunomine & Kawayu). Day bathing itself needs no booking.
Opens partner booking site (affiliate)
Why go
- The only bathable World Heritage onsen
- Rock-hewn tub for two
- 30-minute private slots, ¥800
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Rules & private
Mood & scenery
Price
Who with
Convenience
Only here
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-09 熊野本宮観光協会（つぼ湯800円・6:00–21:00 受付20:30・30分交代・公衆浴場一般湯400円）
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.
Shirahama Onsen Muro-no-yu
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.
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.