Hirauchi Kaichu Onsen

Hirauchi Kaichu Onsen is a pair of hollows in the rock of Yakushima's south shore, with a little help from people to make them hold water. Hot spring water comes up from below at the source at about 46.5°C. For most of the day the sea is over the top of them. Only around low tide, twice a day, do the pools drain of seawater and turn into baths, and the town reckons on about two hours each time. Miss the window and there is nothing to see but waves. So the first job is the tide table, not the bus timetable. The rules are old-fashioned. Bathing is mixed and swimsuits and underwear are not allowed, though a towel wrapped around you or a bathing garment is fine; after problems with people taking photos, covering up is accepted. Do not photograph other bathers. There is no attendant and no admission desk: the town asks for 300 yen as a donation, put in the box. The water is an alkaline simple spring. From Miyanoura Port it is about 80 minutes by bus to the Hirauchi Kaichu Onsen stop, then about 8 minutes on foot down to the shore. With a rental car it is much easier to arrive when the tide suits. Wear sandals you can walk on wet rock in, and bring your own towel. The forests and the rest of the island are covered in the Yakushima entry.