Kaike Onsen

What to expect

Kaike Onsen is the spa district of Yonago, on the Sea of Japan coast in western Tottori Prefecture. It sits at the root of the Yumigahama, a long sandbar of white sand and pine trees that runs towards Sakaiminato. Hotels and ryokan line the shore, and on clear days you can see Mount Daisen, the highest peak in the Chūgoku region, from the beach. The coast here has been named among Japan’s 100 best beaches and 100 best spots for sunsets and sunrises.

What sets Kaike apart is the beach. The ryokan association calls it one of the few onsen towns in Japan where you can step out of your inn in a swimsuit and be on a swimming beach. Kaike is also proud of being the birthplace of the triathlon in Japan: the country’s first race was held here in 1981.

This is a resort town, so most baths belong to hotels. For day visitors, two complexes do the heavy lifting: OU Land and the day spa Ocean.

The water

The Kaike Onsen ryokan association describes the water as a sodium-calcium chloride spring from 19 sources, running at 145-181°F63-83°C at source, with a combined flow of about 4,456 litres (1,177 US gallons) a minute. OU Land’s published analysis for its mixed storage tank (sources 26 and 28) gives 168°F75.3°C and a neutral pH of 7.2. Expect clear, salty water that holds heat well.

Day baths

OU Land

OU Land, next to the OU Hotel, calls itself Kaike’s “source bath”. It has large indoor baths, outdoor baths, jet baths, a carbonated bath and a sauna, plus Korean-style scrub treatments and a restaurant, Nonbiri-tei. Prices in October 2026:

Ticket	Price
Adults (high school and up)	¥550
Junior high	¥350
Elementary	¥200
Infants (under elementary age)	¥100
Adults with sauna	¥800

• Hours: large baths 10:00-23:00, last entry 22:30. On the third Monday of each month it opens at noon (the next day if that Monday is a holiday).
• The men’s and women’s baths swap every Monday.
• No soap or shampoo is provided in the baths; buy toiletries and towels at the counter. Once you leave the bath area you need a new ticket to go back in.
• Family baths (private rooms, 50 minutes for 1-2 people) cost ¥2,300 for a standard tub, ¥2,700 for a bubble tub or the care bath (70 minutes), and ¥3,300 for a bubble tub with an outdoor section. Extra people pay ¥700 each from junior high up.
• Two wheelchairs are available to borrow, and there is an accessible toilet.

OU Land is unusually open about water treatment. In the large baths, water is added and heated to adjust the temperature, the water is circulated and filtered, and chlorine is used for hygiene. In the family baths, water is added for temperature, but there is no heating, no circulation and no disinfection.

Day spa Ocean

Ocean bills its rock-garden outdoor bath as one of the largest in the Chūgoku region. Upstairs, a Bali-themed outdoor bath looks out over the sea. Ocean says it uses its plentiful supply to run the water straight from the source (gensen kake-nagashi).

• Prices (2026): adults (junior high and up) ¥1,580, or ¥1,150 for members; children aged 4 to elementary ¥750; groups of 10 or more ¥1,400 each.
• Included: face towel, bath towel, loungewear and the other bathing basics, so you can arrive empty-handed.
• Hours: 10:00-24:00 for the baths; the sea-view restaurant runs 11:00-23:00.
• Closures: no regular day off, but two maintenance closures a year. In 2026 it closes on November 9 and 10.
• Private spa rooms with source-fed tubs can be booked by phone (0120-475-203).
• Once inside you cannot go out and come back. Visitors celebrating a birthday bathe free on the day with ID, and guests at the neighbouring Business Hotel Ocean bathe free up to twice.

Rules and etiquette

Both day baths follow standard Japanese bath rules: wash before you get in, bathe naked in the gender-split baths, keep towels out of the water, and do not bathe drunk.

Tattoos are refused at both. Ocean’s FAQ says that anyone with a tattoo, whatever its size or design and including stickers, may not bathe or use the facility. OU Land refuses tattooed and drunk guests, and pets, at its large baths. If you have a tattoo, your best option is a ryokan with a private bath or an in-room bath; ask before booking.

Getting there

• From Yonago Station: Hinomaru buses on the Kaike line (towards Shinkai) take about 25 minutes. For Ocean, get off at Sōgō Ryōiku Center and walk 3 minutes. A taxi takes about 15 minutes.
• By air: ANA flies from Tokyo Haneda to Yonago in about 85 minutes. From Yonago Airport, a taxi takes about 25 minutes.
• By train from Okayama: the limited express on the JR Hakubi Line takes about 2 hours to Yonago. Okayama is about 50 minutes from Shin-Osaka by Shinkansen.
• By car: about 3 hours 20 minutes from Osaka and 2 hours from Okayama via the Chūgoku and Yonago expressways.

The Yonago City Tourist Center at Kaike Onsen 3-1-1 rents bicycles (8:30-18:00), and a seaside cycling road runs along the Yumigahama towards Sakaiminato. Do not park on the street near the center; it is a bus route.

When to go

The baths run all year. Summer is the big season: the Kaike Onsen Kaiyu Beach had lifeguards from July 11 to August 23 in 2026 (9:00-17:00), with beach cafés, a floating obstacle course and evening beach events. Pets on leads are allowed on the sand but not in the swimming area. Autumn and winter are quieter at the beach, which makes them a good time for long soaks. Sunset over the Sea of Japan is the classic time for an outdoor bath at any time of year.

Where to stay nearby

The Kaike Onsen ryokan association lists around 16 member inns and hotels, from old-style ryokan to resort hotels, including Kaike Grand Hotel Tensui, Kaisuitei, Kaike Yūgetsu (rooms with private outdoor baths) and Ōedo Onsen Monogatari Kaike, as well as a ryokan that welcomes dogs, Kaike Onsen Shōtōen. Central Yonago, about 15 minutes away by taxi, is the other option if Kaike is full. Sakaiminato and its Mizuki Shigeru Road, lined with statues of yōkai from GeGeGe no Kitarō, is about 30 minutes by car.

Safety notes

• Hot, salty water: chloride springs hold heat. Keep soaks short, cool off between dips and drink water.
• Sea swimming: swim only in the lifeguarded area in season. Outside summer, waves and currents on the open Sea of Japan coast can be strong.
• Alcohol: both day baths turn away drunk guests. Do not bathe after drinking.
• Winter weather: the shore is open to the Sea of Japan, so dress for wind and cold when walking between baths and hotels.