- Source temperature
- 85°C
- Bathing temperature
- 55°C
- Bathing
- Indoor / Outdoor
- Established
- 1987
At Ibusuki, on the southern tip of Kyushu, geothermal water heats the sand of the shoreline. Bathers lie in a shallow trench on the beach and attendants shovel hot sand over them — a practice documented here for around three centuries. Saraku is the municipal facility on the seafront.
Balnevia view
Why visit
Sunamushi onsen is unique to a handful of places on earth, and Ibusuki is its home. Fifteen minutes buried in heavy, radiating sand feels nothing like a hot pool, and the setting — open sea and volcanic ridge — is remarkable.
Recommendations
Hotels nearby
Explore places to stay near Ibusuki Sunamushi Onsen Saraku.
The water
Thermal water
- Source
- Ibusuki coastal geothermal field
- Mineralisation
- Sodium chloride hot spring
- Character
- Geothermal water heats the beach sand itself; bathers are buried in sand rather than immersed in water.
Practical information
You wear a supplied yukata; sand sessions last about ten to fifteen minutes, followed by indoor hot-spring baths to rinse. Tide and weather can move sessions under a covered area.
Location
Related places
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Matsuyama/Japan
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One of Japan's oldest hot springs, in a wooden bathhouse of 1894.
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