Visitors enjoy the winter-only "Sennin-buro" open-air bath along the riverbank at Kawayu Onsen in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, on December 1, 2025.
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Kawayu Onsen in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, is famous for its hot springs that bubble up directly from the riverbed. Its winter-only open-air bath, known as the Sennin-buro (Hermit's Bath), opened along the river on December 1. The bath will be open to the public free of charge through the end of February 2026. It is a mixed-gender hot spring, and visitors are required to wear swimsuits.
An organizing committee made up of the local tourism association and other groups temporarily dammed part of the river to create the bath. It measures about 30 meters (around 98 feet) wide and 10 meters deep.
'A Special Experience'
On opening day, a local Buddhist priest offered prayers for safety during the season. Representatives from nearby lodging facilities then poured sacred sake into the bath. Visitors entered the water together, and clouds of steam drifted across the riverbank.
"We've been seeing more foreign visitors in recent years," said Shinichi Shiba, 66, head of the organizing committee. "Soaking in the bath under a star-filled sky, surrounded by nature, is a special experience. We want people across Japan to discover the charm of the Sennin-buro."
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Author: The Sankei Shimbun
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