Kawakita Onsen

Kawakita Onsen is a free, unmanaged wild hot spring (noyu) deep in the mountains of Shibetsu Town, in eastern Hokkaido, upstream of the Ikeshomanai River at the base of the Shiretoko Peninsula. An inn and a town recreation lodge once stood here, but today only two open-air baths, separated for men and women, remain along with changing huts and a rest area. The huts and toilets were built in 1986 by a local Kawakita Onsen fan club, which still cleans the site during the bathing season.

The water is classified under the old name as a boric-acid-containing sodium chloride hydrogen sulfide spring. A 1974 analysis recorded a source temperature of 59.6 C, a pH of 6.1 and a natural flow of 17 liters per minute. The water is cloudy, salty and smells of hydrogen sulfide. Because the spring is very hot, stream water is piped in to cool it; measurements in June 2025 showed 57.1 C at the spout and 42.6 C in the bath.

Bathing is free and the baths are open-air only, separate for men and women. Access is possible only while the forest road is open, roughly from mid-June to the end of October, and the road is closed in winter. Camping is prohibited. Brown bears live in the area, so take care on the road and around the baths.