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[Shirara Onsen in Shakotan] Day Trip Onsen and Rare Carbonated Spring in Hokkaido Can Be Enjoyed at Onsen Ryokan Hokuto

October 23rd, 2018

CONTENTS

Shirara Onsen
List of Day Trip Onsen
- Onsen Ryokan Hokuto
List of Accommodations

Shirara Onsen

Shirara Onsen (シララ温泉) is a hot spring place in Shakotan town, the northern part of Shiretoko Peninaula, and Only Onsen Ryokan Hokuto (温泉旅館北都) is built along Raiden National Route (National Route 229), and has a good ocean view before eyes. In a summer, a lot of sea bathers come to beach. Hot springs were succeeded in drilling in 1999, and those were named after a legend of Princess Shirara that lamented for a painful separation with Yoshitsune (義経) and turned into a rock. The hot springs are one of rare carbonated spring in Hokkaido. There are Nozuka Campsite (野塚野営場), Cape Kamui (神威岬) and Shimamui Coast (島武意海岸) near here. Unfortunately, they have been closed since October, 2018.

Cape Kamui

Cape Kamui (神威岬) is a cape with steep cliff jutting out into the Sea of Japan from Shakotan Peninsula (積丹半島) in Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-national Park, and is one of 3 major tourist attractions together with Cape Ogorn (黄金岬) and Shimamui Coast (島武意海岸) in the Shakotan Peninsula. The kamui means a god in Ainu language. The distance is around 1.5 km away from a traffic gate along National Route to the end of a road, and there are a public parking lot, a public restroom and a rest house named Kamui-Banya (カムイ番屋). A restraunt and a souvenir shop are at the building, and seafood rice bowls or a soft serve ice cream can be eaten. Admission free. A parking lot is free of charge. Article is here

Shimamui Coast

Shimamui Coast (島武意海岸) is a superb coast chosen as "100 Best Beaches in Japan (日本の渚・百選)" in Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-national Park, and is one of 3 major tourist attractions together with Cape Kamui (神威岬) and Cape Ogorn (黄金岬) in the Shakotan Peninsula. Shimamui means "Rocky inlet" in Ainu language. A public restroom, a public drinking fountain and a restraunt named Rinko (鱗晃) are built around a public parking lot. A restraunt and a souvenir shop are at the building, and seafood rice bowls or a soft serve ice cream can be eaten. Admission free. A parking lot is free of charge. Article is here

Shakotan Peninsula

Shakotan Peninsula (積丹半島) is a peninsula located in the northwestern part of Otaru city, and has been designated as Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-National Park (ニセコ積丹小樽海岸国定公園) because of a precious complicated coastline with steep cliffs. The sea of the Shakotan is very beautiful, and looks clear blue, so everybody call Shakotan Blue (シャコタンブルー). A traffic used to be inconvenient in the old days, and tourists rarely visited here. People are easy to access the Shakotan Peninsula as well as Shiretoko Peninsula (知床半島) at present, but it is called an unexplored region because it would not develop very much. Article is here

List of Day Trip Onsen

Visitors can take a day trip bath at the Onsen Ryokan Hokuto.

Onsen Ryokan Hokuto

Onsen Ryokan Hokuto is a small-size ryokan facing the sea of Japan. A restaurant is at the building, too, and visitors for day trip onsen can use it, too. An entrance fee to the bath facility is JPY 550. A ticket vendor is in front of a receprion desk, and the visitors must buy a bath ticket. A staying is possible, too.

There is 1 indoor bath at a small but cozy tiled public bathroom on the 2nd floor. The sea can be seen through one-way mirror window. The tiled bath is the size that about 4 people can take a bath, and uses free flowing hot springs. A small fresh hot spring storage is beside the bath, and the hot springs flow into the bath. Water temperature of a hot spring source is about 40 C, and the bath uses the 40 C hot springs without adding water and heating the hot springs directly. When I took a bath, carbonic acid gas bubbles stick to my body hair, and the bubbles rised to the surface of the hot springs when I gently stroked my body hair. I tryed it many times because it was interesting.

The hot springs are sodium bicarbonate spring, and are clear and colorless and have carbonated spring taste and a little sulfur smell. A touch of the hot springs is not slippery, but the touch of the bubbles sticking to body hair is surprisingly slippery. The sum total of the hot spring ingredients are 3.234 g/kg. Drinking hot springs seemed to be possible, but I could not find a place for drinking the hot springs, so I scooped up the hot springs in the hot spring storage with my hands and drinked those, and it tasted carbonated water without sweet. Shampoos and body soaps are provided at the bathroom. A hair dryer is set at a dressing room. Because there is not a restroom at the dressing room, You should get a wash beforehand at the restroom along a corridor. A balcony is beside a resting room, and the sea can be viewed.

Atmosphere of Shirara Onsen Can Be Watched on Youtube

Movie of Shirara Onsen

Spring quality	Sodium bicarbonate spring (Type: Neutral, Osmotic Pressure: Low, Spring Temperature Type: Hot spring)
Water temperature of Hot Spring Source	40.4 C
ph	6.5
Indication	Neuralgia, Muscular pain, Arthralgia, Frozen shoulder, Motor paralysis, Tightening of the joint, Bruise, Sprain, Relieving fatigue, Chronic digestive diseases, Hemorrhoid, Cold sensitivity, Convalescent convalescence, Healthy increase, Chronic skin diseases, Cut, Burn
Contraindications	Acute disease(when there is the heat in particular), Active tuberculosis, Malignant tumor, Severe heart disease, Respiratory failure, Renal insufficiency, Hemorrhagic disease, High anemia, Other diseases during condition of a patient progress generally
Indications of drinking	Chronic digestive diseases, Diabetes, Gout, Liver disease
Contraindications of drinking	Kidney disease, High blood pressure, and diseases accompanied by edema in general
Facilities	Indoor bath(1). * Sex-Segregated Bathhouse.
Entrance fee to the bath facility	Adult: JPY 550. Child: JPY 250.
Business hours	13:00-20:00
Regular closing day	Winter season
Parking lot	A free parking is provided (6 cars)
Telephone number	+81-135-46-5800
Home page	Home page is here
Reservation	Jalan is here, Rakuten is here
Mapcode	775 876 079*31