Shirakabe
白壁荘しらかべそう
Lava-stone and ancient-wood outdoor baths at a literary ryokan in Izu
Bathing & Water
Uses natural hot spring water
Open-air outdoor bath
Enclosed indoor bathing area
Sauna room of any kind
Bathing Arrangements
A private bath you can reserve for yourself or your group
Private onsen bath in guest rooms, for overnight guests only
Shared bathing area for all genders
Policies & Services
A restaurant or dining room open to visitors, not only meals for overnight guests
Shower, wash stations, soap and shampoo provided
Towels to rent or borrow at the desk
On-site or nearby parking available
Views
River
MountainsHighlights
Cave Bath
Jet BathAbout
Shirakabe sits along the Kano River in Yugashima (湯ヶ島), a hot spring area in the Izu mountains that the novelist Kawabata Yasunari (川端康成) once called the finest mountain spa he knew. The water flows fresh without recirculation across all baths, including the in-room outdoor tubs. The two signature outdoor baths are genuinely unusual: one is hollowed from a single lava boulder weighing over 50 tons, the other carved from a tree more than 1,200 years old. A large indoor bath with semi-outdoor access has walls of ancient tuff stone from the old seabed. Some rooms on the upper floor have private reserved baths. The ryokan has been a gathering place for writers and artists since it opened in the mid-20th century.
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Last updated September 19, 2026