Wakayama 12-Tou

わかやま12湯 is an official onsen pilgrimage organised by the 協同組合和歌山県旅行業協会 (Wakayama Travel Industry Cooperative) in partnership with the Wakayama Prefecture Hotel and Lodging Association. Launched in February 2020, it weaves together 12 onsen areas spread across the prefecture's southern coast and Kii Peninsula interior — from the Kada islands and Wakayama City onsen-go in the north, through the Ryūjin and Yunomine mountains, to the white-sand beaches of Shirahama and the Kumano coast at Kushimoto, Taiji and Katsuura.

The 12 onsen areas

The program covers thirteen distinct onsen areas in practice (loosely grouped under the brand name "12湯"):

• 和歌山温泉郷 (Wakayama Onsen-go) — Kada-Awashima, Wakayama City onsen, Kimii-dera, Hanayama
• みなべ (Minabe)
• 龍神温泉郷 (Ryūjin) — six facilities along the Hidaka-gawa
• 湯の峰 (Yunomine), 渡瀬 (Watarase), 川湯 (Kawayu) — the three Kumano-Hongū rivers
• 白浜・椿 (Shirahama / Tsubaki) — the prefecture's largest cluster, twelve facilities
• すさみ (Susami), 串本 (Kushimoto), 太地 (Taiji), 湯川 (Yukawa), 南紀勝浦 (Nanki-Katsuura), やどり (Yadori)

In total, 38 participating facilities issue stamps — some areas (Shirahama, Kushimoto, Ryūjin) cluster multiple facilities under a single shared stamp, so the booklet has 30 stamp slots that map to those 38 facilities.

How it works

1. Buy the 巡湯帳 (junyu-chō, "bathing booklet") at any participating facility — ¥2,200, includes one free stamp
2. Bathe at a participating facility, then ask the front desk for an 御湯印 (oyu-in, bath stamp) — ¥300 each
3. Stamps can only be issued to people who have actually bathed; passing through doesn't count
4. There's no time limit and no required order — collect stamps across multiple trips, seasons, or years
5. Once you've collected all 30 stamps, apply for the マイスターカード (Meister Card) with the completed booklet, your name/address/phone written in by hand, and a ¥1,500 application fee
6. The Meister Card is a serial-numbered certificate; awarded names are listed on the council's website

Earning the Onsen Oni badge

The Wakayama 12 Yu Meister badge is awarded by Onsen Oni moderators to users who have received the official マイスターカード. Send a photo of your completed 巡湯帳 and/or the Meister Card through the feedback channel. Because there's no expiration on the program, your collection can span any amount of time. This is a one-time lifetime badge.

Sources

• 協同組合和歌山県旅行業協会 — わかやま12湯
• 参加施設一覧 (Member directory)
• 巡湯帳 (booklet guide)