Shirahama Onsen is one of Japan's large onsen hot spring towns, one of the three most popular in the country. Within Shirahama, the Saki no Yu hotspring itself boasts over 1300 years of history. Having been a favorite of visiting emperors, the exposed open air bath where you could catch the spray of the crashing waves certainly has an appeal to it. All of the locations in Shirahama are worth a visit, being quite distinct from one another as they actually draw from different spring sources, which results in their waters being rich in different minerals. If you want to visit an onsen, appreciate history, or just bask in the steam floating off of Shirahama town, you should certainly take a trip out to Shirahama Onsen.