Yanagiya is a ryokan — a traditional Japanese inn — in Shirahama Onsen, on the coast of Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, roughly a six-minute walk from Shirahama Beach. The building sits at 1870 Shirahama-cho, Nishimuro District, Wakayama 649-2211, within the Wakayama Coast area around Kanayama Bay.
As is typical of a ryokan, stays are usually booked as half-board — a kaiseki dinner and breakfast included — with the per-person rate depending on room type and season. The official Japan Ryokan & Hotel Association directory lists half-board rates typically running from around ¥15,000 to ¥35,000 per night, though other booking platforms show wider ranges depending on the plan and season chosen.
Yanagiya's bathwater is a sodium chloride spring drawn straight from the Shirahama thermal basin and served "gensen-kakenagashi" — flowing continuously from the source into the baths rather than being recirculated. The property keeps two named public baths, Kinoyu (the Wood Bath) and Ishinoyu (the Stone Bath), plus two reservable private baths — one indoor, one open-air — typically around ¥2,200 for a 40-minute booking made in advance. According to Wakayama Prefecture's official tourism board, Yanagiya still practices "yumomi," the traditional method of stirring the water with a wooden paddle to adjust its temperature rather than diluting it with cold water; the same source describes the building as traditionally said to be where Shirahama Onsen's ryokan trade began — a claim passed down locally rather than pinned to a documented founding date.
The hotel has 49 rooms in total, per the same official directory: 20 tatami-floored Japanese-style rooms, 17 mixed Japanese-Western rooms and 12 Western-style twin rooms, all advertised with sea views. The hotel's own site lists nine distinct room categories, including suites with an in-room private onsen bath and rooms with a heated semi-outdoor bath.
Meals follow the multi-course kaiseki format, with several menu tiers available — from a simpler course up to one built around Ise-ebi, Japanese spiny lobster — plus a children's menu option. From Nanki-Shirahama Airport, the route is roughly a 20-minute bus to Shirahama Station followed by a 25-minute hotel shuttle (or about a 15-minute taxi ride direct); from Kansai International Airport, it's around 1 hour 50 minutes by limited express train plus the final shuttle leg. Parking is free, with space for about 40 vehicles.
Beyond the beach itself, listings for Yanagiya point to the Sandanbeki cliffs, Engetsu Island (known for its natural rock arch) and the Adventure World wildlife park as nearby draws — usually cited as the main reasons visitors come to this stretch of Shirahama, though reaching them takes a short ride rather than a walk.
According to the hotel itself, it is roughly a six-minute walk from Shirahama Beach (Shirarahama).
Yes. Alongside its two public baths (Kinoyu and Ishinoyu), the hotel offers two reservable private baths — one indoor, one open-air — bookable in advance, typically for around ¥2,200 per 40 minutes.
Under half-board rates, yes: a kaiseki dinner and breakfast are typically included, with price varying by room and menu tier.
The route is around 1 hour 50 minutes by limited express train to Shirahama Station, followed by the hotel's roughly 25-minute final shuttle.
