Ibusuki
Discover Ibusuki
Ibusuki (指宿) is a city in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, at the southeastern tip of the Satsuma Peninsula. It styles itself as a sort of "Hawaii of Japan," and does exude a peaceful atmosphere. It is famous for its flowery botanical garden, proximity to the tranquil Lake Ikeda (池田湖) and the green conical Mount Kaimon (開聞岳), and a small island with a disappearing sand walkway called Chiringashima (知林ヶ島). Yet it's the natural hot springs beneath the beach called sunamushi (砂蒸し), roughly translated as a sand bath, that is the town's biggest claim to fame. If you're daring or curious enough to try being buried in steaming hot sand as a kind of luxury spa experience, you'll find a most interesting chance here.
What to Experience in Ibusuki
Taste of Ibusuki...
"Nagashi somen" (流し素麺) is a fun experience of a meal in the warm weather, and involves grabbing swirling noodles from a small circular stream of water at your table. Ibusuki is famous for its hot springs and sand baths, so there are hotels and ryokans in various amounts.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsGetting to Ibusuki will almost certainly involve going through Kagoshima. The nearest airport is Kagoshima, which is 1 hour 30 minutes away by car. Kagoshima Kōtsū run 8 buses a day to Ibusuki and Yamagawa, taking 1 hour 35 minutes to Ibusuki Station (1 hour 50 minutes to Yamakawa Pier) and costing ¥2450. Otherwise, take a bus to Kagoshima-Chūō Station and take the train from there. Rail Pass users may wish to avoid taking the bus all the way to Ibusuki, as you can go most of the way on the train instead. If you really want to make the most of your Rail Pass, you can take a bus to Kajiki, Hayato, or Kokubu Stations and take the train from there, though this option will require a change at Kagoshima-Chūō. Ibusuki is on the Ibusuki Makurazaki Line, which follows the east coast of the Satsuma Peninsula along Kagoshima Bay. There is usually one local train per hour from Kagoshima-Chūō to Ibusuki (with many continuing to Yamakawa), taking about 1 hour 10 minutes and costing ¥1000....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
If you go north from Ibusuki City, you will find Chiran and Kagoshima City, where you can visit the old places such as the sea view and Kagoshima Castle. If you go to the west, there are Minami Kyushu City and Minami Satsuma City. Chiringashima is a small, uninhabited island with a sand walkway that appears at low tide. From March to October, a sandbar of about 800 m allows you to walk across part of Kinko Bay to the island in about 20 minutes. The longest time the walkway appears for is four hours. According to city statistics, the walkway appears for over an hour 190 days a year, and 86 days a year it appears for more than two hours. The island is 3 km around and 90 meters tall at its highest point. This sandbar is occasionally washed away after typhoons and disappears for a while, but it is restored when sands are brought back by the tide. The plant Vincetoxicum austrokiusianum, which is listed as an endangered species in Red data book, has been found on Chiringashima.
Where to Stay
Ibusuki is famous for its hot springs and sand baths, so there are hotels and ryokans in various amounts.
Money & Budget
You can buy ibusuki tea (指宿茶) from inside the train station. It is a delicious part of Japanese culture. "Nagashi somen" (流し素麺) is a fun experience of a meal in the warm weather, and involves grabbing swirling noodles from a small circular stream of water at your table. Ibusuki is famous for its hot springs and sand baths, so there are hotels and ryokans in various amounts.
Safety Information
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Ibusuki
green tree near body of water during daytime
A quiet street lined with houses and utility poles.
Three breaded cutlets with shredded cabbage and lemon
A sign on the side of a building in a foreign language
a building with a sign on the front of it
white van parked beside brown concrete building during daytime
A store front of Japanese traditional rice cake with a poster in Kyoto, Japan
A field of green grass with houses in the background
a couple of people are walking down the street
a sign on a building
green tree near body of water during daytime
A quiet street lined with houses and utility poles.
Three breaded cutlets with shredded cabbage and lemon