Shirahama is the largest [onsen](/term/general/onsen) resort in the [Kansai](/link/place/kansai), and is considered one of the three most popular onsen resorts in Japan, alongside [Beppu](/link/place/kyushu/oita-prefecture/beppu) in [Oita Prefecture](/link/place/kyushu/oita-prefecture) and [Atami](/link/place/chubu/shizuoka-prefecture/atami) in [Shizuoka Prefecture](/link/place/chubu/shizuoka-prefecture). Shirahama is famous for its sprawling 500m long sand beach, and is also where the town got it's namesake "Shirahama" (白浜, lit. White Beach). The town also boasts a number of onsens that are open to the public, two of which feature a [rotenburo](/term/general/rotenburo). 

Shirahama's proximity to [Osaka](/link/place/kansai/osaka-prefecture/osaka) makes it a popular weekend destination and retreat for the local Japanese. Apart from onsen and beaches, the city's location on the coast of the [Kii Peninsula](/term/place/kii-peninsula) also gives rise to stunning views of the [Kii Channel](/term/place/kii-channel), as well as a number of unique geological formations. It's a great destination if you're looking to get out of the hustle and bustle of the [Keihanshin](/term/place/keihanshin) area. 

Shirahama.webp

Sandanbeki Cave.webp

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Osaka

Osaka Prefecture

Kobe

Himeji

Kinosaki Onsen

Hyogo Prefecture

Kyoto

Kyoto Prefecture

Shirahama

Wakayama Prefecture

Kansai

Shodoshima

Takamatsu

Kagawa Prefecture

Shikoku

Kurashiki

Okayama Prefecture

Chugoku

Enoshima

Kamakura

Yokohama

Miura

Kanagawa Prefecture

Tokyo

Tokyo Metropolis

Kawagoe

Chichibu

Saitama Prefecture

Kanto

Kanazawa

Ishikawa Prefecture

Takayama

Shirakawa-go

Gifu Prefecture

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

Toyama Prefecture

Chubu

Canal boardwalks in Dotonbori in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Dotonbori.webp

The term usually used to refer to hot spring baths in Japan. They are typically naturally piped up from underground hot springs. Most baths are communal in the nude, and gender-separated.

Outdoor baths typically found in an [onsen](/term/general/onsen).

The indigenous religion of Japan, the central belief is that [kami](/term/general/kami), supernatural beings, inhabit all things including nature. 

Buddhism is a religion that focuses on the teachings of the [Buddha](/term/general/buddha). The central tenet revolves around people letting go of their worldly desires.

Kanji is one of the three main writing systems in Japanese, and uses Chinese characters. All kanji have two ways of reading it Onyomi (音読み) and Kunyomi (訓読み), and so you often see a single kanji being read multiple ways.

The kami are deities from the [Shinto](/term/general/shinto) religion and are said to inhabit all things, and are also said to have created all nature and human life.

The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was an Indian prince from South Asia who later gave up his title and founded the religion of [Buddhism](/term/general/buddhism) in the 6th or 5th century BCE. 

Keihanshin refers to the metropolitan area of Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. The name comes from taking one [kanji](/term/general/kanji) from each of the city’s names Kei (京) from [Kyoto](/link/place/kansai/kyoto-prefecture/kyoto) (京都), Han (阪) from [Osaka](/link/place/kansai/osaka-prefecture/osaka) (大阪) and Shin (神) from [Kobe](/link/place/kansai/hyogo/kobe) (神戸).

The Kii Peninsula is the largest peninsula in Japan, named after the former [Kii Province](/term/place/kii-province), and is part of [Wakayama Prefecture](/link/place/kansai/wakayama-prefecture) and [Mie Prefecture](/link/place/chubu/mie-prefecture). The Kii Peninsula is thought of as sacred in both the [Shinto](/term/general/shinto) religion and [Buddhism](/term/general/buddhism), with the holy sites of the [Kumano Kodo](/link/place/kansai/wakayama-prefecture/kumano-kodo) and the [Ise Jingu](/link/place/chubu/mie-prefecture/ise/ise-jingu) located there. 

The sacred sites and pilgrimage routes of the Kii Peninsula are designated as a [UNESCO World Heritage Site](/term/place/unesco-world-heritage-site).

The Kii Channel is a strait that runs between [Tokushima Prefecture](/link/place/shikoku/tokushima-prefecture) on [Shikoku](/link/place/shikoku) and the [Kii Peninsula](/term/place/kii-peninsula) of [Wakayama Prefecture](/link/place/kansai/wakayama-prefecture) on [Honshu](/term/place/honshu).

Honshu is the largest of Japan's main islands and stretches from Aomori Prefecture in the north, all the way to Yamaguchi Prefecture in the south.

There are more than 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan, these include the ancient temples of [Kyoto](/link/place/kansai/kyoto-prefecture/kyoto), [Himeji Castle](/link/place/kansai/hyogo-prefecture/himeji/himeji-castle), the villages of [Shirakawa-go](/link/place/chubu/gifu-prefecture/shirakawa-go), [Itsukushima Shrine](/link/place/chugoku/hiroshima-prefecture/miyajima/itsukushima-shrine), and the [Kumano Kodo](/link/place/kansai/wakayama-prefecture/kumano-kodo).

The Kii Province was a [province](/term/general/province) located in the [Kii Peninsula](/term/place/kii-peninsula) that occupies the location of today’s [Wakayama Prefecture](/link/place/kansai/wakayama-prefecture) and the southern part of  [Mie Prefecture](/link/place/chubu/mie-prefecture).

Best Things to Eat in Shirahama