Kagoshima · City
Ibusuki
指宿市いぶすきしIbusuki-shiBuried in warm sand at the southern end of Kyushu
Ibusuki is a hot-spring city at the southern tip of the Satsuma Peninsula in Kagoshima Prefecture, famous for its sunamushi sand baths on the beach and set between Lake Ikeda and the cone of Kaimon-dake.
Overview
Ibusuki occupies the south-eastern corner of the Satsuma Peninsula, where Kinkō Bay opens to the Pacific. The whole area sits on the Ibusuki volcanic field, and hot water rises so close to the surface that at Surigahama beach it heats the sand itself. For centuries people have been buried up to the neck in this sand – the sunamushi (steam sand bath) that has become Ibusuki's signature.
The city takes in a volcanic landscape of unusual concentration: the caldera lake Ikeda-ko, Kyushu's largest lake; the smaller maar lake Unagi-ike, whose steam is used for cooking; the near-perfect cone of Kaimon-dake; and the capes and fishing port of Yamakawa, a natural harbour formed in a flooded crater. Much of it lies within Kirishima-Kinkōwan National Park.
Ibusuki was one of Japan's most fashionable honeymoon destinations in the 1960s and 1970s, when it was marketed as a southern paradise; today it is a relaxed spa town with large seaside hotels, subtropical plants and a strong farming hinterland of okra, sweet potatoes and flowers.
Landmarks
Surigahama sand baths
摺ヶ浜の砂むしSurigahama no sunamushiBeach where geothermally heated sand is shovelled over bathers wearing a yukata; the town's best-known experience.
- 池田湖Ikeda-ko
Caldera lake and Kyushu's largest lake, deep and round, with Kaimon-dake rising behind and large native eels in its waters.
- 開聞岳Kaimon-dake
924-metre conical volcano on the coast, the Satsuma Fuji, climbed on a trail that spirals round the mountain.
Chiringashima
知林ヶ島ChiringashimaUninhabited island in Kinkō Bay linked to the shore by a sandbar that emerges at low tide on suitable days.
Cape Nagasakibana
長崎鼻NagasakibanaRocky cape and lighthouse with a view of Kaimon-dake across the water, linked in legend to the tale of Urashima Tarō.
Nishi-Ōyama station
西大山駅Nishi-Ōyama-ekiThe southernmost JR railway station in Japan, a small platform in fields with Kaimon-dake as backdrop.
Ibusuki Archaeological Museum (Jiyūkan COCCO Hashimure)
時遊館COCCOはしむれJiyūkan Kokko HashimureMuseum at the Hashimuregawa site presenting the pottery finds and eruption layers that clarified the Jōmon–Yayoi sequence.
Districts
Yunohama and Surigahama
湯の浜YunohamaThe seafront spa district with the sand baths and most large hotels.
Yamakawa
山川YamakawaFishing port in a flooded crater, known for katsuobushi (dried bonito) and a ferry across the bay to Nejime.
Kaimon
開聞KaimonRural district at the foot of Kaimon-dake with Hirasaki Shrine, the ichinomiya of Satsuma Province.
Unagi
鰻UnagiSmall hot-spring village by the maar lake Unagi-ike, where households cook with volcanic steam in steam ovens called sume.
History
The area has been settled since prehistoric times, and repeated eruptions of Kaimon-dake left datable layers of ash. At the Hashimuregawa site, excavations in 1918 found Jōmon pottery beneath Yayoi pottery separated by volcanic ash, the first stratigraphic proof that the Jōmon culture preceded the Yayoi. A great eruption of Kaimon-dake in 874 buried fields and settlements.
Under the Shimazu, the harbour of Yamakawa was an important port for ships trading with the Ryukyu Kingdom. Ibusuki became a city in 1954 and grew as a resort after the war. In 2006 it merged with the towns of Yamakawa and Kaimon, bringing Kaimon-dake and the southern capes into the city.
874
A major eruption of Kaimon-dake buries fields and settlements across the southern peninsula.
Edo period
Yamakawa serves as a port for Satsuma's shipping to and from the Ryukyu Kingdom.
1918
Excavations at Hashimuregawa establish that Jōmon pottery predates Yayoi pottery.
1954
Ibusuki is incorporated as a city.
1960s–1970s
Ibusuki becomes a leading honeymoon destination in Japan.
2006
Merger with Yamakawa and Kaimon forms the present city.
2011
The sightseeing limited express Ibusuki no Tamatebako begins running from Kagoshima-Chūō.
Culture
Ibusuki cultivates a southern, easy-going image: city staff and hotel workers wear aloha shirts in the warm months, and subtropical trees line the seafront. The Kaimon district is home to Hirasaki Shrine, the most important shrine of old Satsuma Province, while the Hashimuregawa site gives the city a place in the history of Japanese archaeology. In January, fields of rapeseed blossom around Lake Ikeda make it one of the first places in Japan to feel spring.
Festivals
Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon
いぶすき菜の花マラソンIbusuki Nanohana MarasonPopular marathon on the second Sunday of January through fields of yellow rapeseed around Lake Ikeda.
Ibusuki Onsen Festival
指宿温泉祭Ibusuki Onsen-saiSummer festival of the spa town with dancing in the streets and fireworks over the bay.
Food
Katsuobushi from Yamakawa
山川の鰹節Yamakawa no katsuobushiSmoked and dried bonito, including the hard, mould-cured honkarebushi grade.
Rotating sōmen
回転そうめんkaiten sōmenCold noodles circling in round tabletop tanks of spring water, served at the ravine of Tōsenkyō.
Ibusuki okra
オクラokuraThe city is one of Japan's main okra-growing areas.
Onsen-steamed vegetables and eggs
温泉蒸しonsen-mushiFood steamed over volcanic vents, a speciality of the Unagi-ike area.
Kurobuta pork
黒豚kurobutaKagoshima black pork, often served as shabu-shabu in the spa hotels.
Getting around
- The JR Ibusuki Makurazaki Line runs along the bay from Kagoshima-Chūō to Ibusuki in about an hour, including the sightseeing limited express Ibusuki no Tamatebako; beyond Ibusuki it continues past Nishi-Ōyama to Makurazaki.
- Buses link Ibusuki station with the sand baths, Lake Ikeda and the Kaimon area, but a car or rental bicycle makes the scattered sights easier to combine.
- A car ferry crosses the mouth of Kinkō Bay from Yamakawa to Nejime on the Ōsumi Peninsula.
Day trips
Chiran
知覧ChiranSamurai district and peace museum in Minamikyūshū, west of Ibusuki.
- 開聞岳Kaimon-dake
A half-day or longer climb with views over the sea to Yakushima on clear days.
Makurazaki
枕崎MakurazakiBonito fishing port at the end of the railway line.
- 鹿児島市Kagoshima-shi
The prefectural capital, about an hour north by train.
- 桜島Sakurajima
Visible across the bay; reached via Kagoshima city.
Other cities in the prefecture
Frequently asked questions
What is a sand bath in Ibusuki?
Bathers in a cotton yukata lie on the beach while staff shovel naturally heated sand over them up to the neck; after a short time they rinse off in a hot-spring bath.
How do I get from Kagoshima to Ibusuki?
By JR Ibusuki Makurazaki Line train in about an hour, or by bus or car along the bay.
Can you walk to Chiringashima?
Only when the tide is low enough to expose the sandbar, which happens on certain days, mostly from spring to autumn; the city publishes tide information, and it is important to return before the tide rises.
Is Lake Ikeda home to a monster?
A local legend tells of Isshī, a lake creature reported in the late 1970s; the lake is in fact known for its large native eels.
Related
Sources
- 1.令和2年国勢調査 人口等基本集計 (opens in a new tab) — 総務省統計局
- 2.指宿市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 指宿市
- 3.霧島錦江湾国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省
- 4.Kagoshima (opens in a new tab) — Japan National Tourism Organization