Kaike Onsen, Chloride hot spring in Yonago, Japan

Kaike Onsen is a chloride hot spring located along the Sea of Japan coastline in Yonago, with natural thermal waters sourced from 19 different springs reaching temperatures between 63 and 83 degrees Celsius.

In 1884 fishermen saw the sea surface bubbling about 180 metres offshore and called the spot Awa-no-ba; sediment from the Hino River pushed the coast forward until the spring lay close to land. In autumn 1900 the fisherman Chūgorō Yamakawa found hot water welling up in the shallows. After earlier ventures failed, the Yonago businessman Matsutarō Arimoto founded a company in 1921, bought land and laid out streets on a Kyoto model, adding a tramway and a racecourse.

The ryokans surrounding this hot spring provide traditional Japanese accommodations where guests experience thermal mineral baths while enjoying views of Mount Daisen and the Sea of Japan.

The spring area lies 5 km from Yonago Station on the JR San'in Line, reached by bus in about 19 minutes or by taxi in about 15 minutes; Yonago Airport is a 20-minute taxi ride away. The bathing district runs east-west along Kaike Beach, with the large hotels lined up in a row facing the sea. Winter storms have cut the shoreline back sharply, so a stepped concrete sea wall now fronts the sand.

The All-Japan Triathlon Kaike Tournament, first held in 1981, is regarded as the birthplace of triathlon in Japan and is still run every year. The coastal promenade also holds handprints of visitors set into the walkway.