Finally, we have reached the last day of our hot spring journey. We’ve visited bustling hot spring towns, explored hidden onsen spots, and even enjoyed luxurious private baths. So, what type of onsen will serve as the conclusion to our trip? After traveling from the north to the central region, it’s time to head to the warm southern area. We woke up early, ready to make our way to Kagoshima.

If a person were a dumpling (after all, it’s meat wrapped in dough), soaking in a hot spring is like boiling dumplings. There are many ways to prepare dumplings: fried, pan-fried, or steamed. So, we are about to become steamed dumplings. Steamed dumplings are cooked through the heat of steam, and the sand bath we’re heading to turns the hot spring's heat into high-temperature sand as it flows out onto the beach. When a person lies on the sand, the heat transfers to our bodies, and we become "steamed dumplings."