Shikabe Onsen

Shikabe Onsen in Shikabe Town on the Oshima Peninsula of Hokkaido takes its name from an Ainu word (shikabe meaning place of the deer or related to the Ainu name for the area's distinctive terrain) and is known for its Shikabe Geyser—one of Hokkaido's most dramatic geothermal features, a natural geyser that erupts on a regular schedule sending columns of thermal water and steam skyward in the most visually spectacular expression of the volcanic geological activity that underlies this coastal Hokkaido landscape. The geyser and surrounding thermal spring system demonstrate the extraordinary concentration of geothermal energy in the Shikabe area, where the volcanic geology of the Oshima Peninsula drives both the geyser's intermittent eruptions and the thermal spring waters available for bathing in facilities adjacent to this natural geothermal spectacle. Combining geyser observation with thermal bathing creates a uniquely Hokkaido thermal experience of volcanic geological drama.