Kaike Hakusen (formerly Yukibou Hakusen)
皆生白扇（旧：湯喜望 白扇）
Area photo — not the ryokan itself · Kaike Onsen in Yonago, Tottori · 663highland / CC BY 2.5
A tatami-floored seafront inn on the Sea of Japan where every room except the singles faces the water and 16 have their own open-air bath — but those room baths are heated tap water, not onsen, and reviews since the 2024 change of owner are more mixed
Hakusen opened in 1955 as an eight-room kappō (dining) inn on the beach at Kaike Onsen, the seaside spa town of Yonago, and was fully rebuilt in 1999. In October 2024 Relo Vacations bought it and took over the running, and on 6 November 2026 it changes its name from Yukibou Hakusen to Kaike Hakusen, at the same address. Its draw is the view: every room except four singles faces the Sea of Japan, each has a jacuzzi bath under a big window, and 16 add a balcony open-air bath. The whole building, lifts included, is laid with tatami, so you walk barefoot from the door. Japanese guests rate it 4.3 across 3,609 reviews on one major site and 4.23 across 1,966 on another (location 4.39, baths 4.07). Most recent evidence comes from these booking-site reviews; the independent blogs date from stays in 2022–2024, before the change of owner. Guests praise the views of the sea and, from the upper floors, Mount Daisen, friendly staff, the free draft beer on arrival, crab kaiseki in winter and the summer fireworks seen from the rooms. Know before you book: the in-room baths are heated tap water, not spring water, and the onsen is only in the shared baths. In 2026 some found the outdoor bath building inconveniently far from the indoor baths, the room baths' curtains too small, and check-in by smartphone hard. One March 2026 return visit found the food much simpler than before. Two-meal plans usually run about ¥18,000–25,000 per person, with crab plans and the best rooms costing more.
Room Selection Guide
What the guests who stayed here actually recommendRecommended
Upper-floor (6F–8F) Japanese-Western twins with open-air bath and jacuzzi — 70㎡ corner rooms (3) or 50㎡ (6)
Tatami rooms with beds, a balcony open-air bath and a window-side jacuzzi facing the sea; the 70㎡ corners also look toward Mount Daisen. A July 2026 family in a high corner room called the bath view 'the best', August 2026 guests in 50㎡ rooms loved bathing to the sound of the waves, and a July 2026 couple watched the beach fireworks from their room. A December 2023 blogger in an 8-tatami open-air room (4F) found the bath piping hot and usable around the clock.
60㎡ jacuzzi twins renovated in November 2025 (2F–3F)
The newest rooms, with two semi-double beds and a sea-view jacuzzi but no open-air bath. July 2026 and May 2026 guests found them spacious, clean and high-quality.
Request To Avoid
Town-side singles (13㎡), and open-air bath rooms if you are shy
The four singles face the town, not the sea, and have no bath; a July 2026 solo guest rated the room 3 out of 5. In open-air bath rooms, an August 2026 guest said the bath could be seen from outside and the curtain closed only a third of the way. A May 2026 guest missed a changing space by the outdoor tub, and a July 2026 guest found brown stains in a tub. Shower and soap are only in the indoor bathroom.
Know which room you want?
Check live rates and availability for Kaike Hakusen (formerly Yukibou Hakusen).
Rakuten Travel, one of Japan's biggest booking sites, lists plans and prices in Japanese — your browser's translate button works on it.
We may earn a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you. Affiliate disclosure
Dining Deep Dive
Breakfast Consensus
4.1/5A Japanese set breakfast in the dining room: eight small dishes, grilled fish, a small hotpot of crab dumplings and Daisen chicken, shijimi-clam miso soup and kamameshi rice, with hot dishes brought once you sit down. It is mostly praised, though a March 2026 repeat guest found it 'plainer than a business hotel'
Book the free car from Yonago Station (15:15 or 16:35) or Yonago Airport (13:45) by phone ahead of time — it's first come, first served. The shared baths close 24:00–6:00 and some guests arrived too late to enjoy them, so check in early. Choose a dinner start time in advance through the mobile-order system. On clear days the 8F lift hall looks out on Mount Daisen; a free draft beer or soft drink is poured in the lobby 15:00–19:00, and coffee is free 24 hours.
Dinner Insights
4.2/5Kaiseki in a semi-private dining room; there are no in-room meals. The autumn 2026 'tokusen' menu runs from matsutake dobin-mushi and four kinds of sashimi to Tottori wagyu steak with a rakkyō (pickled shallot) sauce and matsutake-and-crab rice. Crab kaiseki runs from November to March; a December 2023 blogger had a whole tagged matsuba crab, and leftover crab came back at breakfast. Most 2026 reviews praise local ingredients and portions that are 'just right'. But a March 2026 guest found almost everything already set out at the table and staff unable to explain the dishes, and a July 2026 anniversary dinner had missing water and a poor-value plate. Drinks brought from outside cost ¥2,200–5,500 a bottle at meals. Guests can also book dinner at the sister inn Kaike Fūga, three minutes' walk away (not Saturdays, nights before holidays or peak periods).
Onsen & Wellness Realities
Kaike's sodium-calcium chloride spring (pH 7.1, 63.4°C at source), salty and warming. The inn's posted data lists it as diluted with water and heated; its outdoor rock baths combine 100% free-flowing source water with recirculation. The in-room jacuzzis and open-air baths are heated tap water, not onsen, according to the inn — even if a few guests assumed otherwise.
Two indoor baths, Hana no Yu and Tsuki no Yu, swap between men and women, and a separate outdoor bath building, Yukibōden, has Dandan (men, with a barrel sauna added in 2026) and Nokkari (women, with a small tub and an aroma steam sauna); all open 6:00–9:00 and 15:00–24:00. A December 2023 blogger found the roofed but open-sided corridor to the outdoor baths very cold in winter and the saunas mild. Several 2026 guests found it inconvenient that the indoor and outdoor baths are apart, and one found the baths crowded in October 2026, during the building work. A free 'yumeguri' shuttle bus runs to Kaike Fūga's baths in the early evening. The draw for many is the private room bath, usable at any hour.
No policy found on the official site or Japanese booking sites — contact the inn. Rooms with an open-air bath let you avoid the shared baths.
Local Warnings & Nuances
- 01
From 6 November 2026 the inn is called 皆生白扇 (Kaike Hakusen) instead of 湯喜望 白扇 (Yukibou Hakusen); the address (3-12-33 Kaike Onsen) and phone stay the same, so booking sites may show either name for a while.
- 02
Exterior painting runs until about 11 November 2026: scaffolding blocks the views, windows are screened, room open-air baths can't be used and the outdoor bath building is men-only. Discounted 'construction' plans assign your room type at check-in.
- 03
Check-in 15:00 (call if arriving after 17:00), check-out 10:00. Check-in, payment and dinner times are handled by smartphone; some older guests found this hard, though staff help in the lobby. The phone line is a charged 0570 number.
- 04
Cancellation: 30% from 3 days before, 50% the day before, 80% on the day, 100% for no-shows; stricter at Golden Week, Obon and New Year. A March 2026 guest was charged ¥330 for an extra towel set.
- 05
No in-room meals and no pets; the whole building, balconies included, is non-smoking. Families: baby items such as chairs and baby baths are free, but there are no baby futons. Free parking for about 70 cars, with EV charging.
Before your stay
Souvenirs from Kaike Onsen and practical help for your trip.
Kaike Onsen souvenirs on Rakuten
Rakuten prices as of Oct 29, 2026 — check the shop for current price and stock. Supported by Rakuten Developers Rakuten links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Sources
The real blog posts and stay reports this article draws on
- 【宿泊レビュー】皆生温泉の「湯喜望 白扇」 (salashin blog)
- 【高級旅館】湯喜望 白扇に泊まってみた。 (あぐの気ままな旅行記)
- 皆生温泉 湯喜望 白扇｜温泉と美食を堪能する家族旅行 宿泊記 (icotto)
- 湯喜望 白扇のクチコミ・評判一覧 (じゃらんnet)
- 皆生温泉 湯喜望 白扇 クチコミ・感想 (楽天トラベル)
- 湯喜望 白扇 - クチコミ・評判 (一休.com)
- 鳥取・皆生温泉のホテル「湯喜望 白扇」取得のお知らせ (株式会社リロバケーションズ プレスリリース)
- 2026年11月6日 屋号変更のお知らせ (湯喜望 白扇 公式)
- 温泉 (湯喜望 白扇 公式)
- 【公式】湯喜望 白扇 | 皆生温泉、日本海の絶景に心ほどける宿
More Consensus Reports
Area photoKaike OnsenClassic
Kaike Onsen, Yonago, Tottori — right on the beach facing Miho Bay, about 15–20 minutes by taxi from JR Yonago Station and 25 minutes from Yonago Kitaro Airport
9 sources
Kaike Onsen Kikunoya
皆生温泉 皆生菊乃家
A friendly 31-room beachfront inn with free-flowing salt-spring baths, nodoguro and live-tank seafood, and the president's own folk-song concerts in the lobby — but the shared baths are small and the building shows its age
Read the Consensus
Area photoKaga OnsenClassic
Yamanaka Onsen, Kaga, Ishikawa — beside Korogi Bridge above the Kakusenkei gorge, at the end of the Yuge Kaidō main street; about 30 minutes by the inn's free shuttle bus from Kaga Onsen Station
9 sources
Yamanaka Onsen Kagari Kisshotei
山中温泉 かがり吉祥亭
A big, cheerful 48-room inn stepped down the Kakusenkei gorge, where dinner comes with free-flowing drinks, all-you-can-eat tempura or pork shabu-shabu, and free coffee, pudding and taiko drumming — but most rooms are dated, only three have their own spring-fed bath, and the baths never swap
Read the ConsensusArea photoKaga OnsenClassic
Yamanaka Onsen, Kaga, Ishikawa — on the Kakusenkei gorge, five minutes' walk from Ayatori Bridge and the Kiku-no-Yu public bath, about 20 minutes by the inn's free shuttle from JR Kaga-Onsen Station
10 sources
Yamanaka Onsen Shirasagiyu Tawaraya
山中温泉 白鷺湯たわらや
The last of Yamanaka's twelve founding inns: a riverside open-air bath on the Kakusenkei gorge and inventive Kaga kaiseki for a fair price — but the building is old, the water is recirculated, staff don't show you to your room, and insects find the in-room baths in late summer
- Historic Ryokan
Area photoKaga OnsenPremium
Yamashiro Onsen, Kaga, Ishikawa — at the old source of the spa town, beside the Kosoyu public bath
13 sources
Araya Totoan
山代温泉 あらや滔々庵
The 18th-generation keepers of the lord's bath, Rosanjin's patrons, with Yamashiro's most generous spring flowing into most rooms — and winter crab that can cost over ¥200,000 for two
- Historic Ryokan
- Private Onsen Rooms
Area photoKaga OnsenClassic
Onsen-dōri, Yamashiro Onsen, Kaga, Ishikawa — on the spa town's main street, about five minutes' walk from the Sōyu and Kosōyu public baths; 15 minutes by the inn's free shuttle from Kaga Onsen Station
9 sources
Yamashiro Onsen Hatori
山代温泉 葉渡莉
A mid-priced, 67-room town-centre inn with free all-night drinks, weekend taiko drumming, real single rooms for solo travellers and a gentle ginger-and-koji kaiseki — but the 'open-air bath' suites use tap water, not onsen, and the building shows its age
Read the ConsensusArea photoKaga OnsenClassic
Yamashiro Onsen, Kaga, Ishikawa — about ten minutes' walk from the Sōyu and Kosōyu public baths and five from sister inn Hatori; 15–20 minutes by the inn's free shuttle from Kaga Onsen Station
10 sources
Yamashiro Onsen Rurikoh
山代温泉 瑠璃光
Yamashiro's big 116-room inn with a nightly taiko show, free round-the-clock lobby drinks, vast 24-hour baths and winter crab kaiseki — but the shared water is recirculated, the baths sit down a long flight of stairs, and the ageing building draws dust and upkeep complaints
Read the ConsensusPhoto credits: Kaike Onsen in Yonago, Tottori · 663highland / CC BY 2.5 / Sōyu public bath, Yamashiro Onsen · 掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0
Kaike Hakusen (formerly Yukibou Hakusen)
Compare rates across trusted booking partners · Affiliate disclosure