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Arima Onsen
Arima Onsen is one of the oldest hot-spring towns in Japan, in the city of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture, in the Kansai region, set in a valley behind Mount Rokko about thirty minutes from central Kobe and an hour from Osaka.
- Prefecture
- Hyogo
- Region
- Kansai
- Journeys
- The Custom Tour of Japan
overview
Two springs, one of gold and one of silver, in a valley behind the mountain.
Arima appears in the earliest histories of Japan: the Nihon Shoki records the emperor Jomei bathing here in 631, and it is counted among the three ancient springs of the country, with Dogo and Shirahama. The monk Gyoki is said to have restored the town in the eighth century, and the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who came again and again in the late sixteenth century, rebuilt it after fire and earthquake and hosted tea gatherings among its maples. The remains of the onsen he built for himself were uncovered in the 1990s beneath the temple of Gokuraku-ji.
The town is known for two very different waters. Kinsen, the gold spring, rises rust-red and cloudy, rich in iron and salt, and leaves the skin warm long after. Ginsen, the silver spring, is clear, and includes both carbonated water and radium springs. Few onsen towns in Japan offer such a contrast in a few hundred metres, and the ryokan of Arima often draw on both.
Arima is small: a few steep lanes of wooden houses, temples and shops climbing a narrow valley, walkable in an hour. Its crafts are old ones, baskets of finely woven bamboo and writing brushes with a tiny doll hidden in the handle, and its carbonated spring has given the town a delicate wafer, tansan senbei, made with the water. It is the easiest onsen ryokan stay from Osaka or Kobe, and a natural night before or after either.
see and do
What to see at Arima Onsen
Kin no Yu
The public onsen of the gold spring, in the centre of the town, its water the colour of rust and so dense with minerals that it stains the stone. A free footbath at its door gives a first taste of the water.
Gin no Yu
The public onsen of the silver spring, a short walk uphill, its clear water drawn from the radium and carbonated sources of the town.
Taiko no Yudono-kan
A small museum beneath Gokuraku-ji that shows the remains of the onsen Hideyoshi built for himself, with its steam room and stone-lined pools, found during rebuilding in the 1990s.
Onsen-ji
The temple at the head of the town, associated with the monk Gyoki and the founding of the springs, its hall looking down over the roofs of Arima.
Tansan Gensen
The source of the carbonated spring, in a small park on the edge of the town, where the naturally sparkling water rises and was once drunk as a tonic.
Zuiho-ji Park
The garden of a former temple, where Hideyoshi is said to have hosted his tea gatherings, its old maples standing over moss and stone paths.
Yumoto-zaka and Nene Bridge
The steep main lane of the town, lined with wooden shops of bamboo baskets, brushes and wafers, which leads down to the red Nene Bridge, named for Hideyoshi's wife and watched over by her statue.
The Rokko Arima Ropeway
A ropeway of about twelve minutes from the edge of the town to the top of Mount Rokko, over forested slopes, with gardens and views over Kobe and the bay at the summit.
experiences
The best of Arima Onsen
An onsen of the gold spring in your room
A night at a ryokan where the iron-red water of the kinsen fills an open-air onsen on a private terrace, among the trees of the valley.
Kaiseki of the mountains and the sea
Dinner served in the room: Kobe beef, fish from the Inland Sea and the vegetables of the Rokko hills, in a kaiseki that follows the season.
Tea in Hideyoshi's manner
A bowl of matcha in a tea room of the town, with the story of the gatherings Hideyoshi hosted at Arima and the place of tea in the life of the warlords.
A basket maker's workshop
An hour with a maker of Arima baskets, whose bamboo is split by hand into strips as fine as thread and woven into baskets, a craft the town has kept for centuries.
plan your visit
Arima Onsen on a journey through Japan
- How long to stay
- One night is the usual stay, enough for both springs, a walk through the town and dinner at a ryokan; two nights allow the ropeway, Mount Rokko and a day in Kobe.
- Getting there
- By private car from central Kobe in about thirty minutes, from Osaka in about an hour and from Kyoto in about an hour and a quarter. The Kobe Electric Railway reaches the town from Sannomiya in about forty minutes with a change.
- Pairs well with
- Arima is a night over the mountain from Kobe, an easy onsen stay from Osaka or Kyoto, and a pause on the road west to Himeji.KobeOsakaKyotoHimejiKinosaki Onsen
journeys
Arima Onsen on a private journey
We bring guests to Arima Onsen on the Custom Tour of Japan, created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director.
questions
Arima Onsen: questions answered
What is the difference between kinsen and ginsen at Arima?
Kinsen, the gold spring, is rust-red, rich in iron and salt; ginsen, the silver spring, is clear and includes carbonated and radium water. Arima is one of the few onsen towns in Japan with both.
How do you get to Arima Onsen from Osaka?
By private car in about an hour, or by bus from Osaka in about an hour. By train it takes a little longer, with changes at Sannomiya or Sanda.
How far is Arima Onsen from Kobe?
About thirty minutes by private car from central Kobe, or about forty minutes by the Kobe Electric Railway. The Rokko Arima Ropeway also links the town with the top of Mount Rokko.
Is one night enough in Arima Onsen?
Yes, for most guests. One night allows both public onsen, a walk through the town and a kaiseki dinner at a ryokan; a second night adds Mount Rokko by ropeway.
Is Arima Onsen one of the oldest onsen in Japan?
Yes. It is recorded in the Nihon Shoki, with an imperial visit in 631, and is counted among the three ancient springs of Japan with Dogo and Shirahama.
Can Arima Onsen be part of a private tour of Japan?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director, and it can go anywhere in the country, Arima Onsen included. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.
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Arima Onsen, planned for you.
Tell us when you would like to travel and what draws you to Arima Onsen, and we will answer with a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone, or, if you would rather travel independently, an Expert Japan Itinerary that plans every day for you.