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Kyoto · Japan
A vermillion hall and arched bridge reflected in a still pond among autumn maples at Daigo-ji, Kyoto
Kyoto · Japan
Autumn at Daigo-ji, the vermilion hall among the maples.

kansaihyogo

Kinosaki Onsen

Kinosaki Onsen is a hot-spring town near the Sea of Japan coast of Hyogo Prefecture, in the Kansai region, about two and a half hours from Kyoto, where seven public onsen stand along a willow-lined canal and guests walk between them in yukata.

Prefecture
Hyogo
Region
Kansai

overview

A town of seven onsen, crossed on foot in yukata and wooden geta.

Kinosaki has welcomed people to its springs for some thirteen centuries. Legend gives two beginnings: a stork seen healing its wounded leg in the water, and the monk Dochi Shonin, who is said to have opened the springs in the eighth century after a thousand days of prayer. The temple he founded, Onsen-ji, still stands on the hill above the town, and the springs are still regarded as its gift.

What sets Kinosaki apart from other onsen towns is that the town itself is the ryokan. Rather than staying inside, guests are given a yukata, wooden geta and a pass, and walk out along the Otani River, under willows and over small stone bridges, to the seven public onsen, each in its own building, with its own water, legend and character. In the evening the street fills with the sound of geta on stone, and the canal is lit by the lamps of the inns.

The town was rebuilt after a fire in 1925 in the wood and stone that give it its character today, and it drew writers from the start: Shiga Naoya's story At Kinosaki, written after a stay here in 1913, is one of the most admired short works in Japanese literature. The table is as much a reason to come as the water. The Sea of Japan brings snow crab, called Matsuba crab here, and the hills of Tajima raise the black cattle from which Kobe beef comes.

see and do

What to see in Kinosaki Onsen

  • The seven public onsen

    Satono-yu by the station, Jizo-yu, Yanagi-yu beneath its willow, Ichino-yu with its cave pool, Goshono-yu with its waterfall, Mandara-yu and Kono-yu, the oldest of the seven, named for the stork of the legend. One pass from the ryokan opens them all.

  • The Otani River

    The canal at the centre of the town, lined with willows and crossed by small arched bridges of stone, lit in the evening by the lamps of the inns along its banks.

  • Onsen-ji

    The temple founded in 738 by Dochi Shonin, reached by a stepped path or the ropeway, with a statue of the eleven-faced Kannon that is shown to the public only once every thirty-three years.

  • Mount Daishi Ropeway

    A short ropeway from the top of the town to the summit of Mount Daishi, stopping at Onsen-ji on the way, with the roofs of Kinosaki, the river and the sea laid out below.

  • Kinosaki Literature Museum

    A small museum of the writers who came to Kinosaki, Shiga Naoya foremost among them, and of the books the town has inspired.

  • Mugiwara zaiku

    The marquetry of dyed barley straw, made in Kinosaki for some three centuries: boxes and panels inlaid with geometric patterns that shimmer like silk. A small museum and the workshops of the town show the craft.

  • Genbudo Park

    Five caves walled with great columns of basalt, formed some 1.6 million years ago, on the bank of the Maruyama River a short drive south, part of the San'in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark.

  • Izushi

    A small castle town about forty minutes away by car, with a wooden clock tower of 1871, an old kabuki playhouse and a street of soba shops that serve the noodles on small plates of white porcelain.

experiences

The best of Kinosaki Onsen

  • The walk of the seven onsen

    An evening in yukata, walking from one public onsen to the next along the canal, a few minutes in each, then back to the ryokan for dinner.

  • A kaiseki of the Japan Sea

    Dinner served in the room by the ryokan: snow crab from the Japan Sea in many forms, from sashimi to a shabu of the legs, and Tajima beef from the hills behind the town.

  • A ryokan on its garden

    Two nights at a ryokan whose tatami rooms open onto a garden of moss, stone and maples, the ryokan's own onsen a few steps away and the town's own onsen a short walk beyond.

  • The straw marquetry workshop

    An hour with a maker of mugiwara zaiku, cutting and laying the dyed barley straw into a small piece of your own.

plan your visit

Kinosaki Onsen on a journey through Japan

How long to stay
Two nights: a full day between them lets the town be walked at its own pace, with time for the ropeway, a craft workshop or Genbudo.
Getting there
By the Kinosaki limited express from Kyoto in about two and a half hours, or from Osaka in about two hours and forty minutes; by private car in about three hours from either. Tajima Airport, a short flight from Osaka Itami, is about forty minutes away by car.
Pairs well with
Kinosaki is the natural onsen stay after Kyoto, and it pairs with Amanohashidate along the coast and with Himeji on the road south to Osaka.KyotoAmanohashidateOsakaHimejiArima Onsen

where to stay

Luxury hotels and ryokan in Kinosaki Onsen

In Kinosaki the ryokan is the heart of the stay, because guests dine and sleep there and use it as the base for walking the town's onsen. The most distinguished stand along the main street and the canal, within a few minutes' walk of the public onsen.

On the main street, a wooden ryokan kept by one family for seven generations has its tatami rooms arranged around a garden. Its sister stands on the edge of the town in a garden of its own, with larger rooms and a calmer air.

journeys

Tours of Japan that include Kinosaki Onsen

Each journey below includes Kinosaki Onsen; choose one to see its route, dates and price. For a journey on your own dates, the Custom Tour of Japan can include Kinosaki Onsen and anywhere else you would like to go.

questions

Kinosaki Onsen: questions answered

How many nights should you stay in Kinosaki Onsen?

Two nights. One evening is enough to walk a few of the public onsen, but a full day between two nights lets you see all seven, ride the ropeway and enjoy the town at an easy pace.

How do you get from Kyoto to Kinosaki Onsen?

By the Kinosaki limited express from Kyoto Station in about two and a half hours, or by private car in about three. From Osaka the train takes about two hours and forty minutes.

What are the seven onsen of Kinosaki?

Satono-yu, Jizo-yu, Yanagi-yu, Ichino-yu, Goshono-yu, Mandara-yu and Kono-yu. Guests staying in the town's ryokan receive a pass that opens all seven.

Do you wear a yukata in Kinosaki?

Yes. The ryokan lend each guest a yukata and wooden geta, and walking the town in them between the onsen is the custom of Kinosaki.

What food is Kinosaki famous for?

Snow crab from the Sea of Japan, called Matsuba crab in this region, and Tajima beef, from the black cattle of the hills from which Kobe beef also comes.

Can you visit the Kinosaki onsen with tattoos?

Most of the public onsen of Kinosaki welcome guests with tattoos, which is unusual in Japan. Private onsen at the ryokan are an easy alternative where a rule applies.

Which Luxury Japan Travel journeys include Kinosaki Onsen?

The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan, The Autumn Leaves Tour of Japan, Classic Japan and Definitive Japan include nights in Kinosaki Onsen. The Custom Tour of Japan can include Kinosaki Onsen on any dates, created around your party alone.

Can Kinosaki 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 a Tour Director beside you, and it can include Kinosaki Onsen. For independent travel, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.

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Kinosaki Onsen, planned for you.

Tell us when you would like to travel and what draws you to Kinosaki Onsen. We will answer with a journey shaped around it: one of our tours, a journey of The Private Collection, or a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone.

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