One of our favorite activities in Japan is to stay at a hot spring resort and Kinosaki in Hyogo was one of our most memorable. It is a charming and quaint little town surrounded by rural mountains and the sea. It is one of those places in Japan that make you feel like you were transported back in time to a different era.
Kinosaki Onsen is located about 3 hours if you are coming from Kyoto and about 2.5 hours if you’re coming from Osaka. It is accessible by various JR trains from these areas and even a limited express train that will cut the travel time by a half hour. While it is a possible day-trip destination in your itinerary from these areas, it is best to stay at least one night at one of the nearby ryokans. This was what we did back in April 2015, where we left Kyoto to stay overnight at Kinosaki, before making our way to Osaka.
‘Onsen’ refers to bathing facilities that have water sourced from nearby hot springs but it also can refer to hot spring resorts. You can find onsen all over Japan and even in big cities like Tokyo and Kyoto. But there are quite a few towns that dedicate themselves to Japanese onsen culture and Kinosaki Onsen is one of them.
Prior to Kinosaki, the only other onsen area we visited was in Hakone during our stay in the Gora Kadan ryokan. As such, I thought yukatas were worn mainly within the ryokan so it was a little surprising to find people wearing them in public. What differentiates onsen towns like Kinosaki provides a further attraction or sotoyu meguri or public bath stroll. You will see many people wearing their yukata outfit and hear the nice clacking sound from their geta (wooden sandals) as they walk across town. We enjoyed this experience more than we thought we would.
The town boasts 7 public hot springs and over 80 ryokans. As a guest staying one of the ryokans will get a free pass to visit the onsens. Otherwise, there is a charge for a pass to visit each of the public baths. Since the town is small, it is very easy to walk from one end of the town to the other.
Our ryokan during our stay at Kinosaki was Nishimuraya Honkan. The ryokan had a car waiting for us when we arrived at Kinosaki Station. You can read about our stay at this ryokan here.
The Otani River runs in the middle of town before flowing into the Sea of Japan. Willow trees line canal in the central part of town. The picturesque streets are one of the key features of Kinosaki.
Most of our time was spent at our ryokan’s onsen, but prior to leaving, I did manage to visit Goshono-yu, which is the newest onsen and the largest onsen in the area. Its architecture was inspired by the Kyoto Imperial Palace. The bath boasts one of the town’s best outdoor bathing areas that are fashioned from natural boulders with underwater seats to gaze out onto the lush scenery and an impressive waterfall.
The wooden geta sandals take some getting used to, and you have to carefully walk in them until you get used to it. They are not the most comfortable for the uninitiated, but still fun and immerses you in the overall experience. Fortunately, there are numerous foot baths throughout the town for you to soak your aching feet, which I also imagine is a nice relief from the cold during the winter months.
Speaking of geta, you can find this display near the train station proudly showcasing the numerous geta of the various ryokan in town.
Spread throughout town are also various hot spring fountains for you to drink from when you’re tired from your walk.
As we walked through town, the old townscape and together with so many people wearing traditional Japanese clothes gives you a surreal feel of stepping back in time. Another key feature of the town that gives this nostalgic vibe is preserved three-story buildings that give Kinosaki its iconic look.
This building is called Sato No Yu, and is another bathhouse, but we loved the way building blended in perfectly with the willow trees.
Further north of town, the canal is lined with cherry blossoms instead of willow trees. This was one of our favorite spots during our stroll across town. We were fortunate to visit during the peak of the sakura blooming season. It felt even more special as we were dressed in our yukata and walked through the rows of fully bloomed sakura trees.
This is one of my most favorite photos of our trip. You walk a little beyond the town center and you find this picturesque scene.
While our ryokan provided us with dinner and breakfast, lunch was left up to us to explore the town for snacks and lunch during the afternoon. There are many cafes and restaurants, shops for local crafts, and we even noticed old-fashioned game arcades spread throughout town.
One of the must-try snacks are the onsen eggs that you can buy around town. You purchase the raw eggs that are put in a mesh bag which you then hang from a nearby hot spring used to cook the eggs. It takes about 10-11 minutes to cook, but what you get is a nice creamy custard-like yoke.
Before leaving Kinosaki, we wanted to have lunch before our long train ride to Osaka. We randomly choose Masuya for soba as we didn’t want too heavy a meal. Plus we saw some soft serve at one of the cafes in the town center.
Once inside, we got a quirky, yet fun vibe as the whole restaurant was filled with various antiques and vintage posters. The owners were warm and friendly throughout our whole meal.
We ordered the kamo (duck) dipping soba. The soba was made with the local hot spring waters and had a great texture. The dashi was very savory and further enhanced by the succulent duck.
Our kids hand the kani onsen egg donburi. It was loaded with crab meat in a soft creamy egg sauce over perfectly cooked rice. We were surprised how good everything was and how friendly the owners were.
Before leaving Kinosaki, we made one last visit to the northern area where the sakura trees have lined the canal. It started to rain, but this only made the scene more beautiful as you see the cherry blossom petals drop into the water and carried downstream.
One night in Kinosaki was too short and too rushed. There is so much that the town has to offer and I would have liked to spend time in all of the seven bathhouses in town as well as spend more time during the night scene in town. It is the kind of place that invites you to disconnect from your day-to-day and enjoy the moment. As we said good-bye to Kinosaki, we know we will be back.