I was planning for an upcoming spring break trip to Japan when I came across a video about staying in Kinosaki Onsen and decided to add it to my itinerary. Kinosaki Onsen is a 1300 year-old traditional hot-spring town in Toyooka, Hyōgo Prefecture, about 3 hours train ride from Osaka. The town is known for the seven public hot-springs, all tattoo-friendly, where visitors can enjoy bath-hopping and strolling through the town in yukata (traditional bathrobe) and geta (traditional wooden clogs).
Scenery
The town offers a picturesque willow-lined canal with a tranquil, old-world feel, especially at night. In the spring, cherry blossoms can be found in the quiet path of Kiyamachi street along the Otani River, illuminated by pink lanterns in the evening offering a romantic and scenic stroll.
Ryokan Stay
The town operates with the concept of one big ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), an interconnected inn where streets act as hallways, hotels as guest rooms and the seven onsens as communal baths, creating a seamless immersive experience for visitors. All traditional inns in town offer free passes for hotel guests to visit the seven public onsens.
Local Cuisine
Kinosaki Onsen is most famous for Matsuba crab (snow crab) and high quality Tajima beef (the precursor to Kobe beef). All ryokan (inn) in town offers kaiseki dinner, which is a traditional multi-course meal featuring the best seasonal local ingredients.
Kinosaki Ropeway
Aside from soaking in the hot-spring water and enjoy local cuisine, visitors can hike or take the cable car to the summit of Mt. Daishi for panoramic views of the town and the Sea of Japan. The ropeway provides access to the historic Onsenji Temple. It was a well known rule (but no longer kept) that visitors to Kinosaki Onsen must travel up to the mountain to the Onsenji Temple, pray for permission and learn the proper way to enter the hot-spring.
Kinosaki onsen is becoming increasingly popular to international tourists in recent years but still remains much less crowded compared to other hot-spring towns due to its distance from major cities. It is possible to do a day trip to Kinosaki Onsen from Osaka or Kyoto but it is best to stay at least a couple nights to relax and allow time to fully explore the town.