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Get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy a relaxing trip to a hot spring to immerse yourself in Japanese culture

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Get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy a relaxing trip to a hot spring to immerse yourself in Japanese culture

Kinosaki Onsen, located in northern Hyogo, is one of the Kansai region's leading hot spring towns. With a history of 1,300 years, Kinosaki Onsen has retained its old streetscape and is a hot spring town that is fun to stroll around, with plenty of cafes, food spots, and souvenir shops. In this article, we'll introduce an itinerary for spending a relaxing time in Kinosaki Onsen, just 2.5 hours from Osaka, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

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Visit Kinosaki

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The birthplace of hot spring tours in yukata and geta There are 7 public baths in Kinosaki Onsen town. Kinosaki Onsen can be compared to a large hot spring inn, with the station being the ``guiseki'', the roads being the ``corridors'', the inns being the ``guest rooms'', and the public baths being the ``public baths''. If you change into a yukata, relax, and go out on the town, you will become a character in this world.

Required time

2 days/1 night

Transportation
train Train
directions_walk On foot
Day 1

1
Osaka station
Osaka station

JR Osaka Station is the largest terminal station in western Japan, located in the heart of Umeda, Osaka's largest entertainment and business district.

train
From JR Osaka Station, take the "Kounotori" express train to Kinosaki Onsen Station in about 2.5 hours.
You may take the direct express "Kounotori" or transfer to the express "Kinosaki" at JR Fukuchiyama Station.
*All seats on the Kounotori and Kinosaki express trains are reserved.

If you leave Osaka Station at around 9am, you will arrive exactly at 12pm, so we recommend leaving in the morning.

2
Kinosaki Onsen Station
Kinosaki Onsen Station

As soon as you leave JR Kinosaki Onsen Station, the hot spring town spreads out before you.

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3 minutes walk from Kinosaki Onsen Station

3
Irori Dining Mikuni
Irori Dining Mikuni

The only restaurant in Kinosaki Onsen that specializes in Tajima beef.
Enjoy dishes made with the ultimate Tajima beef, "Tajimaguro," local salt, rice, and vegetables.
Tajima beef is the bloodline of 99.9% of all Japanese black cattle in Japan. Its meat is moderately marbled and tender, with a melt-in-the-mouth flavor.
Tajimaguro is a special Tajima beef that pursues the health of the cows and the flavor of the meat, and is fed food that is healthy for humans to eat.

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"Irori Dining MIKUNI" is a restaurant specializing in Tajima beef.
There are many delicious lunches such as rice bowls and curries using local ingredients. Recommended dishes are the Tajimagen Tasting Set (4,900 yen including tax) and the Special Children's Lunch (5,500 yen including tax).

Once you've had your fill, head out for a stroll around the hot spring town. After about a 10-minute walk, you'll arrive at the Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway, browsing the shops and other attractions along the way.

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Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway
Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway

The view from Mt. Daishi, at the top of the Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway, is so spectacular that it has been awarded one star in the Michelin Green Guide Japan.
At the midpoint of the ropeway is Onsenji Temple, the guardian temple of Kinosaki Onsen.
When Kinosaki Onsen first opened, it was customary to always climb the mountain to Onsenji Temple before entering the hot springs. Here I learned the correct way to enter a hot spring.

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The main hall of Onsenji Temple is located at the midpoint of the ropeway station.
The ropeway ride takes about 4 minutes.
*You can also walk there without taking the ropeway (time required: about 20 minutes)

5
Onsenji Temple
Onsenji Temple

This ancient temple of the Koyasan Shingon sect is said to have been founded by the monk Dochi during the Nara period, and is also the guardian temple of Kinosaki Onsen. In the past, it was customary to make a prayer before bathing in the hot springs, and to give thanks for the water before bathing. The principal image of the temple, a standing eleven-faced Kannon statue, is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property and is open to the public once every 33 years.

6
Yakushi Pocket Park
Yakushi Pocket Park

At Yakushi Park, you can find the source of Kinosaki Onsen, Motoyu, and a foot bath that draws water directly from the source. It's the perfect place to soothe your tired feet after a walk. It is the largest of the five foot baths in the hot spring town.
At the hot spring egg bath, which uses the source water, you can make hot spring eggs using local eggs purchased at Kinosaki Onsen Gelato Cafe Chaya.

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It's a two-minute walk from Yakushi Park to our accommodation, Nishimuraya Honkan.

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Nishimuraya Honkan
Nishimuraya Honkan

Nishimuraya Honkan is the leading traditional Japanese inn in Sanin region, carrying on a tradition that dates back 160 years since its founding.
Nishimuraya Honkan is located in the middle of this atmospheric hot spring town, with the Otani River that runs through the heart of Kinosaki, rows of willow trees, and stone bridges.
The guest rooms overlook a carefully maintained Japanese garden and are filled with the beauty of Japanese style.
Enjoy seasonal ingredients grown in the nature of Tajima throughout the year. Enjoy a moment of bliss with carefully selected bounty that is only available in that season.

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Nishimuraya Honkan is a traditional Japanese inn with a 160-year history.
The hotel is built around a Japanese garden, so each guest room offers a different view.

From November to March, you can enjoy "Tsuiyama crab" caught near Kinosaki Onsen, which is one of the kings of winter delicacies, "Matsuba crab." You can enjoy dishes made with locally caught ingredients, including "Tajima beef," famous for being the base for branded beef such as Kobe beef and Matsusaka beef, "Tajima rice" raised in a safe and secure environment, and "fresh seafood" caught in the Sea of Japan.

After dinner at the ryokan, visit the outdoor baths (public baths) in Kinosaki Onsen town and enjoy local craft beer, gelato, and more.
*Mandara-yu is the closest public bath to Gosho-no-yu (closed on Wednesdays)

8
Mandala yu
Mandala yu

Mandara-Yu, is historically known as Kinosaki’s very first onsen and the town’s starting point as a well-renowned healing hot spring. Historical documents tell of a priest (Saint Douchi) that traveled the country to help the suffering and ill. His travels eventually brought him here, to Kinosaki Onsen. Here he was instructed by the local oracle to pray for 1,000 days to save the people from suffering. On the 1,000th day, hot spring water came forth. This hot spring water soon became famous throughout the region and the country for its incredible healing powers. Eventually, word reached the emperor of the time. After confirming the authenticity of Kinosaki’s onsen he gave the title of “Guardian Temple of Kinosaki Onsen” to the temple erected by St. Douchi for the protection of Kinosaki, its hot spring waters and its people.

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The outdoor baths (public baths) are open until 11pm (last admission at 10:30pm), and souvenir shops, snack bars, shooting ranges, and other facilities are also open until around 11pm, so you can enjoy the hot spring town at night.

Day 2
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Start your day at Gosho-no-Yu, one of the outdoor baths (public baths) located just a 2-minute walk from Nishimuraya Honkan!
* "Gosho-no-yu" is open from 7am. Closed on Thursdays.

9
Gosho no Yu
Gosho no Yu

One of the seven public baths in Kinosaki Onsen Town. It was named ``Gosho no Yu'' because Emperor Gohorikawa's sister Ankamonin bathed there in 1267 in the historical story ``Masukagami'' from the Nanbokucho period. The view of the mountain greenery and waterfall that can be seen from Kinosaki Onsen's only ``full open-air bath'' is attractive.

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After having breakfast at the inn and checking out, head out to the hot spring town.
It takes 4 minutes on foot from Nishimuraya Main Building to Kamiya Mingei Shop on Kiyamachi Alley.

10
Kinosaki Onsen Straw Crafts Kamiya Mingei Shop
Kinosaki Onsen Straw Crafts Kamiya Mingei Shop

This is an artisan's studio for "straw crafts," a traditional craft of Kinosaki Onsen.
Made from barley straw, straw crafts take on a deeper flavor the more they are used, and their silky smooth texture and elegant luster create a timeless texture.

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Kinosaki Straw Crafts is a traditional craft that is still being passed down in Kinosaki Onsen town. You can touch the works at the artisan's workshop, or you can make your own original wooden box that is one of a kind. The hot spring town is also home to the Kinosaki Straw Crafts Museum, where old works are on display.

11
Kinosaki Straw Crafts Museum
Kinosaki Straw Crafts Museum

Kinosaki Straw Crafts, which has a history of 300 years, is designated as a traditional craft of Hyogo Prefecture and an intangible cultural asset of Toyooka City.
The crafts were included in the "Siebold Collection" brought back by the German doctor Philipp Franz von Siebold, who visited Japan in the late Edo period, and the skills of Kinosaki craftsmen became known across the sea. At the Kinosaki Straw Crafts Heritage Museum, you can view not only the works of modern craftsmen (about 40 pieces), but also about 200 pieces from the Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods.

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You can go to the outdoor baths or just relax at the cafe.
If you have time for another night or two, you can also enjoy the surrounding sea and castle town.

This time, we introduced an example of a two-day, one-night trip starting from Osaka to Kinosaki Onsen.

Spots introduced in this itinerary

Visit Kinosaki

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Visit Kinosaki

Hyogo

The birthplace of hot spring tours in yukata and geta There are 7 public baths in Kinosaki Onsen town. Kinosaki Onsen can be compared to a large hot spring inn, with the station being the ``guiseki'', the roads being the ``corridors'', the inns being the ``guest rooms'', and the public baths being the ``public baths''. If you change into a yukata, relax, and go out on the town, you will become a character in this world.

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