Sign in for a personalized experience.
Travel
Living
A-Z
Forum
Friends
Jobs
Shopping
Hotel Reservations

(check-in)

Online Hostel Bookings
Hostels and inexpensive ryokan from $10 per night!
Car Rentals
Compact cars from around 4,000 Yen/day!

Related Pages
Travel
Sightseeing
Kansai Region
Kinosaki Onsen

Hot Spring Guide
How to take a bath?
How to enjoy hot springs?
List of hot springs

Kinosaki Baths
Kinosaki Town
Onsenji Temple
Konotori no Sato

Kinosaki: Access and Orientation

Related Questions
Traveling from Kinosaki to...
 11 reactions, last updated 30 days ago
Travelling from Osaka to kinosaki...
 3 reactions, last updated 100 days ago

Japan Sightseeing Guide
Hokkaido
Sapporo
Otaru
Hakodate
Furano
Abashiri
Noboribetsu
Niseko
Lake Toya
Daisetsuzan
Shiretoko
Rishiri Rebun
Akan

Tohoku
Sendai
Matsushima
Hiraizumi
Akita
Kakunodate
Nyuto Onsen
Aomori
Hirosaki
Lake Towada
Shimokita Hanto
Dewa Sanzan
Aizu

Kanto
Tokyo
Yokohama
Kamakura
Nikko
Kinugawa
Hakone
Kawagoe
Kusatsu
Ikaho
Minakami
Narita

Chubu
Nagoya
Inuyama
Mt.Fuji
Fujigoko
Izu Peninsula
Nagano
Matsumoto
Kamikochi
Kiso Valley
Hakuba
Yudanaka
Sado Island
Takayama
Shirakawa-go
Gujo
Gero Onsen
Kanazawa

Kansai
Kyoto
Osaka
Nara
Kobe
Himeji
Kinosaki
Mount Koya
Kumano
Yoshino
Amanohashidate
Hikone
Iga Ueno
Ise Shima

Chugoku
Hiroshima
Miyajima
Onomichi
Okayama
Kurashiki
Matsue
Iwami Ginzan
Iwakuni
Yamaguchi
Hagi

Shikoku
Takamatsu
Kotohira
Naoshima
Matsuyama
Uchiko
Kochi
Tokushima
Naruto

Kyushu
Fukuoka
Dazaifu
Nagasaki
Kumamoto
Mount Aso
Minamata
Beppu
Miyazaki
Takachiho
Kagoshima
Kirishima
Yakushima

Okinawa
Honto
Miyako
Yaeyama

Survey
How can tourism in Japan be improved?
More foreign language information
Preserve natural and historic sites
Ease immigration requirements
Reduce cost of travel
Make sights less crowded
Other
No improvement needed
see results
Other Surveys:
Budget for ryokan stay
Next trip to Japan
Improvements to Tourism
Financial Crisis
Ski Destination
Preferred way to stay at a ryokan
Purpose of visit
Most popular region
Have you recently entered Japan?

japan-guide.com newsletter
Keeping you up to date on Japan travel and living related issues and site updates. Click here to subscribe!

Sponsored Listings
Tour Packages
Guided and individual tour plans.
Japan - Order FREE Brochure!
About vacation plans and specialty travel.
Car Rental
The cheapest rates in Japan!

Home - Travel - Sightseeing Guide - Kansai - Kinosaki Onsen
Kinosaki Onsen: Hot Spring Baths
# 1   of 4 sights
in Kinosaki

The ashiyu (foot bath) at Satono-yu

Legend has it that storks would bathe in the marshes of Kinosaki to heal their wounds. Later, bath houses were built over these very sites to take advantage of the healing waters. Since then Kinosaki has become a top onsen destination in the Kansai region.

Nowadays there are numerous ryokan in the area, all with their own baths, but the real draw to Kinosaki are the seven sotoyu, or public bath houses. Also scattered throughout town are some beautiful ashiyu (foot baths) and spring water drinking fountains.

Kinosaki's public bath houses:

Satono-yu
Satono-yu is Kinosaki's largest bath house, located next to the train station. It has two styles of baths, traditional and Romanesque, which rotate daily between men and women. The large variety of baths includes waterfalls, mist rooms, and steam, dry and penguin (refrigerated) saunas.
Open 7AM - 11PM. Closed the 2nd and 4th Thursday every month. Entrance fee 800 yen.
Jizo-yu
Jizo-yu is located at the intersection of the river and Ekidori, the main road that leads to the Kinosaki train station. This bath house's main baths feature high ceilings. Private family baths are also available for 3000 yen per 40 minutes.
Open everyday 7AM - 11PM. Entrance fee 600 yen.
Yanagi-yu
Recently renovated, Yanagi-yu ("willow bath") is Kinosaki's smallest public bath house, but some think that its traditional feel with hand cut timbers and wooden baths is particularly inviting. It also has a small street-side ashiyu (foot bath) next to its entrance.
Open everyday 3PM - 11PM. Entrance fee 600 yen.
Ichino-yu
Ichino-yu is located near the center of town and was last renovated in 1999. Its indoor baths are modern granite while its outdoor baths are located in a cave. Private family baths are available for 3000 yen per 40 minutes.
Open everyday 7AM - 11PM. Entrance fee 600 yen.
Goshono-yu
Completely redesigned and rebuilt in 2005, Goshono-yu ("imperial palace bath") is one of Kinosaki's larger bath houses, featuring a multi-level outdoor bath facing a waterfall, as well as a granite water bench and a steam sauna where onsen water is sprayed into the air to create a fine mist.
Open everyday 7AM - 11PM. Entrance fee 800 yen.
Mandara-yu
Mandara-yu is the only bath house that is located off the main road. You'll find it one block south of the main road (Yunosatodori) just before the road turns north to the ropeway entrance. Its outdoor bath looks enticing, and it is said that Mandara-yu has the most attractive of the public baths.
Open everyday 3PM - 11PM. Entrance fee 600 yen.
Kono-yu
Kono-yu is near the ropeway entrance located on the spot where legend says that storks would bathe to heal their wounds. It was the first bath house in Kinosaki, although it has been rebuilt numerous times since its founding. Kono-yu features an outdoor bath with a view of the surrounding forests.
Open everyday 7AM - 11PM. Entrance fee 600 yen.

Visitors staying at a local ryokan can use Kinosaki's seven public bath houses for free between check-in and check-out. In order to gain free admission, they need to wear the ryokan's yukata and bring admission coupons provided by the ryokan.

Many visitors decide to skip their ryokan's bath in favor of a sotoyu meguri (bath stroll), walking around sampling the various public baths. In the past it was also customary to visit Onsenji Temple to make a prayer before bathing, but this is not a common practice anymore.

When visiting public baths, it is recommended that you bring your own towels or towels provided by the ryokan, although, towels are also available for purchase or rental at bath houses. Soap and shampoo are provided within the baths.

Sotoyu Meguri
An onsen water drinking fountain

How to get there

Kinosaki's seven public baths are scattered across the town, about 100 to 400 meters apart from each other. All can be reached on foot. It takes about 15-25 minutes to walk from the station to the most distant bath house, the Kono-yu.

How to get to and around Kinosaki Onsen

Travel Community
Popularity of Hot Springs:
Users who have been to Kinosaki: 56
Users who have been to Hot Springs: 47

1st of 4 most visited sights in Kinosaki.
292nd of 554 most visited sights nationwide.

Have you been to Hot Springs?

Ratings for Hot Springs:
japan-guide.com Rating:
  best of Japan  
User Rating (by 29 users):
92/100
  highly recommended

User Feedback
We strive to keep japan-guide.com up-to-date and accurate, and are always looking for ways to improve the user experience. If you have any updates, suggestions, corrections or opinions, please let us know:

Hotel and Ryokan
Sponsored Listings:
Mikuniya Ryokan
Friendly, affordable inn. 3 free private onsen baths. Esthetic treatment offered. 3 min walk from Kinosaki Station.
Kojinmari
The smallest & cozy onsen inn with only 4 guest rooms. Rates without meals from 7350Yen. 5min walk from Kinosaki Station.
Nishimuraya Honkan
A traditional hotel with over 150 years of history. Onsen baths with Japanese garden view. Savor the crabs in winter.
Search Hotels:
In:
From:
For:
Website:

Asian-inspired
Plasma TV Stands

Copyright © 1996-2009 japan-guide.com All rights reserved - Last Page Update: October 23, 2007
home - site map - privacy policy - terms of use - contact - L‚ɂ‚¢‚Ä - advertising