Soothe body and soul at an onsen with 1300 years of history
Kinosaki Onsen which is located in Hyogo Prefecture, is an onsen village which has a history dating from the Heian Era whose old-fashioned and profound townscape is another attractive point. Kinosaki’s distinguishing feature of its open-air baths is arranged so that you can tour each one of them in the center of town. When you reach your accommodations, change into your yukata and quickly get out into Kinosaki. The 7 open-air baths of Kinosaki Onsen consist of Ichino-yu, Goshono-yu, Mandara-yu, Satono-yu, Yanagi-yu, Jizou-yu and Kouno-yu. This style of open-air bath in which you can enjoy the atmosphere of the hot springs and the town while walking and touring these 7 onsen was started here, and it can be said that it is the best way to enjoy Kinosaki. The open-air baths each have their own effects and history. You can search for the one that you prefer such as Yanagi-yu which is famed for its effectiveness on pregnancy, easy childbirth and child-rearing, and Kouno-yu which is effective for a great marriage and youth & long life. Also at Kinosaki Onsen, there are many ryokan (Japanese-style inns). You can select the accommodations that match your needs from a gorgeous ryokan that has a large public bath with a Japanese garden and outdoor bath, a ryokan where you can enjoy Kinosaki’s specialty dish of crab, a ryokan where you can enjoy the full view of the mood of the townscape from your room to a hotel where you can sleep in a room with a bed instead of a Japanese-style tatami room.
Take a leisurely stroll through the onsen village in your yukata
Taking a relaxing walk in your yukata through the onsen village is also another way to enjoy yourself that is distinctive to Kinosaki. Beginning from the diners and restaurants, you can also stop off at cafes & sweets shops where you can eat and walk around, and do some shopping on the street where you can purchase souvenirs and seafood. At Kinosaki Onsen, yukata is provided which has a different style at each ryokan. After selecting the one you like among the many that are available and taking that stroll, you can experience that serene atmosphere only found in Japan’s onsen villages.