Kinosaki Onsen Strolling Course of Seven Public Baths in Yukata

This is a strolling course through Kinosaki Onsen, where the riverside scenery of willow trees and stone bridges is beautiful. Walking in yukata and wooden geta sandals while visiting the seven public baths is a way of enjoying the town that is unique to Kinosaki. It is a plan where you can savor relaxed time, as if the whole hot spring town were a single inn. It is also known as the place where the writer Shiga Naoya wrote his short story At Kinosaki, giving the town a literary air.

Course Route

10:00 Arrive at Kinosaki Onsen Station and start Take a breather at the foot bath in front of the station before beginning your stroll. Kinosaki Onsen Station is served by limited express trains on the JR Sanin Main Line. 10:30 Drop your bags at the inn and change into yukata Changing into yukata and geta makes the town walk even more enjoyable. 11:00 Stroll along the Otani River Walk the scenery that symbolizes Kinosaki, with its willow trees and arched bridges. The willows planted along the river create the distinctive mood of this town. 12:00 Lunch in the hot spring town Savor local flavors such as Tajima beef and seafood. In winter, snow crab from the Sea of Japan is also a specialty. 13:30 Set off on the public bath circuit Visit the seven public baths, Ichi no Yu, Gosho no Yu, Mandara Yu, Sato no Yu, Yanagi Yu, Jizo Yu and Kono Yu, in turn while still in your yukata. Each has its own legend and character, and the bath circuit is the real pleasure of Kinosaki. 15:30 A break at a cafe or shooting gallery Pause between walks at a retro arcade or a sweets shop. 17:00 Stroll the hot spring town at dusk When the lamps come on, the riverside atmosphere grows even richer. 18:00 Finish while gazing at the illuminated streets Continuing the bath circuit at night in your yukata is also recommended.

Highlights

The greatest charm of Kinosaki Onsen is the public bath circuit that lets you enjoy the whole town. Each bath, such as Ichi no Yu and Mandara Yu, has its own character, and you take in the townscape as you move between them. The willow lined river is picturesque day and night, and walking in yukata makes you feel like a resident of the spa town.

Practical Travel Notes

• Best season and time: Winter, when snow crab is in season, is when Kinosaki is at its liveliest. From dusk into the evening, when lamps light up along the river, the bath circuit in yukata is especially atmospheric.
• Avoiding crowds: On weekends in crab season the inns and public baths are busy. Popular baths fill up around dinner time, so shifting your timing to earlier or later lets you soak more calmly.
• Time guide: To visit all seven public baths, allow about half a day for moving and bathing. If you stay overnight, you can split the circuit between the evening after check in and the following morning.
• Budget feel: Overnight guests find the all you can use bathing pass convenient, while day visitors pay an admission of around a few hundred yen at each public bath.
• Real nearby spots: The Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway behind the spa town offers a sweeping view of the townscape and the Sea of Japan. Retro shooting galleries and sweets shops dot the town and make good stops between baths.

Access and Tips

Kinosaki Onsen Station is served by limited express trains on the JR Sanin Main Line and is easy to reach from the Osaka and Kobe area. For the bath circuit, the bathing pass for overnight guests is convenient, and walking around in yukata is the Kinosaki way. If you are not used to geta, choose comfortable footwear instead.

A Quick Tip

Each public bath has its own closing days and hours, so deciding the order in advance makes things smooth. Heading out with a towel and some coins is reassuring. Walking a long time in yukata and geta can tire your feet, so if you are not used to them, keeping shoes to switch into partway makes for a more comfortable day.