Did you know that there is a hot spring resort in Awaji Island with a spectacular ocean view?

Sumoto Onsen is a hot spring resort that is like a treasure box with many attractions such as a historic castle town, the beautiful beach of Shirahama, a retro townscape, and spots where you can discover Awaji’s gourmet food.

What is Sumoto like ?

 
▲Sumoto city is located on the east-side center part of Awaji Island.

Awaji Island, which connects Hyogo prefecture and Shikoku, is the largest island in the Seto Inland Sea. It has a long history, and according to an old text recounting the myth of the birth of Japan, Awaji Island was the first of the Japanese islands to be born.

It is at the center of such a romantic island that Sumoto is located. 

After Sumoto castle was built in the Middle Age, a castle town developed at its foot. In modern times, it thrived as Awaji Island’s political, economic, and cultural center. Even now the town layout from the castle town period remains, allowing visitors to experience its history.

A visit to the “Sumoto Municipal Awaji Cultural Museum”, where you can learn about the history and culture of Sumoto and the rest of the island in depth, will deepen your understanding of the town.

This museum exhibits abundant historical artifacts and documents from ancient times to the present day, presenting the island’s unique culture to the visitors. Especially exhibits regarding the island’s traditional events and festivals convey the full appeal of the island.

▲Inside the museum, there are many exhibits related to Awaji Ningyo Joruri, a typical folk performing art of Awaji Island.

The exhibit regarding the “Awaji Island Ningyo Joruri”, a typical folk performing art of Awaji Island is particularly eye-catching. Elaborate puppets and stage sets are on exhibit, introducing the history and charm of this performing art that Awaji Island is proud of. Visitors will be impressed by the beauty and skill of the art and be able to deepen their understanding of the culture in Awaji Island.

▲Open-air bath at the hotel “Awaji Yumesenkei” in Sumoto Onsen (hot spring)

Moving from such a historical city center towards the sea, you will find hot spring resorts lining on the seashore, and you can experience a hot spring bath with a spectacular ocean view. This area is known as Sumoto Onsen, and it is a very popular spot among many visitors.

From Kobe to Awaji Island. The easiest way to get there is by bus.

Awaji Island has an image of being the most familiar resort area for Japanese people living in Hyogo and Osaka, but it is still not well-known to foreign travelers. Because of this, you can enjoy beautiful nature, hot springs, and gastronomy in a quiet and tranquil environment. 

There are no trains in Awaji Island. Therefore, you need to cross the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the only bridge connecting the island to Honshu, by bus or car.

▲Akashi Kaikyo Bridge

Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is the second longest suspension bridge in the world. Its characteristic is its overwhelming length and beautiful scenery.Travelling by car may seem hard for first-time visitors to Japan. However, you can easily go to Awaji Island by using the highway bus departing from Kobe!

“Sannomiya bus terminal” is located at Sannnomiya Station, the busiest station in Kobe. The fare for a one-way express bus ride to Sumoto is 2,020 yen. It takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to get there.

The “North-Awaji bus unlimited ride ticket” which is sold at the JR bus ticket counter inside Sannomiya bus terminal, will make your bus trip a lot easier.

▲The  blue one is 1-day ticket, and the pink one is 2-day ticket    

Although the area covered is limited to the northern part of Awaji Island down to Sumoto, this ticket is very convenient because it allows unlimited rides on local buses and community buses.

There are several types of ticket, but I recommend the “2-day free ticket (adult: 3,500 yen, child:1,750 yen). You can get on the highway bus between North-Awaji area and Kobe (Sannomiya Bus Terminal, Shin-Kobe Station, and Kobe Airport), once to get there and once on the way back.

How to use the ticket is easy: simply show the ticket to the driver when you get on the bus.

Detailed information regarding route maps of the highway bus and the way to get on and get off the bus can be found on the official website of Awaji Kotsu Bus Co.

From castle town to hot spring resort. A retro town with a sense of history

The Sumoto trip starts at the Sumoto Bus Terminal, which is the departure and arrival point for highway buses. As soon as you get off the bus, you will see Sumoto port in front of you.

▲Sumoto Port

Today, Awaji Island and Honshu are connected by the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, but before the bridge was completed in 1998, the only way to get there was by ship. Sumoto Port was the main port for transporting people and goods from Honshu to Awaji Island until then.

As you walk around town, you will notice that the streets are maintained in a grid. This is said to be a trace of the town’s prosperity as castle town of Sumoto castle about 500 years ago.

▲ “Nabe Hide Pottery Store GARŌ”, located in a corner of Retro Komichi

The street named Retro Komichi is one of the old streets that have remained unchanged since the days of the castle town too. Many old houses and townhouses still remain, and vacant buildings are being used as cafes and stores.

If you want to know more, please check out this article too!

 https://www.hyogo-tourism.jp/world/note/12

▲Red brick buildings used as spinning mills and warehouses in the past

The retro red brick buildings located one minute’s walk away from the Sumoto Bus Terminal are another historical heritage of Sumoto. They are the sites of a warehouse and a cotton mill, which was a major industry in Sumoto about 100 years ago. Now, they are used as complex facilities, a library, restaurant where visitors can enjoy Awaji Island cuisine, making use of its unique character.

If you want to know more, please check out this article too!

 https://www.hyogo-tourism.jp/world/note/14

Spectacular ocean view hot spring baths unique to a seaside hot spring resort

▲Open-air bath at “Awaji Yume Senkei”, a hotel in Sumoto Onsen

Sumoto has plenty of things to see and do, but what makes it a special experience is the hot springs with ocean views.

Taking advantage of the location of hot spring resorts by the sea, each hotel and Japanese-style inns have created distinctive baths, such as open-air baths with a view over the sea and rooms with ocean-view baths.

Some of these hotels offer a unique service that allows visitors to tour the baths by boat.

▲ The Shimahana hotel's exclusive glass-bottom boat for hot spring excursions

A glass-bottom boat service exclusively for hotel guests will take you to and from the affiliated hotels. Even though it’s an only few minutes trip, you will be surprised at how different the view is from looking at it from a distance and from riding a boat!

▲A relaxing cruise in the bay with calm waves

What will impress you first is how calm the waves are and how clear the sea is. Spending time on the boat feeling the refreshing sea breeze is an unforgettable experience.

The boat operates even if there is only one passenger, so if you are lucky, you can enjoy the feeling of a private boat trip.

A unique activity set in the sea

If you are going to visit Sumoto, how about taking part in some of the unique activities that are available only at a seaside hotel ?

Hyogo Prefecture has implemented the “Hyogo Field Pavilions” in preparation for the Osaka-Kansai Expo in 2025. This is a project in which the entire prefecture is considered as a single pavilion, where visitors can see, experience, and learn about agriculture and environmental protection activities that embody the SDGs in each region.

For more details, please see here.

The activities introduced in this article are certified as SDGs experience-based regional programs of the “Hyogo Field Pavilion”, offering experiences that cannot be experienced in everyday life, through learning about the bounty of the sea, such as which fish can be caught, how to catch them, and the way to eat them, as well as interaction with Japanese culture.

"Japanese Culture x Sea Experience" : with the glamorous fishing experience provided by the inn, you will like Japan and the sea from today.

The hotel Awakan in Sumoto Onsen offers guests a private fishing spot in the ocean right in front of the hotel, where you can enjoy a sea fishing experience.

Many guests participate in this activity, and when you actually try it, you will immediately notice how rich the sea in Awaji Island is.

So many fish can be spotted swimming in the crystal-clear sea, and this alone is enough to get children excited!

▲On the flag, it says “I caught it!”

You can choose how you want the fish you caught to be cooked and have the hotel chef prepare it for you. It’s surprising that you can eat the fish you caught yourself that day for dinner! You can feel the taste and freshness of the fish.

By the way, all the staff members at the fishing spot love fishing. Even if you cannot understand what they are saying, they will tell you how to fish with gestures and be happy for you if you could catch a fish, so even a beginner can genuinely enjoy fishing.

Sumoto area is a place with a rich history and culture , and you can feel the atmosphere of its castle town past and enjoy the sight of the buildings from the Taisho era (1912-1926). Also, in Sumoto Onsen, you can experience hot springs with a spectacular view, which is only possible in a hot spring resort by the sea. Taste fresh seafood, and experience the sea in a way you can only do here in Sumoto.

Please check out the article below to learn more about Sumoto area’s charms and cycling course that take you around the entire Awaji Island if your're planning to stay a bit longer.

Please check out here if you are interested in cycling courses going around the entire Awaji Island, Japan’s birthplace.

https://www.hyogo-tourism.jp/world/note/13 

I encourage you to visit and experience various other experiences that can only be tried in Sumoto.

Please check out here if you want to enjoy cuisine in Sumoto!

https://www.hyogo-tourism.jp/world/note/14 

For those who want to walk around the back alleys of the castle town to feel a retro atmosphere, please check here!

 https://www.hyogo-tourism.jp/world/note/12

About the spots mentioned in this article: 

Sumoto Castle Ruins

Address：1272 Orodani Sumoto-city Hyogo-prefecture 656-0023（Google map）

Business hours：open all day/year long

Sumoto Municipal Awaji Cultural Museum

Address：1-1-27 Yamate Sumoto-city Hyogo-prefectyre 656-0024（Google map）

Business hours：9：00～17：00（admission is until 16：30）

Closed on：Monday, New Year’s holiday（12/28～1/4)　※If Monday is a national holiday, the museum is closed the following day.

Website (Japanese only)：https://awajishimamuseum.com/

Hotel Shimahana

Address：1277-5 Orodani Sumoto-city Hyogo-prefecture 656-0023（Google map）

Website : https://www.shimahana.com/en/

Awakan

Address：1053-17 Orodani Sumoto-city Hyogo-prefecture 656-0023（Google map）

Website：https://www.awakan.com/en/