Kinosaki Onsen Station is surrounded by numerous sweet shops, perfect for anyone who loves sampling treats on the move. Why not start at Hakko Anka Ukawa, a stone’s throw from the station, just across the street. Ukawa specializes in donuts made with fermented anko (sweet red bean paste) that contains no added sugar, created by combining red beans and koji rice culture for a rich natural sweetness. They attract long lines of eager customers daily, but the wait for their freshly fried donuts is worth every second!

The “Tokusen Strawberry Daifuku” (380 yen, tax included) is available exclusively from late November to around May.

For your next treat, head over to Minatoya, a traditional Japanese confectionery shop with roots dating back to the Edo period. Inside, you’ll find a wide selection of famous sweets, but the star attraction is the “Tokusen Strawberry Daifuku,” a combination of soft mochi and sweet, juicy strawberries sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face. With your sweet tooth now satisfied, the natural hot springs beckon.

Escape the Everyday with Kinosaki Onsen’s Soto-yu Meguri

A straight walk from the station lies the Otani River and its picturesque taiko-bashi, or stone arch bridges.

What sets Kinosaki apart is its soto-yu meguri, a unique activity where visitors can tour six different public baths, each with its own distinctive character, throughout the town. Walking along the town’s small streets lined with symbolically swaying willow trees, and dressed in your traditional Japanese yukata, each bath you visit draws you deeper into a tranquility worlds apart from the troubles of everyday life.

Kinosaki Onsen is designed around the concept of welcoming all guests as if the entire town were one large ryokan (traditional inn). The station serves as the entrance, with the six distinct public baths acting as communal bathhouses for the entire town. In contrast to the smaller, intimate uchi-yu (indoor baths) found within each ryokan, the public soto-yu are meant to be enjoyed as part of a leisurely circuit. Though all close by, each bathhouse offers a completely different atmosphere, history, architecture, and water temperature. Soak in the unique charm of each bathhouse, a rare luxury to enjoy in your own time. Unusually for an onsen town, Kinosaki welcomes those with tattoos, allowing everyone to enjoy the baths freely.

The Sato-no-Yu bathhouse is currently closed for long-term renovations, leaving six bathhouses available for soto-yu meguri.

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Head to the Harbor and Dine on Fresh Seafood

The following day, set out to have your fill of the bountiful gifts of the sea. About an hour from Kinosaki Onsen by train or car, you’ll find Marukai Watanabe Fishery at Hamasaka Fishing Port on the Sea of Japan. The fish market bustles with energy as lively auctioneers call out bids amid fresh seafood on full display. Each season brings a new variety of seafood to enjoy: firefly squid in spring, white squid in summer, red shrimp in autumn, and Matsuba crab in winter. The Matsuba crab in particular is renowned worldwide, and visitors travel from all corners of the globe for a taste of the premium delicacy.

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Immerse Yourself in Yugaki Culture at Yumura Onsen

Upon arriving at Yumura Onsen, take a moment to give your feet a rest in the town’s ashiyu (footbaths). The waters of Yumura Onsen are known as “beauty baths,” said to remove dullness from the skin and leave it refreshed and moisturized, such that some visitors even take this special water home in spray bottles. A quite unique characteristic of Yumura Onsen’s water is that it’s also drinkable. Near the footbaths, drip coffee packs are available for purchase, a delightful way to enjoy a leisurely coffee while your feet get some well-deserved pampering.

The water from the main hot spring, named arayu (“rough hot water”), gushes out at temperatures as high as 98℃, with a flow rate of 470 liters per minute. At the central Arayu hot spring, both locals and visitors alike can participate in the local yugaki culture, where ingredients like eggs, vegetables, and beans are boiled in the mineral-rich hot spring water, ensuring that the food turns out moist and flavorful. Corn cobs and sweet potatoes can be found for sale at nearby shops.

Another popular service in Yumura Onsen is the onsen senpatsu, where your hair is washed with onsen water while receiving a soothing scalp massage. The natural hot spring water helps to remove dirt from the pores, softening the scalp and improving blood circulation—all made possible by Yumura Onsen’s abundant flow of hot spring water, which has 63 separate sources and a total flow of 2,300 liters per minute.

End Your Journey with Health-Boosting Tochimochi Sweets

Bring your trip to a satisfying end with tochimochi, a traditional confection that has been enjoyed in parts of the San’in region for centuries. This horse-chestnut sweet is made from the nuts of the tochi tree, which grows in Tajima’s primeval forests. The horse chestnuts undergo a month-long process to neutralize some their bitterness, preserving their unique flavor with just a hint of bitter tang. Tochi horse chestnuts have long been regarded as a remedy for longevity and are known for their beauty and health benefits, making tochimochi a favorite souvenir and a delightful treat to go with tea. 

From Yumura Onsen, you can take a bus to Hamasaka Fishing Port before traveling along the Sea of Japan by car and bus to Tottori Sand Dunes Conan Airport, a trip of about two and a half hours in total. As you take in the picturesque scenery and wrap up your journey in the Tajima area, you might find yourself drawn to Tottori, a destination that captivates visitors from around the world with its famous sand dunes, the neighboring Sea of Japan, and its status as a mecca for anime fans.

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Access to Hyogo Prefecture

Hyogo Prefecture is accessible by Shinkansen (JR) from Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Travel by air to Kansai International Airport is also convenient, with limousine bus services to Osaka available from the airport.

Kinosaki Onsen, featured in this article, can be reached in about 2 hours and 20 minutes from Kyoto by JR Limited Express or about 3 hours and 40 minutes by highway bus, both without transfers.

Hakko Anka Ukawa

Address: 95 Yushima, Kinosaki-cho, Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Tel.: 0796-20-7097
Hours: 10:00–17:00 (closes when sold out)
Closed: Wednesdays

Minatoya

Address: 416 Yushima, Kinosaki-cho, Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Tel.: 0796-32-2014
Hours: 8:30–17:30, 20:00–22:00 PM

Kinosaki Onsen Tourism Association

Tel.: 0796-32-3663 (reception hours: 9:00–17:00)

Marukai Watanabe Fishery

Address: 853 Ashiya, Shinonsen-cho, Mikata-gun, Hyogo Prefecture
Tel.: 0796-82-5011
Hours: 8:00-16:30
Closed irregularly

Yamazaki Shop Kadomise

Address: 1233-1 Yu, Shinonsen-cho, Mikata-gun, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Tel.: 0796-92-0062
Hours: 7:30–19:30 (Mon–Fri)
7:30–20:00 (Sat)
7:30–19:00 (Sun)

*Operating hours may vary; updates are posted on its official Instagram and X.

Yumura Onsen Tourism Association

Address: 98 Yu, Shinonsen-cho, Mikata-gun, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Tel.: 0796-92-2000

Sohonke Tochisen

Address: 1250 Yu, Shinonsen-cho, Mikata-gun, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Tel.: 0796-92-0331