Arima Onsen Walk

This article is based on a visit made on Saturday, 19 November 2016.

Edit 7 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I spent the morning at Himeji castle.  Halfway between Himeji and my base of Osaka stands the city of Kobe, one of the major cities of the Kansai region.  While Kobe is a major attraction in and of itself, I passed it by in favour of a slightly out-of-the-way neighbour, the hot-spring town of Arima Onsen (有馬温泉).

Arima Onsen lies only a half-hour away from central Kobe, but taking trains to the area requires a series of transfers, which I will detail at the end of this article.  The town itself is small and can be explored entirely on foot.  In fact, the route I highlighted above, from Arima Onsen Station to Gin-no-Yu, would only take 10 minutes to walk.

This is the scene in front of the station.  The Arima River meanders through the front of the town, and is spanned by two bridges.  On the lower (north) end is a road bridge called Taiko-bashi, and on the upper (south) end is a pedestrian bridge called Nene-bashi.  Here, the riverbanks are built up so that you can climb down into this ditch, and on to them.

Don't let Arima Onsen's initial urban appearance fool you -- it has quite a bit of history built up.  In fact references to this town have been recorded as early as the 8th century AD!  Further proof is provided by a statue of the aristocrat Nene, previously mentioned here.  Her husband, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was a frequent visitor of Arima Onsen back in the 16th century.  As for the present, her statue  And behind it stood the most vivid tree I had seen that day, if not my entire holiday.

Most of the buildings in Arima Onsen are ordinarily modern, but there are some alleys with more traditional architecture if you look around.  Some of the best examples, like this street called Yumoto-zaka (湯本坂), are off to the left of the Kin-no-Yu bathhouse, described later on.  Down here you can find a wider variety of gift shops, smaller inns, and restaurants serving dishes like okonomi-yaki, if I'm reading that lantern on the left correctly.

While I was meandering around, trying to get my bearings, I stumbled upon this lady setting up a show with her trained monkey.  It did some amazing tricks, like high-jumping over a hurdle taller than itself, and leaping over a series of hurdles on stilts!  And yet, I managed to capture a moment that looks like he needed a little encouragement...

But let's move on to why I actually came here: the bath scene.  Two different springs provide water to the bath houses of Arima Onsen.  "Kinsen" (金泉) is infused with iron and salt, and has a rusty colour.  "Ginsen" (銀泉) is clear and infused with radium and carbonate, making it slightly -- but safely -- radioactive.  This copper tank is where one of these springs reaches the surface.  The water, the "kinsen" in this case, comes up from a depth of 165 metres (540 feet), at a temperature just below boiling (97°C / 206°F), and is cooled down by a network of pipes before it becomes suitable for bathing in.

The various inns around the town use one or both of these springs for their baths, as do two public bathhouses.  The first is Kin-no-Yu (金の湯), located right in the centre of town.  In this place, both the male and female rooms feature multiple tubs of the coppery "gold" water, each of varying temperatures.  For a free sample of the experience, a footbath stands along the left side the building.

The second of Arima Onsen's public bathhouses is Gin-no-Yu (銀の湯), situated a bit farther back behind its sibling.  Gin-no-yu boasts one tub of the clear "silver" water for each gender.  Day-trippers can visit both Kin-no-Yu and Gin-no-Yu, and even save on admission with a combined ticket.  But if you didn't bring your own towel, you'll have to buy new ones at both places, or -- as I did -- just buy one and try, in vain, to dry it out between bathing sessions.

The Arima View Hotel and Taiko-no-Yu.
By hy95tg [CC BY 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Another facility open to day visitors is Taiko-no-Yu (太閤の湯, Taikō no Yu), part of the Arima View Hotel on the north side of town.  The complex boasts multiple baths, using the "gold", "silver", and other water sources, along with a food court and relaxation rooms.  However, its entry fee is more expensive than the other two places I've shown, combined.

As with any onsen, the heat of the bath may leave you feeling flushed when you're done.  One way to cool off is to crack open a bottle of one of Arima Onsen's specialties.  Arima Cider is a non-alcoholic, citrus-flavoured beverage on sale throughout the town, including at both Kin-no-yu and Gin-no-yu.

On the way to Gin-no-Yu, you may pass by a Buddhist temple called, of course, Onsen-ji (有馬山温泉寺, Arima-san Onsen-ji).  (Onsen is Japanese for a hot spring, you see.)

You may also find this odd water fountain.  I'm not sure why they let the water drain out the back, but it had just rained anyway, so I guess no one would notice.

Finally, on my way back, I had my interest captured by the Arima Toys and Automata Museum, situated just across the street from Kin-no-Yu.  I will go more in-depth into this museum, next time on Sekai Ichi!

---

Access: First, take the Seishin-Yamate (S) subway line* to Tanigami (S01, 10 minutes from Sannomiya; 8 minutes from Shin-Kobe).  Next, transfer to the Shintetsu Arima-Sanda (KB) line, and ride it to Arima-guchi (KB15, 10 minutes).  Finally, transfer to the Shintetsu Arima line, and ride it to Arima Onsen (KB16, 5 minutes).  The entire journey costs ¥760 from Shin-Kobe, and ¥950 from Sannomiya, and the Kansai Thru Pass covers all sections.  Despite the transfers involved, trains are usually timed to depart within minutes of each other.

*Between Shin-Kobe and Tanigami, this line is operated as the Hokushin line.  Trains make continuous services on both lines, so there is no need to transfer between the two.

Alternately, there are direct buses to Arima Onsen available from both Kobe (30 minutes, ¥780 from Sannomiya Station; 45 minutes, ¥780 from Shin-Kobe Station) and Osaka (65 minutes, ¥1,400 from Osaka/Umeda Station; 50 minutes, ¥1,250 from Shin-Osaka Station).  Buses are operated by Hankyu and/or JR West.  The Japan Rail Pass is not valid on any of these buses.

Kin-no-Yu

Hours: Open 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM.  Closed on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month, and on 1 January.

Cost: ¥650.  A combined ticket for Kin-no-Yu and Gin-no-Yu (below) costs ¥850.  Towels sold separately.

Address: 833 Arima-chō, Kita-ku, Kōbe-shi, Hyōgo-ku 〒651-1401

Access: Kin-no-Yu is 5 minutes on foot from Arima-Onsen Station.  From the station's exit, turn right, keep straight past the traffic light, bear right at the next fork, and take the next left.  Kin-no-Yu will be straight ahead.

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Gin-no-Yu

Hours: Open 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM.  Closed on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month, and on 1 January.

Cost: ¥550.  Towels sold separately.

Address: 1039-1 Arima-chō, Kita-ku, Kōbe-shi, Hyōgo-ku 〒651-1401

Access: Gin-no-Yu is an additional 5 minutes on foot from Kin-no-Yu (see above).  Facing the front of Kin-no-Yu, take the left fork.  Go down the stairs to the right.  At the bottom of the stairs, turn left, then right, then take the second left.  You should now be facing Onsen-ji temple.  Keep forward and Gin-no-Yu will be on the right side.

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Taiko-no-Yu

Hours: Open 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM.  No regular closing days.

Cost: ¥2,640 on weekdays; ¥2,860 on weekends and holidays.  Entry fee includes one towel per person.

Address: Arima View Hotel, 292-2 Arima-chō, Kita-ku, Kōbe-shi, Hyōgo-ku 〒651-1401

Directions: Taiko-no-Yu, part of the Arima View Hotel, is 7 minutes on foot from Arima-Onsen Station.  From the station's exit, turn right, keep straight past the traffic light, and bear left at the next two forks.  The hotel's entrance will be on your right.

Website: (English/Japanese)