Onsen Guide · Kobe, Japan
This guide to Arima Onsen covers whether it is worth the trip, how to get there from Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, what the Kin no Yu and Gin no Yu public baths cost, and which ryokan bathe in the gold and silver water. The town was first recorded in 631, when Emperor Jomei bathed there, and it counts as one of Japan's three ancient hot spring resorts.
Yes. Arima Onsen gives you two completely different thermal waters in one small town: an iron and salt spring that turns reddish brown in the air, and a colourless carbonated and radium spring. It is one of Japan's three ancient hot spring resorts, first recorded in 631 when Emperor Jomei bathed there. The town sits on the opposite, north side of Mt Rokko from central Kobe, and it is compact and walkable. It is a popular weekend getaway from Kobe and Osaka, and you can see the whole area in a day or stay overnight at one of the many inns.
The kinsen, or gold water, is high in iron and salt, with a salt content 1.5 to 2 times that of seawater. It is odorless with a metallic taste and turns golden reddish brown on contact with air. The ginsen, or silver water, is colourless: a carbonated spring and a mildly radioactive radium spring.
Arima is far from any known volcano. The water is ancient seawater about six million years old, rising from about 60 km underground through seven sources, with modern drilling reaching 200 to 300 m. Temperatures range from a low-temperature carbonic mineral spring up to a hot spring of 208°F / 98°C. At Tosen Goshobo the source runs at 208°F / 98°C and the bath is controlled at 104°F / 40°C, with no added water or artificial heating. Gin no Yu advises water under 108°F / 42°C for people with high blood pressure or arteriosclerosis.
The public baths run from $3 (¥550) at Gin no Yu on weekdays to $17 (¥2,750) at Taiko no Yu, the large bath at Arima View Hotel. Dollar figures use 159 yen to the dollar. Both Kin no Yu and Gin no Yu are described as tattoo-friendly. Kin no Yu is open 8:00 to 22:00 with last entry at 21:30, closed the second and fourth Tuesday. Gin no Yu is open 9:00 to 21:00 with last entry at 20:30, closed the first and third Tuesday. Bring your own towel at Kin no Yu, where towels are sold on site, while Gin no Yu provides soap, shampoo and hairdryers.
The two-spa ticket covers both public bathhouses, and a ryokan day-use bath is the other option. The table lists entry, hours and closing days for each.
| Bath | Water | Entry | Hours | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kin no Yu | Kinsen, gold, iron and salt | $4 (¥650) weekdays, $5 (¥800) otherwise | 8:00-22:00, last entry 21:30 | 2nd and 4th Tuesday |
| Gin no Yu | Ginsen, carbonated radium spring | $3 (¥550) weekdays, $4 (¥700) otherwise | 9:00-21:00, last entry 20:30 | 1st and 3rd Tuesday |
| 2-Spa ticket | Both public bathhouses | $8 (¥1,200) | See both bathhouses | Both closing days |
| Taiko no Yu (Arima View Hotel) | 26 baths over 7,000 sq m | $17 (¥2,750), $19 (¥2,970) weekends and holidays | 10:00-22:00, last entry 21:00 | not stated |
| Goshobo daytime bath | Kinsen from the inn's own sources | $14 (¥2,250) | 11:00-14:00 | Mondays |
Osaka. The highway bus from Osaka takes about 60 minutes and costs $9 (¥1,400), against about 70 minutes and $12 (¥1,850) from Kyoto Station. Buses from Osaka run one to two per hour, and the JR Pass is not valid on them.
From Kobe the trip is shorter still, and you can also arrive from above by ropeway down the north face of Mt Rokko.
| From | Route | Time | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osaka (Hankyu Umeda / JR Osaka) | Highway bus | About 60 min | $9 (¥1,400) |
| Shin-Osaka | Highway bus | About 50 min | $8 (¥1,250) |
| Kobe Sannomiya | Subway to Tanigami, Shintetsu to Arima-guchi, Arima line train | 30-40 min | $5 (¥720) |
| Kobe Sannomiya | Shinki bus | 25 min | $4 (¥600) |
| Kyoto Station (Hachijo side) | Keihan/Hankyu highway bus, few per day | About 70 min | $12 (¥1,850) one way |
| Mt Rokko | Rokko Arima Ropeway down to Arima, linked by Rokko Cablecar and bus | Ropeway 12 min, cablecar 10 min | $9 (¥1,400) one way, $16 (¥2,520) round trip |
The inns differ in which of the two waters they pipe, and whether you get it in your own room. Arima Grand Hotel and Taketoritei Maruyama offer both, Hyoe Koyokaku and Tosen Goshobo run on the gold water, and Gekkoen Yugetsusanso draws from its own source on the grounds.
Book a room with the water you want, because room types within the same inn can differ.
| Ryokan | Water | Bath in the room | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arima Grand Hotel | Both: kinsen in four baths (Kino Yu, Sano Yu, Akebono, Choyo), ginsen in two (Akane, Hatsune) | Yes. Bessho Yura rooms have natural hot-spring open-air baths, with separate room types for gold and silver open-air baths | Rental private baths available |
| Taketoritei Maruyama | Both silver radium and carbonate, and gold salt with iron | Suites with a private hot spring | No day use, hot springs are for overnight guests only |
| Hyoe Koyokaku | Kinsen gold only, large public baths | Yes, rooms with open-air bath plus a private open-air bath called Asagiri | Day-trip plan with buffet dinner and baths 16:00-21:00 from $67 (¥10,670) |
| Tosen Goshobo | Kinsen from its own Gosho Sengen and Uwanari Sengen sources, both 175°F / 79°C | Not stated | Overnight from $251 (¥40,000) per person with two meals |
| Gekkoen Yugetsusanso | Own source on the grounds with water flowing freely, kinsen or ginsen not named on its own page | Some rooms with open-air bath | Official page is in Japanese, no day use mentioned |
Yes. Bath admission generally runs from $3 to $19 (¥550 to ¥3,000), and the town is small enough to walk between the two public bathhouses, the shops and the foot baths in a day. Hyoe Koyokaku sells a day plan with a buffet dinner and its public baths from 16:00 to 21:00 from $67 (¥10,670) per person. Taketoritei Maruyama does not offer day use at all, it is overnight only. Goshobo overnight stays start from $251 (¥40,000) per person including two meals, if you decide to stay. Another day-trip move is the ropeway down from Mt Rokko, 12 minutes one way for $9 (¥1,400), with a one-way cablecar plus ropeway plus unlimited circular bus ticket at $11 (¥1,780).
Hot Spring Stays has no Arima hotel page yet, so the ryokan we compare card by card come from three other onsen towns, Hakone, Kinosaki and Beppu, and we also cover Kusatsu Onsen.
Each town has a different reason to go, and the last column links to the guide that compares its ryokan.
| Onsen town | Nearest city | Why go | Our guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arima | Kobe or Osaka | Gold and silver water, one of Japan's three ancient hot spring resorts | No page yet |
| Hakone | Tokyo | Ryokan with onsen in the room | Hakone onsen ryokan |
| Kinosaki | Kansai | Free pass to the public baths with your ryokan stay | Kinosaki onsen ryokan |
| Beppu | Kyushu | Eight hot spring districts with different water | Beppu onsen hotels |
There is no Arima page here yet, so these are the hot springs hotels compared on this site in Hakone, Kinosaki and Beppu, all of them ryokan that run source water on site. For tubs in your own room, see ryokan with a private onsen.
Kinosaki is the other Kansai onsen town: Nishimuraya Honkan uses the town source and the stay includes the public bath pass.
No communal bath at all, instead two named private baths free and unlimited for guests.
A private open-air bath in all 23 rooms, free-flowing from the source around the clock.
Six proprietary sources of its own, feeding indoor baths, garden open-air baths and a spring-fed pool.
Source-flowing baths in the rooms and mysterious blue water in the communal Hono-yu.
An open-air tub with source water in the room and a top-floor bath over Beppu Bay.
Source: Arima Onsen Tourism Association, Kin no Yu, Gin no Yu, japan-guide.com, Feel Kobe, Arima Grand Hotel, Taketoritei Maruyama, Hyoe Koyokaku, Tosen Goshobo.
Hyogo
7 with water on site
Your ryokan hands you a free pass to the town's public baths, so its own tub is the least important thing about it.
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Kanagawa
9 with water on site
Two of twelve Hakone ryokan publish a tattoo policy at all, and five put a private onsen in every room, which makes the question moot.
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Oita
9 with water on site
The famous cobalt and blood-red pools are for looking at: what you actually get into here is hot sand, grey mud, and eight districts of different water.
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