Kinosaki Onsen & Amanohashidate

A hot spring town of willows and stone bridges along a river, famous for hopping between public bathhouses, with snow crab in winter and easy side trips to Amanohashidate, one of Japan's three most scenic views, and the boathouses of Ine.

Kinosaki Onsen & Amanohashidate lie on the Sea of Japan coast in northern Kansai, spanning Toyooka in Hyogo Prefecture and Miyazu and Ine in Kyoto Prefecture. Kinosaki Onsen has a history of about 1,300 years; its hot spring town, with weeping willows, stone bridges and wooden inns lining both banks of the Otani River, is remarkably well preserved, and visitors stroll in yukata and geta between seven public bathhouses—making it Japan's quintessential “sotoyu meguri” (bathhouse-hopping) onsen town. Nearby are Genbudo Caves, the castle town of Izushi, the Oriental White Stork Park and the Takeno coast. About 50 km east are Amanohashidate, one of Japan's three most scenic views, and the boathouse fishing village of Ine; about 60 km south are the ruins of Takeda Castle, the “castle in the sky.” Best seasons: early November to March is snow crab season, when the snowy hot spring town is at its most atmospheric, though inn prices double and advance booking is essential; April brings green willows and cherry blossoms; summer is for swimming at the beach and seeing Ine Bay; and from September to November, early mornings bring a sea of clouds at Takeda Castle. Getting there: from Osaka, the JR limited express “Kounotori” takes about 2 hours 40 minutes, and from Kyoto the “Kinosaki” takes about 2 hours 20 minutes to Kinosaki Onsen Station. Between Kinosaki and Amanohashidate, the Kyoto Tango Railway takes about 1 hour 20 minutes, and Ine is about 1 hour by bus from Amanohashidate. Stay 1–2 nights in Kinosaki, and spend another night or a full day for Amanohashidate and Ine; driving is the most convenient.

Top sights

• Kinosaki Seven Public Baths – Stroll through seven public outdoor baths in yukata and wooden clogs. Each bath has its own character, reflecting Kinosaki Onsen's 1,300 ye…
• Amanohashidate – One of Japan's Three Views, a sandbar about 3.6 km long, planted with around 6,700 pine trees, stretching across Miyazu Bay. It can be cros…
• Ine Funaya Boathouses – About 230 boathouses, with boat slips on the ground floor and living quarters above, line Ine Bay. They are best seen from the water on a s…
• Otani River Willow Street – Weeping willows line both banks of the Ōtani River and stone drum bridges span it, with timber three-story inns along the water. A yukata s…
• Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway – A roughly 7-minute cable car ride from the hot spring town to the summit of Mt. Daishi, with views over Kinosaki's streets, the Maruyama Ri…
• Onsen-ji Temple – The guardian temple of Kinosaki Onsen, founded in 738 by the monk Dōchi. Its main hall is an Important Cultural Property, and paying respec…
• Kinosaki Literary Museum – A small literary museum in the heart of the hot spring town, introducing Naoya Shiga's “In Kinosaki” and other works connected to the town.
• Kinosaki Marine World – An aquarium on the Hiyoyama coast, known for its dolphin and sea lion shows and a catch-and-fry tempura experience with horse mackerel.
• Genbudo Park – Regular hexagonal columnar joints formed when lava cooled about 1.6 million years ago. The word “basalt” (genbugan) is said to have origina…
• Izushi Castle Town – “Little Kyoto of Tajima,” where the Shinkō bell tower, castle-ruin stone walls and old townhouses come together. Izushi sara soba is a must…
• Izushi Eirakukan – A theater built in 1901, the oldest surviving traditional playhouse in the Kinki region. Its revolving stage and hanamichi runway are still…
• Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork – A conservation park in Toyooka, the last wild habitat of the oriental white stork in Japan, where you can observe this special natural monu…
• Takeno Beach – A white-sand beach listed among Japan's top beaches, with clear water. It is a summer swimming spot on the San'in Kaigan Geopark coast.
• Amarube Bridge (Sora no Eki) – A high-altitude viewing platform built from parts of the old steel viaduct, overlooking a Sea of Japan fishing village and passing trains a…
• Takeda Castle Ruins – A complete stone-walled castle ruin on a summit 353 meters high. On autumn mornings it floats above a sea of clouds, earning the nickname “…
• Kasamatsu Park – A viewing point on the north side of Amanohashidate, and the birthplace of the “Naname Ichi-no-ji” view and the mata-nozoki custom of looki…
• Amanohashidate View Land – A viewing park on Mt. Monju on the south side of Amanohashidate, home to the “Flying Dragon View,” an aerial walkway and a Ferris wheel.
• Chion-ji Temple – “Kiritō Monju,” one of Japan's three Monju temples, where people pray for wisdom and academic success. The wisdom cakes sold at its gate ar…
• Kono Shrine (Moto-Ise) – Ichinomiya of Tango Province. Legend holds that the deities of Ise Grand Shrine were enshrined here before moving to Ise, hence the name “M…
• Nariai-ji Temple – The 28th temple on the Saigoku 33 Kannon pilgrimage. A mountain temple at about 330 meters, offering a panoramic view of Amanohashidate.

Where to eat

• Okesho Kaichuen Main Store – A long-established fish shop on the ground floor with a seafood restaurant upstairs, known for seafood rice bowls from…
• Tajima Beef Irori Dining Mikuni – Kinosaki Onsen's only Tajima beef specialist, sourcing whole animals of the Ueda Chikusan brand Tajima Gen, with a wood…
• Orizuru Sushi – A long-established sushi shop in Kinosaki founded in 1942, known for seafood delivered from Tsukiyama Fishing Port, cra…
• GUBIGABU Kinosaki Machiya Craft Beer Restaurant – A machiya restaurant run by Kinosaki Beer, next to the Yanagi-yu bath on the Otani River, serving unpasteurized fresh l…

Itineraries

• Kyoto and Day Trips to Amanohashidate and Mount Koya – Use Kyoto Station as your base, combining classic city sights with a day trip to Uji and Amanohashidate and Ine, plus a…
• Northern Kansai: Amanohashidate, Ine, Kinosaki & Takeda Castle – Travel from Kyoto to the Sea of Japan to see Amanohashidate and the Ine Funaya, soak in Kinosaki's public baths, and cl…
• San'in Sea of Japan Railway Traverse – From Kyoto to Shin-Yamaguchi, travel along the Sea of Japan to visit hot springs, sand dunes, Izumo, Iwami Ginzan, and…