Hyogo, Western Japan
Kinosaki Onsen Town
Toyooka City. Izushi. Takeno. Kannabe
An onsen town located a short 2.5-hour train ride from Kyoto or Osaka. It is the perfect destination for a weekend getaway.
Recommended Seasons
All year round
Recommended Length of Stay
3 days, 2 nights
Kinosaki Onsen town is an ideal destination for a weekend getaway and is easily accessible via a 2.5-hour train ride from Kyoto or Osaka. The hot spring town boasts seven individual bathhouses along a charming canal with weeping willows and cherry blossom trees. While Kinosaki Onsen town is the main attraction of Toyooka City, the area features numerous unique culinary and cultural experiences.
Sample Itinerary
3-Day, 2-Night Activity Highlights
Food Recommendations
Amongst the culinary highlights of Hyogo Prefecture is the Matsuba snow crab (pine-needle crab), named as such due to the creature's long and slender limbs. Matsuba crab is famous for its sweet taste and is often served as a boiled dish but can also be enjoyed as sashimi. The famous Kobe beef is a product of a subspecies of Japanese Black cattle, Tajima-gyu, raised in Hyogo.
Photos by: Visit Kinosaki and Nishimuraya.co.jp
Recommended Activities
Kindly note that the activities vary depending on the season and your travel dates.
Contact us to find out more and start creating your adventure.
Photo by: Visit Kinosaki
Kamiya Mingei
Learn to make your own traditional Japanese handicraft, mugiwara zaiku (straw craft) featuring vibrant colours and intricate patterns. This traditional art form can only be found in Kinosaki onsen.
Photo by: Visit Kinosaki
Onsen Hopping
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Kinosaki Onsen town in Toyooka features seven different hot springs with unique characteristics. The locals view the onsen town as one large ryokan. The train station serves as the entrance, the roads as hallways, the inns as guestrooms, the restaurants as dining rooms and the hot springs as bathrooms.
Izushi
Soba Workshop: Mikura
Make your own soba and enjoy it for lunch. Izushi is a town dotted with numerous restaurants serving soba - a speciality dish of the region.
Photo by: Japan reference
Kinosaki Onsen
Onsenji Temple
Pay a quick visit to the guardian temple in Kinosaki onsen town. The temple's main hall was used as a pilgrimage for visitors, where they would pray to be healed by the waters before entering the hot springs.
Photo by: Creezan
Toyooka
Caban Street
Translated to "bag street" in Japanese, Caban Street has speciality shops selling and mending bags. Most bags are made locally, in Toyooka - one of Japan's largest bag producers for over a millennium. Bags produced in this region are of premium quality, comparable to popular French and Italian brands.
Toyooka
Konotori no sato Park
A park was built to reintroduce the Konotori (Oriental Stork) to the wild. The species became extinct in Japan due to farming practices. The park is a research institute to protect and breed Konotori, a species now protected by the government.
Exclusive Activities with Michi & Co.
Experiences that require special arrangements by our agency.
Arts & Culture
Sushi Workshop:
Yashio Utige
Located in a newly renovated house owned by a local couple, enjoy a sushi-making class exclusively arranged by Michi and Co.
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Photo by: Visit Kinosaki
Culinary
Private Dining: Eirakukan Theater
Enjoy a unique dining experience in a kabuki theatre that was renovated and reopened to the public in 2008 after closing in 1964.
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Arts & Culture
Kintsugi Workshop
Experience mending broken items using gold - Kintsugi is a traditional Japanese craft. It is a metaphor for embracing your flaws and imperfections.
Recommended Accommodations
Kobayashiya Ryokan
One of the oldest ryokans in Kinosaki Onsen, Kobayashiya was renovated in 2022 featuring a design that blends Japanese traditions with modern conveniences. Located along the Yukawa river, the guest rooms offer scenic views of the surrounding landscape and garden.
Images Sources: UniqHotels and architectura viva
Amenities
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7 types of Guest Room style available
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Room occupancy ranges from 1-6 adult guests
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Futon/Western-style bedding depending on room type
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Breakfast and dinner included in bookings
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Restaurant, Cafe/Lounge
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Wi-Fi
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Non-smoking rooms
Nishimuraya Honkan Ryokan
A traditional Japanese ryokan with some guestrooms looking out onto a Japanese garden. This ryokan is listed as one of the best onsen ryokans by the Lonely Planet guide and is a proud member of Relais & Châteaux luxury hotel group.
Amenities
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31 Guest Rooms available
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Room occupancy ranges from 1-6 adult guests
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11 types of rooms available
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Breakfast and dinner inclusion optional
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Restaurant, Cafe/Lounge
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Wi Fi
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Non-smoking rooms
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Onsen & Spa
Willow
A refurbished Japanese house perfect for a group or family vacation. A local artist previously owned the property. The condominium-style hotel features three guest rooms, each featuring a traditional Japanese interior, including shoji doors and modern comforts.
Amenities
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Entire house available for rent, accommodates up to 10 guests
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2 floors (no lift access), 3 en-suite guestrooms
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Futon/Western-style bedding
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Breakfast included
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Wi-Fi
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Non-smoking rooms