Arima Onsen Day Trip from Kyoto – worth it?

Arima Onsen is one of Japan’s most well-known onsen resorts, and with that, come a lot of expectations. Arima Onsen (有馬温泉) is one of the “Famous Three Onsen” dating back to the Edo period, along with Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma and Gero Onsen in Gifu.

In addition to this honour, Arima Onsen is, along with Dogo Onsen in Ehime and Shirahama in Wakayama, one of the oldest onsen in Japan. It is even mentioned in Nihon Shoki, the Chronicles of Japan, in the 7th Century. It is very easily accessible from Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, by rail was well as by direct bus, so makes a lovely relaxing break if you find yourself in one of the Kansai cities and wish for a day of relaxation on one of Arima Onsen’s hot spring baths.

And can Arima Onsen deliver? Well, let’s say it is very famous indeed and equivocally gets mentioned when you look for a traditional onsen in Japan. And it makes a good day or overnight trip from Osaka, Kobe or even Kyoto, with a wide range of onsen hotels and several hot springs you can bathe in.

Arima Onsen is located in a forested valley near Mount Rokko, about half an hour by car from Kobe. The rain and mist gave it quite the mythical atmosphere on the February day we visited, but it is notable how much concrete there is… starting at the concrete retaining walls, and continued in the style of most hotels and inns.

I as going to find out, since my language school organised a day trip that included Arima Onsen. So, I signed up, not having to worry for once how I was going to get there. I generally love onsen, especially the older, traditional ones, or smaller onsen, but the onsen resort prices and sometimes difficulty in getting there have so far put me off from spending my precious vacation time in some of Japan’s onsen resorts.

Onsen Baths available to the public

I did a bit of research prior to my trip so that I could make an informed decision once I got there. If you visit on a day trip, there are usually four baths available to day visitors.

The first and perhaps famous hot spring bath of Arima Onsen, Kin no Yu (“Gold Spring”), is a spring rich in sodium chloride and iron, resulting in brownish, somewhat muddy-looking water, said to be good for your skin, joint and muscle pains and a few other ailments. It is housed in a Meiji-era building right in the town centre, hard to miss. It is said to be tattoo friendly. Entry fee is 800JPY.

Kin no Yu was closed for renovations during my visit in February 2026, so no option for me. open again at the time of writing.

The second and distinctively different bath is Gin no Yu (“Silver Spring”), a clear spring housed in a smaller public bath at the edge of the historic centre, and usually less busy that Kin no Yu. It is said to be tattoo-friendly. Entry fee is 800JPY.

The third and by far the largest standalone public bath is the modern Taikou no Yu on the outskirts of town, a privately run modern public bath, which costs way more than the traditional two public baths, but has more facilities – and you can bathe in both the Gold and the Silver Spring here without getting dried off and changed. Tattoos must be covered. Entry fee is around 3000JPY (depending on day of visit)

The fourth bathing option, fed by the same spring as Kin no Yu, is Tocen Goshobo, located in Arima Onsen’s oldest and most traditional hotel standing. It is a bit less known among tourists. Expecting the other two public baths to be busy due to the closure of Kin no Yu, Tocen Goshobo and was my personal choice on that rainy February public holiday we visited. Since these baths are part of the traditional inn, day visitors can only bathe here between 11.00 and 14.00 and pay around 2300JPY.

Male and female baths, through somewhat separate, are divided by a low wall only, so you can sit next to each other in the bahts and chat, the water is not transparent at all, so everyone’s modesty is preserved. Just don’t walk into the outdoor bath upright, but staff at reception will make sure you understand how the baths are laid out. Private baths are available for around 10.000JPY (to be reserved in advance).

Generally, it is best to bring your own towel, although towels can usually be hired for an extra fee, and most onsen provide some soap and shampoo as well as hair dryers. For more onsen etiquette, please visit my Nagasaki onsen post.

Getting to Arima Onsen

We travelled in a comfortable tourist coach organised by our school, so we had a very comfy 60-minute ride from Kyoto in the morning.

If you use public transport, then the easiest access to Arima Onsen by public transport is from Kobe, where you take the Underground train to Tanigami and then the cute “toy train”-like Kobe Dentetsu-Arima Line.

Hankyu Railways also runs direct buses from Osaka and Kobe. If, like me, you have a strange itinerary involving Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage temples and secondhand Megastores, there are regular buses to Takarazuka, where you have access to both JR and Hankyu Train Lines of the Greater Osaka area.

And last not least a fun but not very cheap way to approach from Kobe is to tale the ropeway to Mt. Rokko , then the loop bus on Mt. Rokko, then the Rokko-Arima Ropeway down into Arima Onsen.

My half day in Arima Onsen

AI must admit, I was not a good tourist at all on that day. It rained when we got off the coach, and the first thing my classmate suggested we get a croquette, so we walked up the narrow main path in the historic centre only to find the shop, Takenaka Nikuten, closed for the holiday.

We sought shelter from the rain in the cafe next door, called Mitsumori, where they served the carbonated traditional Arima wafers mixed into all sorts of desserts.

The cafe was very pleasant, with dark wood interior, a menu of mostly desserts, good coffee. All three of us had started school together, so we sat there for a good hour, chatting, drinking coffee, just not terribly inspired to trudge through the rain.

But eventually two of us set off, eager to sample the baths. We both felt like having the rarefied, fancy hotel bath experience, so we rolled up at Goshoboh Tocen, a favourite of Junichiro Tanizaki, the famous writer, I read somewhere. Practicing our ropey Japanese, paid up and were led up a floor in the very traditional inn – lots of wood, low lighting, and vintage dinner ware in glass cabinets. Also… while the town appeared very busy, these baths were not!

.There was hardly anyone in the baths, which were relatively small, super clean, and had a small steam sauna and one indoor/outdoor bath with the salty iron-rich onsen water. It was old, traditional and very nicely done, though relatively small, and there was a view, but since it’s in the middle of town, the view was of the road rather than a Japanese garden.

Since male and female baths were separated by a low wall only, one had to be a but careful to keep most of one’s body submerged in the mud-coloured water, but on the other hand, it was nice to chat with the men across the wall, too!

I really took my time in the bath, having told our tour guide that I’d be skipping the Kobe part of the trip, so I had all day, really, but also, in my usual fashion, a bit of an itinerary – but more on that later.

The baths had a nice rest area, and then I padded around the second floor admiring the traditional Japanese inn interior and vintage furnishings and tableware. The rain had gotten a bit less, so I thought I would at least try to see a little bit of Arima Onsen.

Well. The compact traditional centre has some very lovely traditional wooden building, but as soon as you arrive back on the main street, the few dark wood traditional buildings are ringed with medium rise concrete boxes of modern onsen hotels.

Since the rain stopped briefly, I had a nice stroll around the old part of Arima Onsen. It is mostly souvenir shops and cafes and restaurants.

Steam rising from random places. I looked for the Gosho Sengen, one of Arima’s hot spring sources, with its concrete sarcophagus and steam punk aesthetics, but never found it.

But I enjoyed my walk through the older streets, and when I started turning the same corners, I gave up and headed for Arima-Kaido, the main road leading to the station, lined with bakeries producing the carbonated water senbei, and to my bus stop.

I liked my brief time here, especially bathing in an old traditional inn, but I think if I had had an entire day in somewhat iffy weather, I would have run out of things to do – other than trying the other onsen, maybe.

Where to Stay in Arima Onsen

Arima Onsen is perfectly fine as a (half) day trip, but if you wish to spend the night, I would recommend these older traditional inns, all with their own baths. Perfect for relaxation and not doing very much other than relax in your inn. I think Arima ONsen is perfect for that, since there isn’t too much to see in the town itself.

Tocen Goshobo

The oldest Hotel in Arima Onsen, this gorgeous ryokan was founded in the 12th Century, during the Kamakura Period, on this site. The current building, a tasteful traditional build from maybe the Taisho Era, holds just 20 rooms located on two floors, with a central garden and two restaurants, and quite a special bath, where men and women can bathe together -sort of, with separate entrances and the muddy-coloured water ensuring modesty is preserved at all times.

Aside from various royalty and Shogun who stayed at Tocen Goshobo over the centuries, it was also a favourite of Tanizaki Jun’ichirō, the eminent productive writer (nearly 120 works, over half a century of writing!) who managed to write during three Imperial eras. Tocen Goshoboh, now I have had the chance to enjoy its refined atmosphere as a day visitor, has definitely gone on my wish list of splurge stays, and you can actually be lucky to find a room for two for around 230 Euro per night on a weeknight, and that would be for a palatial room that’s bigger than the standard German apartment… you’ll have to slum it out in the public baths though, while suites are over 100square metres in size and come with private onsen baths.

Hotel Hanakoyado

Probably my choice if I were to stay, Hotel Hanakoyado, a small traditional old inn with just 11 rooms is right at the centre of the old part of Arimaonsen. They belong to the same group as Tocen Goshobo, but charge significantly lower prices. This lovely-looking wooden building from the Taisho or early Showa Era offers beautiful rooms with wood floors, Western beds and period decor, and two private baths rather than one large public bath. Also, the baths at Tocen Goshobo can be used for free. Expect to pay around 100-200 Euro per room per night, and choose from a variety of meal plans.

Negiya Ryofukaku

Negiya Ryofukaku is a mid-sized hotel a little outside the old centre but literally next tot the small train station. The pleasant low-rise building has traditional shared indoor and outdoor baths with water from the Kin no Yu spring, and the whole property is non-smoking a rarity in Japan.

Even the cheapest room at Negiya Ryofukaku, a “Compact Japanese Twin” starting at just under 200 Euro for two including breakfast, looks appealing, with tatami and tick Western-style mattresses and pleasant elegant decor, and if you increase your budget, you can stay in palatial Japanese or Western Style suites with private onsen baths, so this may be an option for those who wish to bathe privately or as a couple or have tattoos. There are also two private baths that can be booked separately.

Why did I only spend half day in Arima Onsen?

For someone who loves onsen so much, I guess I could have spent all day in Arima Onsen, checking out the Gin no Yu, too, and eating my weight in senbei and desserts, unbothered by the rather constant rain that was really creeping everywhere – two days before there had been snow and a real winter wonderland atmosphere in Kyoto.

But, I had plans. While my school tour continued on to Kobe, I felt very little inclined to visit Kobe in winter when I would not be able to go to the Nunobiki Herb Gardens, but since I love Kansai, I am sure I will visit Kobe, at some stage, especially now with my newfound interest in the Shikoku Pilgrimage. So, I excused myself, walked around Arima Onsen’s old centre in the rain for a bit, took a quick glance at the rather unsightly large concrete resorts surrounding it, then hopped on a bus to Takarazuka.

Now Takarazuka might be of interest to fans of classic anime and manga and musical revue, for it was the home of Tezuka Osamu, one of the most famous mangaka of postwar Japan, creator of “Astro Boy”. Sadly, while many towns and cities praise their famous daughters and sons with all sorts of artwork in public places, I only read about the creator of Astro Boy afterwards. But anyway, I would not have had much time for Astro Boy, for Takarazuka was just a stop on my trip to Nakayamadera, a beautiful and very large Buddhist Temple on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, one I started, quite casually, when I visited several beautiful and somewhat off-beat Kyoto temples that are part of it.

So, having slithered up the icy road to Kiyomizudera two days earlier and purchased a goshuincho just for the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, I set about visiting a Saigoku Kannon Temple wherever I could, and some really a re a bit out of the way and all over Kansai. Nakayamadera, with its own train station, was less than a ten-minute ride from Takarazuka, and probably warrants its own post – it may not have the historical significance or beauty of famous Kyoto temples, but Nakayamadera iis very much an active temple, popular for babies# first temple visit, so many families and their newborns in their finery were visiting on that public holiday.

Generally speaking, I have not been too much in love with Osaka so far, and the area surrounding it, with one town melting into the other, has held little appeal to me, but I will probably be back for another Saigoku Kannon Temple in Minoh, the famous Katsuoji, as well as as the 1970’s Expo Commemorative Park with its artwork. But Nakayamadera aside, my trip from Takarazuka via Itami and Amagsaki back to Osaka was rather uninspiring.

You see, the last item on my itinerary was to visit a BookOff Super Bazaar, hoping to find some good vintage kimono. The further out in the sticks, the better. Well. That was a dead loss. While the branch in Otsu near Kyoto yielded some nice and very cheap finds, the Amagasaki one did not have any kimono at all. I was wondering what I had sat on a bus for for an hour, carefully balancing bus schedules and walking a few kilometres, only to find not very much. No interesting clothes, either. So, I am not giving up on the towns around Osaka yet, though, especially after the great okonomiyaki I enjoyed in Juso, a totally tourist-free area full of restaurant and street stalls and a replica of Manneken Pis in its station.

Is Arima Onsen worth a trip?

While I liked Arima Onsen, it was not a highlight of my trip. Let me explain why.

Arima Onsen can be very busy due to its proximity to the Osaka-Kobe Metropolitan area, and it has more than 20 large-capacity hotels and inns to cater to the guests from the nearby cities. It is very famous, but aside from its very small historical centre, there is a lot of concrete – like in many onsen resorts.

A lot of things speak in Arima Onsen’s favour. For starters, it is very easy to get to. And I have yet to see an onsen resort that is cozy yet not neglected looking yet free from concrete. Gero Onsen is quite similar – and Arima Onsen is easier to get to and has more dining options.

And let’s face it, unless you visit on the weekends or during holidays, some very beautiful traditional inns can be booked for relatively modest sums of money. The compact centre is pleasant to walk around in, and at least you have a good excuse not to leave your inn much and make the most of the hot spring baths!

Last not least, Arima Onsen makes a very nice day trip out of Kyoto or Osaka. Combine it with a trip to Kobe, visit Chinatown, the Herb Gardens, Mount Rokko – then see something totally different, just half an hour from Kobe. Or, if you are into visiting temples of the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, you can easily visit Nakayamadera and Katsuoji, two very beautiful temples, on the way, too. I will post about Nakayamadera separately.

Katsuoji has become quite popular, since is is famous for autumn colours and has thousands of Daruma Dolls on display. I will visit eventually as part of my Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, and probably combine it with Osaka Expo ’70 Commemorative Park (and probably more recycle shops, I am incorrigible) .

The Small Print

I visited Kyoto in February 2026 to study Japanese, and the trip to Arima Onsen was organized by the school on a public holiday in lieu of classes.

As always, I was paying my own way – well, this trip was part of my tuition which I paid for myself, so nothing you see here was sponsored, and I did not receive compensation, discounts, or special treatment in exchange for reviews. This post does contain affiliate links. Unlike in my usual posts, I did not stay the night at the accommodation I recommend because we were visiting Arima Onsen on a day trip. If you book a hotel using my affiliate links, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please refer to my blog’s Terms and Conditions for further information.

This post reflects my personal opinion and experience and is not a statement of fact about any places or accommodation mentioned in this post.