Arima Onsen is one of Japan’s oldest hot spring resorts with a history of 1400 years. It has two types of spring qualities, Kinsen and Ginsen, aka Golden spring and Silver spring, which are said to be effective for beauty skin and muscle pain. The hot spring town has been loved by people for a long time, and it has a mountainous atmosphere surrounded by nature, with historic inns, luxury hotels, hot spring theme parks, and sweet shops where you can eat and walk, such as hot spring buns and carbonated rice crackers.
In this post, we will introduce 8 recommended hotels and ryokans in Arima Onsen. Please come by when you come to Osaka, Kyoto or Kobe.
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・What’s there in Arima Onsen Hot Spring?
・8 recommended hotels by category
What’s there in Arima Onsen Hot Spring?
Getting there
Arima Onsen is easily accessible from Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto. It is a hot spring resort that can be enjoyed on a day trip or overnight. It is located at an altitude of 350m to 500m, and has a steep slope, and the roads running through the city are narrow.
- From Kobe: Arrive at Arima Onsen Station in 35 minutes from Subway Sannomiya Station. It is about 30 minutes from JR Shin-Kobe Station where the Shinkansen also stops. There are direct buses from Shin-Kobe Station and Sannomiya Station.
- From Osaka: Arrive at Arima Onsen Station in 60 minutes by train from JR Osaka Station. There are direct buses from JR Osaka Station and JR Shin-Osaka Station.
- From Kyoto: It is about 1 hour and 15 minutes by direct bus from JR Kyoto Station by Keihan Highway Bus. If you take a train, it will take about an hour and a half.
Hot Spring, Onsen
Arima Onsen is a small hot spring town at the foot of Mt. Rokko. In the center of the hot spring town, there are hot spring sources, foot baths, and drinking fountains. The feature of its hot spring is that there are two types of hot springs, “Kinsen”(Golden spring) and “Ginsen”(Silver spring), which have different colors and components. “Kinsen” is an iron-containing spring, characterized by reddish-brown water, and you can also drink the spring. “Ginsen” is a carbonated spring, characterized by colorless, transparent, and smooth hot water.
Places to visit
The first place you want to stop by when strolling around Arima Onsen is the public bath “Kin no Yu” (Golden hot spring). The inside of Kin no Yu is clean and open, allowing you to relax both physically and mentally. Towels are also sold for a fee, so you can stop by empty-handed. Next to Kin no Yu is a free foot bath. In the vicinity, there is a slope “Yumotozaka”, with traditional houses and souvenir shops. There are many gourmet shops, so you can enjoy hot spring buns, famous carbonated rice crackers, ice cream, and donuts while walking.
8 Recommendations by Hotel category
Arima Onsen has a variety of accommodation facilities, from historic long-established inns to friendly and affordable hotels. Listed hotels are divided into four categories: Super Luxury, Luxury, Upper Middle, and Economy, so please refer to them according to your budget.
1. Hatago
Category: Super Luxury
This is a luxury inn with six rooms, each equipped with a private open-air bath with Arima’s famous “gold spring” water. Since its opening in 2002, it has been loved by many people as a culinary inn in Arima. The rooms have a calm interior color scheme and a relaxing design with indirect lighting. You can enjoy a variety of original dishes made with generous amounts of mountain and sea delicacies, carefully selected by a master of Japanese cuisine. You can watch various performances in front of your eyes for both dinner and breakfast. You can enjoy the Arima hot spring’s famous “gold spring” water privately. There is also a free shuttle service from Kobe Railway Arima Onsen Station and the bus stop in Arima Onsen.
2. Arimasansoh Goshobessho
Category: Luxury
The “Arima Sanso Goshobessho” located in Arima Onsen is an inn that retains the sacred atmosphere of a temple that once existed in this area. On the lush grounds of about 5000 m2, there are 10 detached buildings, all of which are suite rooms equipped with hot spring baths and thermal rooms (thermal relaxation rooms). It is about a 10-minute walk from the nearest station, Kobe Electric Railway “Arima Onsen Station”, and there is a shuttle bus from Arima Onsen Station.
The traditional mountain home cuisine, which uses high-quality ingredients from the mountains and seas centered on Kobe and Hyogo, incorporates a Western sensibility and is carefully crafted by artisans. It is a unique cooking style that encapsulates the culture of Kobe and Arima. You can enjoy a luxurious journey with sophisticated cuisine and a flowing golden spring.
Arima Onsen Theme Park with Train tickets
3. Kinzan
Category: Luxury
Kinzan, a luxury ryokan in Arima Onsen, is conveniently located about a 3-minute walk from Arima Onsen Station. It is a place where adults can be healed. Quality is valued over quantity, and you can enjoy luxurious Kyoto-style kaiseki cuisine made with specially selected ingredients of the day and careful hospitality for up to two groups per day per room clerk.
The rooms are also high-quality, with a Japanese-style atmosphere in the Nishikan(West tower) rooms and modern Higashikan(East tower) special rooms with a Ginsen(Silver hot spring) open-air bath.
4. Hashinoya Bekkan Ransui
Category: Luxury
Hashinoya Bekkan Ransui is a pure Japanese-style ryokan (traditional inn) located in a quiet area a little away from the bustling Arima Onsen town. This inn, which has been renovated from a private villa of the Meiji era, offers nine rooms overlooking the garden of the four seasons.
It features an open-air bath with brownish “Kinsen” (Golden hot spring) and authentic Kaiseki cuisine carefully prepared with the highest quality seasonal seafood. You can enjoy meals in your room for both dinner and breakfast. In addition, it is about a 10-minute walk from the Hankyu Bus “Arima Onsen Terminal”, making it easily accessible.
Day Tour from Osaka: Arima Onsen, Himeji Castle, Mt.Rokko
5. Arima Grand Hotel
Category: Luxury
The Arima Grand Hotel, a 10-minute walk from Arima Onsen Station, is equipped with an open-air bath and a spacious garden, and offers free Wi-Fi in all rooms. In particular, the “Kinsen” (Golden hot spring) and “Ginsen” (Silver hot spring) baths have thermal insulation and blood circulation improvement effects, and can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Notably, there is an observation bathhouse that occupies the top floor on the 9th floor. You can relax in the bath while looking down at the Arima Onsen town and the mountains of Tanba in the distance. Breakfast is served in the room or in a buffet style at the restaurant, and you can enjoy over 100 delicious dishes at the buffet in a place with a good view.
6. Motoyu Kosenkaku
Category: Upper Middle
Located on a hill in Arima Onsen, this inn boasts a vast 60,000 m2 site with a self-sourced hot spring and the largest amount of hot water in Arima. Within the vast grounds, there are two large public baths where you can enjoy the famous “Kinsen” of Arima.
For dinner, you can choose from three types: “Kaiseki cuisine” that boasts seasonal ingredients and is a specialty of Koizumi-kan, “La Fontaine,” a Western restaurant on the premises, or “Keigetsu,” a vegetarian cuisine that conveys the nature of Hida without using meat or fish. For breakfast, you can choose from Japanese and Western food or Western breakfast. The hot water from the self-sourced hot spring and the deliciousness of the cuisine are highly rated. Access is easy as it is a 2-minute shuttle ride from Arima Onsen Station.
7. The Grand Resort Princess Arima
Category: Economy
The Grand Resort Princess Arima is a recommended resort hotel with a sense of luxury. The hotel is equipped with a large hot spring bath, sauna, pool, and bar lounge. All rooms are equipped with air conditioning, a flat-screen TV, a refrigerator, and an electric kettle. The suite rooms also come with a private open-air bath. The meticulous service and pleasant customer service are highly rated.
8. Arima Koyado Uraku
Category: Economy
Arima Onsen’s centrally located “Arima Koyado Uraku” is a small inn that opened in 2019, conveniently located about an 8-minute walk from Kobe Electric Railway Arima Onsen Station. In the vicinity, there is a geisha’s office station, and the sound of the shamisen flows comfortably to the small inn. It is a 1-minute walk to the “Gold Spring”, and you can fully enjoy the hot spring tour in Arima Onsen. Meals are not included, but you can enjoy delicious bread at the affiliated cafe. Please be noted that this inn only has a shower, and you can enjoy the hot springs at the nearby “Gold Spring” and “Silver Spring”.
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