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Hyogo ♨ Hot spring 📷 10

Arima Onsen

有馬温泉

A hot-spring destination where the bath itself is the sightseeing.

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Best season Year-round, best in cold months (Nov–Mar)
Time needed 1–3 hours (half a day with a meal)
Admission Day-use bath roughly ¥500–1,500 (≈ $3–9)
Opening hours Typically 10:00–21:00; day-use hours vary by inn

Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons — click any image for the photographer and licence.

What this place is

Arima Onsen (有馬温泉, Arima Onsen) is an onsen, or hot spring resort in Kita-ku, Kobe, Japan, located near Mount Rokkō. This onsen attracts many Japanese because of its easy access from the busy cities in the Kansai metropolitan area including Osaka and Kobe. Arima Onsen was named in the Heian-period The Pillow Book as one of the three famous springs in Japan. It was selected as the most prestigious hot spring during the Edo period.

Arima Onsen (有馬温泉) is one of the standout places to visit in Hyogo. Give yourself unhurried time for photos, seasonal views, and nearby food stops. IC cards such as Suica, Pasmo, or ICOCA cover most trains and city buses.

Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Why it is worth the trip

  • Mineral-rich water that locals have soaked in for generations — each source has its own temperature, colour and smell.
  • A bathing town you can wander in a yukata, with steam drifting between wooden inns and public baths.
  • Open-air rotenburo tubs framed by mountains, river valleys or the sea, which change completely with the season.

What you can do here

  • Take a day-use bath (higaeri onsen) even without staying overnight — most inns open their baths in the afternoon.
  • Try the free foot baths (ashiyu) dotted around town for a quick warm-up between stops.
  • Buy a bath-hopping pass and compare two or three different sources in one afternoon.
  • Eat the local onsen specialities — steam-cooked eggs, puddings and vegetables sold near the sources.

Getting there by public transport

  1. Kobe Dentetsu or bus from Sannomiya to Arima.
  2. Nearest station/stop: Arima-Onsen.

Route on Google Maps

Good to know before you go

  • Wash and rinse at the shower stations before entering the tub; the bath water is shared.
  • Some traditional baths still restrict tattoos — look for tattoo-friendly inns or private family baths (kashikiri).
  • Bring a small towel; larger bath towels are usually rented or sold at the counter.

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