If you plan to travel to Japan’s Kansai region and want to visit an authentic hot spring town, Arima Onsen in Kobe should be your top choice. It is Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s favorite onsen spot! The mineral quality of the hot spring in here is excellent, as it contains seven of the nine main components listed by the Ministry of the Environment as present in recuperation or recovery springs. In addition, the hot spring town has two completely different types of hot springs. One of them, known as Kinsen (金泉) or gold spring, has a reddish-brown color that contains iron and salt. Its salt concentration is twice that of seawater, which will form a thin film on your skin that keeps your skin moisturized. It is also good for low back pain and muscle/joint pain.
About the Public Bathhouse, Kin no Yu (金の湯)
When you come to Arima Onsen, Kin no Yu is definitely the bathhouse you should visit. Located at a three-way junction near the main street – Yumotozaka, and opposite the Arima Toy Museum.
Each gender has a separate onsen pool, with Ichi no Yu (一の湯) being the male onsen pool and Ni no Yu (二の湯) as the female pool.
But unfortunately, like most of the public bathhouses in Japan, there is no private onsen pool you can rent out. Instead, there is a free foot spa next to Kin no Yu that you can utilize when the bathhouse is opened.
Tip: Make sure you rinse your body after you come up from the onsen pool so the brown iron components in the hot spring don’t end up making your clothes turn into a different color (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.
As you enter the onsen pool, you will find the hot spring is really cloudy, almost like a lot of chocolate has melted in the pool that you can’t see your arms or legs at all (´▽｀*).
You might find the water gushing into the onsen from the spring is transparent in color. Don’t mistake it as they add normal hot water into the pool. The iron minerals in the hot spring only change into a brown color when it comes into contact with the air.
Because of the richness of the minerals in the onsen, it is not recommended you indulge yourself there for too long. As a rough guide, 15 minutes is the maximum time you want to stay in the pool.
Note the temperatures of the two pools in both male and female areas are different. One is at 44 degrees, and the other one is at 42 degrees. Pick the best one that suits you (^_-)-☆.
Taikō’s Hot Spring Drinking Fountain (太閤の飲泉場)
Because of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s love for Arima Onsen, you will see many attractions named after and/or related to him. This drinking fountain that is part of the Kin no Yu bathhouse is one of them. And when we say “named”, it is the last government position he obtained – Taikō (太閤) in his life. So instead of Hideyoshi’s Drinking Fountain, it is Taikō’s Drinking Fountain.
Note that you might expect Kinsen to come out of the fountain, but as Kinsen is only suitable for bathing, the fountain connects to Ginsen’s hot spring source.
The gourd above the spring outlet wasn’t just randomly chosen as a decoration. It is a symbol of Hideyoshi. Not only just here, but as you stroll around the onsen town, you will also find many more gourds!
Tip: Avoid weekends and public holidays as they can be crowded.
Kin no Yu’s Opening Hours, Admission Fee, and Access Information
- Kin no Yu is open from 8 am to 10 pm daily except on the 2nd and the 4th Tuesday of the month. It also closes on the 1st of January.
- The last admission is at 9:30 pm.
- If the 2nd or 4th Tuesday of the month is a public holiday, it will close on the following day instead.
- Admission Fees:
- 650 yen for senior high school students and above on weekdays
- 800 yen for senior high school students and above for weekends and public holidays
- 350 yen for elementary and junior high school school students
- 1,200 yen for entry to both Kin no Yu and Gin no Yu
- The bathhouse is a 5-minute walk from Arimaonsen Train Station.
- Refer to our Arima Onsen article for more information about how to get to Arimaonsen Station.
Discover Other Attractions in Arima Onsen Town
Arima Onsen is one of the Three Most Famous Onsen Towns in Japan. Located just 30 minutes from Kobe, the town known for hot springs that moisturize your skin is also filled with a range of leisure activities to keep you entertained!
To find out more about this hot spring town you must visit, please refer to our article on Arima Onsen (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.
