Kinosaki Onsen Bathhouse Hopping: Strolling Six Hot Springs in Yukata
MAP ・ 6 SPOTS
Kinosaki Onsen Bathhouse Hopping: Strolling Six Hot Springs in Yukata
The true hot spring experience in Kinosaki isn't inside your ryokan, but out in the town itself. Public bathhouses (soto-yu) are dotted along the willow-lined Otani River, and strolling from one to the next in a yukata and geta clogs is the quintessential way to enjoy this town. I've arranged these in walking order, starting from Jizo-yu near the station and ending at Kouno-yu tucked deep in the valley. Each bath has its own origin story, woven with tales of white storks, Jizo statues, and willows brought from West Lake. Out of the original seven bathhouses, Sato-no-yu by the station is currently closed for reconstruction, making this a six-bath tour for now.
2026.09.29
·Total ~920m
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Jizo-yu
Named after a statue of Jizo Bodhisattva that reportedly emerged from the hot spring source. During the Edo period, it was affectionately known as the village bathhouse for locals. Still enshrining Jizo today, it is the closest public bath to the station.
〒669-6101 兵庫県豊岡市城崎町湯島７９６
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Yanagi-yu
Legend has it that this spring welled up beneath a willow tree transplanted all the way from West Lake in China. It is the most cozy and intimate of the bathhouses, sitting right along the willow-lined Otani River.
〒669-6101 兵庫県豊岡市城崎町湯島６４７
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Ichino-yu
Originally called "Shin-yu," it earned its current name after the Edo-period physician Shutoku Kagawa praised it as "the best bath under heaven." Standing right in the heart of the village, it's an iconic landmark of Kinosaki.
〒669-6101 兵庫県豊岡市城崎町湯島４１５−１
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Gosho-no-yu
It takes its name from historical chronicles recording that Empress Dowager Ankamon-in bathed here back in 1267, during the Kamakura period. It features a wonderful open-air bath with lush, forested hills as a scenic backdrop.
〒669-6101 兵庫県豊岡市城崎町湯島４４８
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Mandara-yu
According to legend, the Buddhist monk Dochi Shonin chanted sutras and prayed continuously for a thousand days in the year 717, causing this spring to gush forth. It is revered as the very birthplace of Kinosaki Onsen.
〒669-6101 兵庫県豊岡市城崎町湯島５６５
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Kouno-yu
About 1,400 years ago, an oriental white stork with an injured leg was spotted soaking here to heal its wounds, leading to the spring's discovery. Located at the very back of the onsen town, it makes the perfect spot to conclude your bath-hopping stroll.
〒669-6101 兵庫県豊岡市城崎町湯島６１０