Public bathhouse · Open
Kin-no-yu
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥800checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 8:00–22:00checked 2026-10-09
Photo information
Save to passport
Official classification
Spring type (therapeutic classes)
Official spring-type name (as recorded)Gold spring: iron-bearing sodium chloride strong-salt high-temperature spring / Silver spring: carbon-dioxide spring and radioactive (radon) spring
- Source temperature
- 98°C
- pH
- Unconfirmed
- Flow rate
- Unconfirmed
- Radon
- Present
Appearance & feel
Water colour · Feel
BrownClear
Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.
What makes it special
Salt and iron thicker than seawater in the 'gold' spring, carbon dioxide and radon in the 'silver': two utterly different waters rise five minutes' walk apart.
Why?
The tourism association describes the brown 'gold' water (iron-bearing chloride spring) separately from the clear 'silver' water (one type with carbon dioxide, one with radon), and lists the two public baths as five minutes' walk apart. The gold spring is officially an iron-bearing sodium chloride strong-salt high-temperature spring, up to 98°C.[3][7][11]
Facilities in this area
Facilities come from the register (Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, official sites). Those marked "natural spring unconfirmed" are listed on the basis of their name only.
Public bathhouse · Open
Gin-no-yu
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥700checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 9:00–21:00checked 2026-10-09
Baths2
| Type | Gender | Source | Bath temperature | Free-flowing | Added water | Heated | Recirculated | Disinfected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor bath | Separate | Ginsen (carbonated and radium springs blended) | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[5][7] | Unconfirmed[5][7] | Yes[5][7] | Unconfirmed[5][7] | Unconfirmed[5][7] |
| Indoor bath | Separate | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[7] | Unconfirmed[7] | Unconfirmed[7] | Unconfirmed[7] | Unconfirmed[7] |
Getting there
Reachable by public transport
From Sannomiya take the Kobe subway to Tanigami and change to the Kobe Electric Railway for Arima-Onsen Station, about 30 minutes in all. From Osaka Station it is about an hour via Sannomiya. The 'Arima Express' highway bus runs from Shin-Kobe and Osaka. Kin-no-yu is a 5-minute walk from the station.
- Getting there
- Arima-Onsen Station (Kobe Electric Railway) · 5
- Checked
- 2026-10-09
About the water
Arima has two waters of different colour. The 'gold' spring is heavy in iron and salt: clear when it emerges, it turns rust-brown as the iron oxidises in air, and its high salinity is said to keep bathers warm afterwards. The 'silver' spring is colourless and comes in two kinds, one carbonated and one containing radon. The tourism association explains that the salt of the gold water leaves a film on the skin and that the carbon dioxide of the silver water widens capillaries; we make no medical claims. We could not read an analysis sheet for the radon figure, so it is left unconfirmed.
Indications (as posted on the analysis)
Gold: sensitivity to cold, lower-back pain, muscle and joint pain, skin conditions / Silver (carbonated): hypertension, peripheral arterial disease (as listed by the tourism association)
Indications are an official statement based on the water analysis, not a guarantee of treatment. They are kept separate from opinions.
| Source | Source temperature | pH | Radon | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsen (iron-bearing chloride) | 98 | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | no check date |
| Ginsen (carbon-dioxide spring) | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | no check date |
| Ginsen (radon spring) | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | no check date |
Three things not to miss
Photo information
Kin-no-yu: the gold water
Centre of town (Arimacho 833) The city-run public bath for the brown gold water, listed as free-flowing with added water and heating. A free foot bath sits at the entrance.
The association says the salt leaves a thin film that keeps skin moist. The water is clear at the source and turns brown on contact with air.[3][4][6][11]
Gin-no-yu: the silver water
5 min walk from Kin-no-yu (Arimacho 1039-1) Clear water blending the carbonated and radium springs, plus a steam sauna modelled on Hideyoshi's steam bath.
You can bathe in two completely different waters in one afternoon; a two-bath ticket costs 1,200 yen.[5][7]
Taiko-no-Yudonokan (Hideyoshi's bath ruins)
Gokurakuji temple grounds (Arimacho 1642) A city museum built over the excavated steam bath and rock bath of the 'Yunoyama Palace' that Hideyoshi had built.
Found during rebuilding after the 1995 earthquake; it makes the 400-year tie between Hideyoshi and Arima visible.[2][10]
The story
One of the three ancient springs
Arima is counted with Dogo and Shirahama among Japan's three oldest spas. Legend has the gods Onamuchi and Sukunahikona discover it by watching wounded crows bathe. The Chronicles of Japan record imperial visits in 631 and 647; in the Nara period the monk Gyoki founded Onsenji temple. After a flood destroyed the town in 1097, the monk Ninsai rebuilt it in 1192 with twelve pilgrim lodgings.[2][11]
Hideyoshi's spa
Toyotomi Hideyoshi loved Arima and visited nine times, pouring money into rebuilding the town and its baths after disasters, with a major reconstruction in 1597. The steam bath and rock bath of his 'Yunoyama Palace' came to light when a temple was rebuilt after the 1995 Kobe earthquake, and can now be seen at the Taiko-no-Yudonokan. Edo-period spa rankings placed Arima at the very top as 'Western Grand Champion'.[2][10][11]
Gold and silver
The gold spring is an iron-bearing sodium chloride strong-salt high-temperature spring, clear at the mouth and rust-brown once its iron oxidises in air; a towel left in it turns red. The silver spring is colourless, in carbonated and radon-bearing varieties. Why such concentrated water rises in the non-volcanic Rokko range is explained by deep groundwater climbing along faults.[3][11]
Walking the hill town
Five minutes uphill from Arima-Onsen Station is Kin-no-yu, five more is Gin-no-yu. With the two-bath ticket you can compare the two waters, different in colour and feel, within an hour. Thirty minutes from Sannomiya and an hour from Osaka, Arima fits into half a day of a Kobe visit.[6][7][8]
Going solo
Easy for solo travellersUnconfirmed
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerPlenty of restaurants and shops in town
Private bathUnconfirmed
checked 2026-10-09
Through the year
Recommended months
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Months open
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
"Recommended" and "open" are recorded separately. Check the season for seasonal springs.
Jan — Iri-zome-shiki, the New Year bath-opening ceremony
Nov — Autumn colour in Momiji-dani on the north side of Mt Rokko
Jul · Aug — Evenings by the Arima River; in the heat keep soaks in the salty gold water short
Food, culture & experiences
Taiko-no-Yudonokan museum
Remains of Hideyoshi's bath palace. 9:00–17:00 (entry to 16:30), closed 2nd Wednesdays[10]
5 min walk from Kin-no-yuArima geigi (geisha)
The association lists banquet and experience options[1]
In townRokko-Arima Ropeway
Links Arima with the top of Mt Rokko[11]
At the top of town, about 15 min on footTsuzumi Falls
A short walk above the town[1]
About 15 min walk from townEditors' guide
Do Kin-no-yu first, then Gin-no-yu. The gold water is very salty, so keep soaks short. The foot bath is free. A stop at the Taiko-no-Yudonokan links Hideyoshi's excavated steam bath to the steam sauna at Gin-no-yu. The two official sources disagree on closing days, so check the facility site before you go.
The "editors' guide" above is written by the editors from sources; it is not a visitor's opinion.
Photo gallery
Visitor reviews
No reviews yet. While the review platform is being prepared, we do not display fictional reviews or ratings.
Review posting is in preparation, with visit date, facility, comments on water, scenery and access, photos, language and reporting.
Overview
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.
This overview is based on the lead section of the English Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0). View original page
Unconfirmed & notes
- Closing days of Kin-no-yu and Gin-no-yu differ between the association and the facility site (unresolved)
- Radon concentration of the silver spring and pH values not confirmed; analysis sheet could not be read
- Solo-stay terms at inns not confirmed
Sources
- 有馬温泉観光協会 公式サイト有馬温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 有馬温泉について(歴史)有馬温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 泉質(金泉・銀泉)有馬温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 金の湯 施設案内有馬温泉 金の湯・銀の湯(神戸市) · 2026-10-09
- 銀の湯 施設案内有馬温泉 金の湯・銀の湯(神戸市) · 2026-10-09
- 有馬本温泉 金の湯(観光協会の施設ページ)有馬温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 有馬温泉 銀の湯(観光協会の施設ページ)有馬温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 大阪からのアクセス有馬温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 兵庫からのアクセス有馬温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 神戸市立太閤の湯殿館(神戸市)神戸市 · 2026-10-09
- 有馬温泉 - WikipediaWikipedia · 2026-10-09
Register sources
- 有馬温泉 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-10-09
- Wikidata Q4790673Wikidata · CC0 · 2026-10-09
Data status
Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished
Updated 2026-10-09
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