Official classification
Official spring-type name (as recorded)Sodium-calcium chloride spring
Appearance & feel
Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.
What makes it special
Yukata and wooden sandals, a willow-lined river, seven public bathhouses to hop between: here the town's baths, not the inn's, are the point.
Facilities come from the register (Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, official sites). Those marked "natural spring unconfirmed" are listed on the basis of their name only.
| Type | Gender | Source | Bath temperature | Free-flowing | Added water | Heated | Recirculated | Disinfected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor bath | Separate | Kinosaki (centrally distributed) | 42°C | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] |
| Indoor bath | Separate | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] |
| Type | Gender | Source | Bath temperature | Free-flowing | Added water | Heated | Recirculated | Disinfected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor bath | Separate | Kinosaki (centrally distributed) | 42°C | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] |
| Open-air bath | Separate | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[2][7] | Unconfirmed[2][7] | Unconfirmed[2][7] | Unconfirmed[2][7] | Unconfirmed[2][7] |
| Type | Gender | Source | Bath temperature | Free-flowing | Added water | Heated | Recirculated | Disinfected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor bath | Separate | Kinosaki (centrally distributed) | 42°C | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] |
| Open-air bath | Separate | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] |
| Type | Gender | Source | Bath temperature | Free-flowing | Added water | Heated | Recirculated | Disinfected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor bath | Separate | Kinosaki (centrally distributed) | 42°C | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] | Unconfirmed[2][8] |
| Open-air bath | Separate | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] | Unconfirmed[2] |
Walk from JR Kinosaki-Onsen Station on the San'in Line. Limited express trains take about 2 h 20 min from Kyoto (Kinosaki), 2 h 40 min from Osaka (Kounotori) and 2 h 30 min from Kobe (Hamakaze). Highway buses also run from Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto.
A chloride spring: salt stays on the skin and bathers are said to keep warm afterwards. The water is colourless and clear. Individual sources range from 37 to 83°C, but since 1972 they have all been pooled and set to 57°C before being piped to the seven baths and the inns. In Kinosaki, then, the fun lies not in comparing sources but in the tubs themselves, around 42°C, indoor, open-air or in a cave. Indications are quoted as the association posts them.
Neuralgia, muscle pain, bruises, chronic digestive complaints, haemorrhoids, recovery from fatigue (as posted by the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinosaki central distribution (supply temperature) | 57 | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | no check date |
About 1 km along the Otani River from the station Six baths are open (Ichi, Gosho, Kou, Jizo, Mandara, Yanagi; Sato-no-yu is being rebuilt). 800 yen each or a 1,500-yen day pass; all welcome tattoos.
Overnight guests get a free pass, so going out to the town baths rather than staying in the inn's tub is the Kinosaki way.[2][5][6]
At the top of town near Kou-no-yu In 1972 every source was pooled into one facility that sets the water at 57°C and distributes it; the Motoyu still steams.
Knowing all the baths share one water, you notice that what differs is the architecture and the tubs.[8]
Inns and eateries in town From the November Crab Festival through winter, matsuba snow crab dominates inn dinners.
A spa town close to Sea of Japan fishing ports, where the bath and the table are equal attractions.[1][8]
Kou-no-yu takes its name from a stork seen healing its wounds in the water. The monk Dochi arrived in 717 and, after a thousand days of prayer, is said to have brought forth the spring in 720 and founded Onsenji temple. In the Edo period the town appeared in spa rankings, and the bath a doctor praised as 'first under heaven' became Ichi-no-yu.[3][8]
Kinosaki calls an inn's bath the 'inner bath' and the town's shared bathhouses the 'outer baths', and guests go out to them in yukata and wooden sandals. The 1925 Kita-Tajima earthquake flattened the town, which rebuilt around three-storey wooden inns and the outer-bath culture. In 1972 the sources were pooled and piped so that every bathhouse serves the same water.[2][5][8]
Gosho-no-yu has a palace-style building and an open-air bath facing a waterfall; Ichi-no-yu a cave bath; Mandara-yu and Yanagi-yu are small afternoon-only baths. Sato-no-yu by the station closed in April 2024 for rebuilding. The 1,500-yen 'Yumepa' pass covers them all.[2][7]
In winter snow settles and sandals clatter over streets kept clear by snow-melting pipes. Inn dinners turn to matsuba crab, and November brings the Crab Festival. About two and a half hours by limited express from Osaka or Kyoto, with the town starting at the station door, it works entirely without a car.[1][4][8]
checked 2026-10-09
"Recommended" and "open" are recorded separately. Check the season for seasonal springs.
Nov · Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar — Snow-crab season; the Crab Festival is in November
Oct — Kinosaki Danjiri Festival (14–15 Oct)
Apr — Cherry blossom along the Otani River
Jan · Feb — Bath-hopping in snow; wooden sandals are slippery
Founded in 720 by the monk Dochi; on the slopes of Mt Daishi[3]
5 min walk from Kou-no-yuThe 1917 story came out of a convalescent stay; the town styles itself a town of literature[1][8]
In townWinter inn dinners; Crab Festival in November[1]
In town14–15 October[8]
In townOn arrival borrow yukata and sandals at your inn and head out with the Yumepa or the inn's free pass. Combine the 7 a.m. baths (Ichi, Gosho, Kou) with the 3 p.m. ones (Mandara, Yanagi) to cover them in a day. Each bath closes on a different weekday, so check the association's bathhouse page.
The "editors' guide" above is written by the editors from sources; it is not a visitor's opinion.
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城崎温泉（きのさきおんせん）は、兵庫県豊岡市城崎町にある温泉。平安時代以前から知られる長い歴史を持つ。江戸時代には「海内第一泉（かいだいだいいちせん）」と呼ばれ、今もその碑が残る。有馬温泉、湯村温泉とともに兵庫県を代表する温泉でもある。
This overview is based on the lead section of the Japanese Wikipedia article "城崎温泉" (CC BY-SA 4.0). View original page
Updated 2026-10-09
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