Kin-no-Yu

History and the 'gold spring'

Arima is among Japan's oldest hot springs: the Nihon Shoki records imperial visits in the 7th century, the monk Gyōki revived it in the Nara period and Ninsai in the Kamakura period, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi came repeatedly to take the waters. Kin-no-yu is a Kobe municipal bathhouse rebuilt in 2002 on the site of the old Arima Onsen Kaikan in the centre of the village, and the easiest place to try Arima's famous kinsen. With salinity 1.5 times that of seawater and a high iron content, the water emerges clear and turns rust-brown on contact with air. A film of salt keeps you warm long after bathing — hence the nickname 'the women's bath' for its warming and moisturising effect — and its antiseptic quality was traditionally valued for skin ailments and cuts. Remarkably, Arima has no volcano: its water is thought to be ancient seawater squeezed up from the subducting plate deep underground, which makes it of scientific interest as well.

How to use it & practical notes

• The baths are on the 2nd floor: hot kinsen (about 44°C), warm kinsen (about 42°C) and plain water — no open-air bath or sauna. Kinsen feels hot, so acclimatise in the plain or warm tub before the hot one.
• The water is very salty and stings the eyes badly. Overdoing it causes light-headedness; aim for 5–10 minutes, two or three times.
• The rust-coloured water stains white towels and swimwear. No towels are provided (sold for ¥200), so bring an old one you don't mind discolouring.
• Skip the rinse afterwards and just pat dry to keep the warming effect (rinse if you have sensitive skin).
• Shampoo and body wash provided; ¥100 refundable lockers. The rest area is just benches with vending machines selling fruit milk and Arima cider.
• Tattoos are not permitted (posted by Kobe City).
• Weekends 2–5 pm can mean a queue as Rokkō hikers and day-trippers arrive; the 8 am hour and after 7 pm are quiet.
• No parking. Nearest is Nakanobō car park, 3 minutes' walk (¥300–400 per hour).

Access and the two public baths

About 5 minutes on foot from Arima-Onsen Station (Kobe Electric Railway): cross Taikō Bridge and climb the main street. Hankyu highway buses run from Osaka-Umeda in about 1 hour; from Sannomiya it is about 40 minutes by Kobe City or Hankyu bus, or 30 minutes by rail. From the top of Mt Rokkō the Rokkō-Arima Ropeway takes 12 minutes. Do Kin-no-yu first (opens 8 am), then Gin-no-yu 7 minutes' walk away (clear carbonated and radium water, opens 9 am, ¥550) — the ¥1,200 two-bath ticket saves money. Nearby are Tansan Sengen Park, Tōsen Shrine, Onsen-ji temple, the Taikō no Yudonokan museum on the remains of Hideyoshi's bath palace, and Yumoto-zaka with its long-established carbonated-cracker and basketry shops.