Hyōgo · Kinosaki Onsen
Ichi-no-Yu (Kinosaki outer bath)
一の湯（城崎温泉 外湯）
Kinosaki's flagship outer bath, praised as 'the best under heaven' by an Edo-period physician. Its cave bath carved into rock is the draw; the kabuki-theatre-style building is the town's landmark.
- Price (adult)
- ¥800
- Hours
- 07:00–23:00 (last entry 22:30)
- Closed
- Wed
- Access
- 8 min walk from JR Kinosaki-Onsen Station
- Water type
- Sulfate spring
- Tattoos
- Allowed
- Admission
- Adults ¥800 / children (3 to elementary) ¥400. “Yumepa” day pass ¥1,500 / ¥750 for unlimited entry to all seven baths (sold at any bath). Guests of member ryokan bathe free from check-in to check-out with a barcode pass
- Water
- Sodium-calcium-chloride hot spring, ~42 °C, centrally distributed to all seven baths. Neuralgia, muscle pain, bruises, chronic digestive complaints, piles, fatigue
- Highlights
- Famous for its cave bath hollowed out of rock; kabuki-theatre-style façade in the centre of town by the Otani river. Family bath currently suspended
- Amenities
- Shampoo and body soap provided; towels sold (bring from your ryokan). ¥100 refundable lockers. Tattoos are officially welcome in Kinosaki’s public baths
- Phone
- 0796-32-2229
- Official site
- kinosaki-spa.gr.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Stay in this onsen town
Compare and book stays in Kinosaki Onsen. Day bathing itself needs no booking.
Opens partner booking site (affiliate)
Why go
- Cave bath cut into the rock
- Open until 11 pm
- Free for ryokan guests with Yumepa
The cave bath that earned the name “best under heaven”
Ichi-no-yu opened in the mid-Edo period as “Arayu” (new bath); after the celebrated physician Kagawa Shutoku praised it in his medical treatise as “the finest in the realm”, it took the name Ichi (“number one”). Its imposing kabuki-theatre-like building stands in the very centre of town beside the willow-lined Otani river, and inside is a cave bath hollowed from natural rock — a rare chance to soak inside dim stone. Known as the bath of exam success and road safety.
Tips & cautions
- Last entry 30 min before closing.
- The seven baths stagger their weekly closures (Kono-yu Tue, Mandara-yu Wed, Gosho-no-yu Thu, Ichi-no-yu Wed, Yanagi-yu Thu, Jizo-yu Mon, Sato-no-yu Mon), so 5–6 are always open.
- The tourist association site shows live crowding for each bath.
- Strolling bath to bath in yukata and geta is the Kinosaki way; ryokan guests get a free pass with their yukata.
- Since Nov 2023 facilities using natural spring water display an official “Kinosaki natural onsen” certificate.
Getting there
About 10 min on foot from JR Kinosaki-Onsen Station (Yushima 415-1), where Yunosato-dori meets the Otani river in the town centre.
Before you go
- As a communal bath there is no soap or shampoo — bring your own or buy at the shop.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Only here
Mood & scenery
Price
Convenience
Language support
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-09 Operating status and rates cross-checked against the official site and onsen guides (full source notes in Japanese on the JA page)
Prices and hours change. Check official sources before visiting.
More in this area
Gosho-no-Yu (Kinosaki outer bath)
The most popular of Kinosaki's seven public baths. In a building modeled on the Kyoto Imperial Palace, a waterfall rotenburo faces the hillside and a glass-roofed 'sky bath' sits indoors, all renovated in 2020. Overnight guests get free entry with the 'Yumepa' pass, so evenings are busy with yukata-clad bathers — go at 7 am when it opens.
Kin-no-Yu
The public bathhouse of Arima, one of Japan's three oldest hot springs. For ¥800 you can soak in the 'kinsen' — iron- and salt-rich water that turns rusty brown on contact with air, in pools at 42°C and 44°C. Under an hour by train from Kobe or Osaka, so an easy day trip. Free foot bath and drinking fountain outside. No tattoos.
Gin-no-Yu
Sister facility to Kin-no-Yu. Clear carbonated and radon water that leaves skin silky, plus a steam sauna. Usually less crowded than Kin-no-Yu. ¥700 on weekends/holidays, ¥550 on regular weekdays.
