Arima Onsen: Kansai’s most accessible Onsen Town
Arima Onsen (有馬温泉 Arimaonsen) is one of the most convenient onsen towns to travel to from a major city center in Japan. Separated from the port city of Kobe by the width of a single mountain, Mount Rokko (六甲山 Rokkōsan), you’d expect this place to be nestled on the edge of a city. However, despite being only a few kilometres away from Kobe City, Arima Onsen and its surroundings maintain the rustic, authentic feel of a historic resort town tucked away in the mountains.
About Arima Onsen
Arima Onsen’s claim to fame comes from its unique Golden and Silver onsen waters. These are two unique types of hot spring water, both with very high mineral and salt content. The Golden Water (金泉 Kinsen) contains twice as much salt as seawater and is high in iron and calcium content. It is very popular with women as it moisturizes the skin and retains warmth in your limbs even after bathing. The Silver Water (銀泉 Ginsen), on the other hand, contains radium and carbonate and is said to cure various muscle and joint ailments.
(Image credit: JR Times / Afiq)
One of the oldest hot spring resorts in Japan, this town has over a thousand years of history, with mentions in texts as early as 631 AD. It is no wonder that some of the inns and hot springs have been around for centuries, and have been frequented by many famous historical figures—including former shogun and emperors. While the onsen town has been revitalised with the addition of modern buildings and the occasional convenience store, it has preserved its quaint and rustic charm.
(Image credit: JNTO & JR Times / Afiq)
A perfect weekend getaway
(Image credit: JR Times / Afiq)
My own trip to Arima Onsen started as a weekend getaway in November 2015, after attending a work conference in nearby Kobe. The moment I stepped out of the train at Arima Station, I was struck by how magical it was that I was transported into a traditional-looking mountain town so quickly—just a mere half an hour earlier, I was in the bustling downtown of Kobe City!
(Image credit: JR Times / Afiq)
I had splurged on a 2-night stay at the Goshoboh Ryokan, one of the more famous inns in Arima known for its Ginsen. Being a history buff myself, I was particularly excited to stay in such a historically significant inn – Goshuboh Ryokan counts famous shogun like Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu as former guests!
(Image credit: JR Times / Afiq)
After checking in, I spent the day slowly exploring the town and following the slope up Mount Rokko. It was quite crowded in the daytime, considering it was a Saturday. As a hot spring resort town, most the buildings appeared to either be bathhouses or traditional souvenir shops. One thing that struck me was that even though there were plenty of takeaway snacks shops, there were few dine-in restaurants in Arima Onsen. You’d be hard-pressed to find any place serving the famous “Kobe Beef” unless it's served in your Ryokan’s dinner course.
(Image credit: JR Times / Afiq)
A hike up Mount Rokko allowed me to enjoy the views of Kobe City from the peak. While it took me over two hours to finally reach the top, a ropeway option is available for those who wish to skip “leg day”. The night view of Kobe from the Rokko-Shidare Observation Deck has been described as a million-dollar view and one of the best three viewpoints in all of Japan, but unfortunately, I couldn’t stay long enough to see it. I had an important date that night – my sumptuous dinner at Goshoboh Ryokan was waiting for me.
(Image credit: JR Times / Afiq)
Back at Goshoboh, I had an amazing ryokan-prepared kaiseki dinner that was made with local ingredients (including Kobe Beef), and took a nice long soak in their indoor onsen afterwards. Goshoboh’s onsen was definitely among one of the most atmospheric I have ever bathed in, and very much as grand as those usually portrayed in Japanese anime.
Goshoboh’s bath house is freely available for staying guests, but you can also bathe in their onsen as a visitor for a ¥1,650 entry fee. Other famous higaeri (日帰り, also known as day trip onsen) in Arima also include Kin no Yu and Kanpo no Yado Arima. A list of all the onsen you can visit in Arima is available here.
How to get there
A direct bus to Arima Onsen Station is available under JR West Bus from Shin-Kobe, Shin-Osaka, Namba and Kyoto Stations. Both one-way and roundtrip tickets can be purchased up to a month in advance, and are cheaper if bought at least 7 days in advance.
(Image credit: JR Times / Afiq)
Arima Onsen is also accessible by train and is a roughly 40-minute train ride from Kobe’s Sannomiya Station for ¥950.
If you happen to be travelling to the Kansai Region and have a day or two to spend, then I highly recommend dropping by Arima Onsen—a cheap and easy day trip from Osaka or Kobe with quality and historic onsen to while your day away. If you’d like to learn more about Arima Onsen or figure out how to slot it into your itinerary, head down to JAPAN RAIL CAFE and speak with our friendly Travel Communicators!
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