Day 253: Kinosaki Onsen

Really amazing day exploring a proper onsen town in south east Japan: Kinosake

We started with our first Japanese bullet train between Tokyo and Kyoto. Similar to the Eurorail pass, Japan has the JR Pass which pays for unlimited rides on the bullet train Shinkansen system and some metros around the country.

Made the mistaken of telling the group 15 minutes would be enough time to transfer in the station, assuming the tracks are in the same area. There were actually three different track areas and didn’t find the correct one until the very end; luckily made it on the train because everyone was running. It was another 2.5 hours to Kinosaki.

When we arrived, we walked to Onsenji Buddhist temple where one normally would complete a ritual to prepare for hot springs. This practice is no longer required, but we enjoyed the journey.

Our hotel was a traditional ryokan which includes its own hot spring, dinner, and breakfast. We booked a family style room for 7 guests. The ryokan had a beautiful view of Maruyama River.

The host made us tea and we got ready to hit the onsens. The ryokan also included shuttles, traditional Yukatas to wear, and the wooden shoes. The shoes were a lot harder than they looked.

First onsen was Jizo-yu Onsen and we only had 1 hour before dinner. The water was so hot and luckily there was a kids area with cooler water. The springs are gender separated, but we could still hear Kieran and James giggling.

Our driver picked us up at 6:15 pm and we returned to a fully set table in our dining room. The dinner included small plates, sashimi, shabu shabu, soup, and dessert. Many of us also tried a local sake tasting set. The meal was fantastic and the presentation absolutely stunning. After dinner we planned to hit two more hot springs.

The town was very beautiful at night so James, Laura, Kieran, and Mary broke off to explore the town while Hannah, Catie, and Madison hit Ichinoyu Onsen. Snagged incredible views from our walk.

Our shuttle picked us up again at 10:22 pm and we returned home to our dining room converted into a bedroom. Everyone fell asleep promptly (probably from heat exhaustion)

Hotel: Oyado Seri

Food:
Shabu-shabu
Sashimi

Spots:
Kinosaki-onsen
Onsenji Templeもっと詳しく