Arima Onsen

Gold and silver springs behind Mount Rokko

Arima Onsen is counted among the oldest hot spring towns in Japan and has two very different waters, one brown and iron-rich and one clear and carbonated. It's in the hills behind Mount Rokko and still part of Kobe, about 30 to 40 minutes from the city centre by train. Visitors can soak at two small public baths or stay in a ryokan with its own baths. The town is small enough to cover on foot. Central Kobe and Osaka are both close, so it works as a half-day soak or an overnight stay.

Add to list Map view

Town in Japan

$$$

$	Cheap
$$	Medium
$$$	Expensive, upscale
$$$+	Very expensive, luxury

See price details

Safety: 8.3

General Safety:	9
Health & medical:	8
Accessibility:	4
Tap water:	9

Read details

2/5

In Arima‑Onsen, many locals speak basic English, especially in tourist spots and hot‑spring resorts. Hotel staff, shopkeepers and guide services often understand simple questions, making communication fairly smooth for visitors.

Highlights Attractions Getting there Hotels Tips Travel costs Safety Articles

Last update: 20 Oct 2026

* We earn a commission from some links on this page.

Arima Onsen Summary

These place ratings give you a quick overview of how well a destination matches different types of trips.

‘Best for’ scores:
The specific interest scores show where this place really shines – whether it's ideal for hiking, food & drink experiences, museums or other activities. These highlights help you understand what makes the destination special at a glance.

‘Your personal’ scores:
This reflects how well a place matches your personal preferences. You can adjust the importances of travel topics or other personal requirements categories in your account settings.

‘Suited for’ badges:
These give you a quick overview of how well a destination suits specific types of travellers, to help you find the places that match your lifestyle, preferences or travel situation.

Read how our scores work

Great at soothing travellers with world‑class hot springs nestled among misty mountains. The resort offers serene baths, authentic Japanese hospitality and nearby hikes revealing lush forests.

Place score

8.9

Best at:

Hot springs

Spotless

Spa & wellness

Cosy towns

Walkable

Personal score

Suited for

👶 7

Families

🧓 6

Seniors

❤️ 8

Couples

🛡️ 7

Travel Beginners

Japan – Quick facts

Guide Etiquette Holidays Other

Power Grid:	100 V, 50 Hz Plug: Type A Type A: Read about power adapters
Currency:	Japanese Yen (JPY) £1 ≈ JP¥210
Cashless info:	Rating 4/5 Cashless payments are becoming more common, especially in cities, with some shops still preferring cash. Be prepared for occasional cash-only situations in rural areas. Save with a travel credit card
eSIM providers:	Best value: Saily Flexibility: Airalo Read our in-depth comparison

Tipping:	Tipping is not customary in Japan and can be considered rude. Excellent service is the norm, and tipping is unnecessary in most places.
Public drinking:	Public drinking is legal and commonly accepted, particularly during festivals and events.
Public smoking:	Smoking is prohibited in indoor public places but allowed in designated outdoor areas. Some restaurants may have smoking sections.

New Year (January)	One of the most important holidays, expect crowded temples and high prices. Plan ahead.
Golden Week (April-May)	The busiest travel time, expect high demand for accommodation and transport.
Obon (August)	A time to honour ancestors, many businesses close, and transport can be crowded.

Emergency contact:	Emergency Number: 110 (Police), 119 (Fire & Ambulance)
Taxi apps:	Uber, JapanTaxi, DiDi
Other:	Japan is a country of respect, so understanding local customs and etiquette is important. Public transport is efficient, but can be crowded during peak hours.

Best times to travel

The best times to travel section shows how the months compare for a visit, so you can find the time of year that fits what you want to do.

Background colours of the months:
The colour shows the typical temperature: yellow (hot), green (mild) and blue (cold). How strong the colour is shows the travel season: full colour means high season, soft colour means shoulder season and soft-striped means off season.

Weather symbols:
Each month has one symbol showing what the weather is typically like, such as hot and sunny, freezing or a rainy or snowy season. Use them to quickly spot months that match the weather you want, or to avoid the ones that don't.

Crowdedness:
The people icon shows how busy the place usually is. The more people, the more crowded it gets.

Additional notes:
The grey info boxes point out special things worth knowing, like recurring weather issues or seasonal events.

for Arima Onsen, Japan

🌨️

Jan

🌤️

Feb

🌤️

Mar

🌤️

Apr

🌦️

May

🌦️

Jun

⛈️

Jul

🌦️

Aug

🌦️

Sep

🌦️

Oct

☀️

Nov

🌤️

Dec

High season:	April - May, Nov.
Shoulder season:	Jan. - March, Oct., Dec.
Crowdedness:	7 (Many tourists)

Tap on a month for more info Hover over a month for more info

Climate details

Autumn leaves peak mid to late November, onsen town gets very crowded at weekends, book ryokan well ahead

Many ryokan and day-visit onsen offer check-in only from 15:00 and day-use until about 21:00, public baths close on certain weekdays

Cherry blossoms in Arima and nearby Mt. Rokko peak late March to early April

Don't miss

🛁 Soothe muscles at Arima Onsen's hot spring baths
🏯 Explore the historic Arima Ryokan for authentic Japanese hospitality
🍜 Stroll through Arima's scenic streets and taste local soba noodles
🌄 Admire panoramic views from the Arima Onsen Observatory
🛍️ Shop for artisanal bath salts and souvenirs in the town's boutiques

You've been here?

Why travel to Arima Onsen?

Arima Onsen has two very different springs within a few minutes' walk of each other. Kinsen, the gold water, is brown from iron and strongly salty. Ginsen, the silver water, is clear and carbonated and contains radium. You can bathe in two ways. The public baths Kin no Yu and Gin no Yu are the simple option, with one bath for each spring. Many ryokan also have their own kinsen or ginsen baths and some let day visitors in for a fee in the early afternoon. The town is best seen slowly on foot. Narrow sloping lanes lead past shops that sell tansan senbei, crisp crackers made with the carbonated spring water, along with bamboo crafts and sansho pepper preserves. The town also has temples and shrines, a small hot spring museum and a ropeway up Mount Rokko. Toyotomi Hideyoshi is said to have loved the springs and one of the baths is named after him. Most visitors come for half a day from Kobe or Osaka. A night in a ryokan with dinner is a better fit if you want to soak in the evening and again in the morning.

🏯Places worth seeing

1 Rokko Arima RopeWay

🎡Places for activities

1 Arima Onsen
2 Tsuzumigataki Waterfall tea house

🍽️Eat & Drink

1 Kutsurogiya
Kamameshi, rice cooked in an iron pot, with sea bream and octopus from Awaji Island and mountain vegetables. The restaurant is a renovated old house. Set courses add soup and chawanmushi, a steamed egg custard.
2 Takenaka Meat Shop
Kobe beef croquettes and minced meat cutlets, fried fresh at a butcher shop with a history of 100 years. Staff also run a small eatery next door. It is a short walk from the train station.
3 Mitsumori Cafe
Desserts using tansan senbei, a rice cracker made with carbonated spring water. The menu lists senbei French toast, tiramisu, mille crepe and parfait. The local maker has sold the crackers for more than 100 years.
4 Yunohana-do Honpo
Fresh tansan senbei, rice crackers made with carbonated spring water, baked in front of customers. Staff hand them over hot. The shop has been open for about 70 years and is a 7-minute walk from the train station.

Explore on map

Knowledge before you go

Bring your own towel to the public baths.
A JP¥1,200 (£5.69) ticket covers both the Kin no Yu and Gin no Yu public baths.
Kin no Yu closes on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, Gin no Yu on the 1st and 3rd.
Kinsen's iron-rich water can stain light-coloured towels and clothes, so bring a dark towel or expect marks.

How to travel to Arima Onsen

From central Kobe the train is the easiest way. Take the metro from Sannomiya or Shin-Kobe to Tanigami and change to the Shintetsu Arima Line for Arima Onsen. The trip takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Buses from Sannomiya take around 25 minutes and highway buses from Shin-Kobe about 50 minutes. From Osaka the direct highway bus from Umeda takes about an hour and from Kyoto the bus takes roughly 70 minutes. Services change so check current timetables. JR Passes aren't valid on these buses. From Kansai International Airport (KIX) most travellers go to Osaka or Kobe first and then continue by bus or train. You can also come over Mount Rokko by Hankyu train to Rokko, then bus, cablecar and the Rokko Arima Ropeway. Driving is possible from Kobe and Osaka but parking in town is limited.

Access summary

From Kansai International Airport (KIX): Train to Kobe (30 min) + bus to Arima Onsen (15 min).
From Osaka (Shin-Osaka Station): Shinkansen to Shin-Kobe (20 min), then local train/bus to Arima Onsen (25 min).
By JR Kobe Line from Kyoto: 1h30, transfer at Sannomiya for bus to Arima Onsen.

Check your route from anywhere

Where to stay in Arima Onsen

Ryokan are the main reason to stay overnight. Many have kinsen or ginsen baths of their own and serve multi-course dinners built on seasonal ingredients. Rooms are mostly Japanese style with futons and prices are higher than in Kobe or Osaka. Most ryokan are in or near the centre and within a short walk of the public baths. Staying here gets you the evening and early morning soaks when day visitors have left. Book early for autumn colour and for weekends. If you can't find a room or want to save money, Kobe and Osaka both make easy bases for a half-day visit. Some ryokan accept day visitors for a bath only for about JP¥2,000 – 3,000 (£9.48 – 14.22).

Hotel recommendations

*by rating and popularity. Commissions have no influence on the rankings.

Taketoritei Maruyama in Arima Onsen

9.2

Gekkoen Yugetsusanso Hotel

8.8

Gekkoen Kourokan Hotel

9.0

Arima Hot spring Ryokan Hanamusubi

8.8

Arima Onsen Tocen Goshoboh

9.3

Negiya Traditional Japanese Spa Ryokan

Arima Spa Hyoe Koyokaku

9.1

Hotel Hanakoyado

9.1

Explore more accommodations

How to get around Arima Onsen

Arima Onsen is small enough to walk and most visitors never need a vehicle. Kin no Yu is in the centre of town while Gin no Yu is smaller and lies further back.

Lanes are narrow and some are steep, so allow extra time if you're carrying luggage. Ask your ryokan about help with bags before you arrive.

The Rokko Arima Ropeway goes from the town up to the summit area of Mount Rokko, from where you can continue by cablecar and bus toward Kobe. That makes a good one-way route if you want to return a different way. A car isn't needed here and parking is limited in the centre.

Food in Arima Onsen

Food in Arima is mostly traditional Japanese cooking, served as ryokan dinners. Outside the ryokan you'll find cafes and a handful of restaurants in the centre. Some places close in the early evening so don't plan on a late dinner out. Convenience stores are few, so bring snacks if you want something late.

Kaiseki dinners:
Kaiseki meals follow the season and often include Kobe beef and fresh fish from Akashi. Breakfasts at ryokan are usually Japanese style with grilled fish and rice.

Tansan senbei:
The local snack is tansan senbei, a thin cracker made with the town's carbonated spring water. Shops along the lanes in the centre sell them.

Sansho:
Sansho, a Japanese pepper, is used in local preserves and pickles. Sweets and small snacks are also sold along the lanes in the centre.

Budget snapshot

Costs compared to home

We calculate the average costs when travelling to destinations and compare those with the living costs at your home. With this you can get an estimate of how expensive or cheap the destination is for you.

To customise this, you can set up which location and price level are used for the calculations in your account settings.

-48 %

Daily expenses in the region are around 48% lower than the average across United States. That means you'll spend a lot less on meals and getting around.

Exchange rate trend

The exchange rate price factor shows how expensive or cheap a currency currently is compared to its historical average. It's a quick way to see if a country is currently more or less affordable due to exchange rate changes.

-20 %

Your exchange rate (GBP to JPY) is 20% better than in recent years. That means travelling now is considerably cheaper compared to the past.

Travel costs

To help you plan your trip, we provide estimated daily costs per person (when travelling as a pair) for different travel styles. These numbers give you an idea of what you might spend each day at this destination, including accommodation, food, transport and activities.

Additionally, we also provide average hotel costs for different travel styles to give you an estimate for the accommodation only.

Please note that these are only estimates. The real costs depend on booking times, season and other factors.

Daily cost summary

Travel style categories explained:

Backpacker:
Staying in hostels or budget hotels, cooking your own meals or eating cheap and choosing low-cost activities.

Mid-range:
Staying in mid-range hotels, eating at a mix of restaurants and casual spots and enjoying a variety of activities.

Luxury:
Staying in luxury hotels, dining out at high-end restaurants and enjoying premium experiences without worrying about the price.

	Backpacker	Mid-range	Luxury
💵 Total costs per day, including accommodation	£52	£107	£291
🏨 Accommodation per night, per person	£30	£68	£165
🍝 Food per day	£18	£33	£97
🚕 Transportation per day	£4	£6	£30

Food & Drink

🍽️ Restaurant Dinner, per person	£12.50
🍛 Lunch Set, per person	£5.50
🍟 Fast food combo	£3.90
🍝 Preparing your own food, per day	£7
☕ Cappuccino	£2
🍺 Beer in a restaurant, 0.5 l	£2.20

Transportation

🚌 Public transport ticket	£1.05
🚕 Taxi Ride, 10 km / 6 mi	£18
⛽ Petrol, 1 l	£0.85

Other

🎞️ Cinema ticket	£9
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's consult	£18
🤧 Cold medication	£7.50
💇 Basic haircut	£13

Safety information overview

General safety

Arima Onsen is very safe, with low crime in its small walkable centre. The main hazards are bathing related. Hot water can cause dizziness after a long soak. Slippery floors in changing areas and wet sloping lanes in winter can cause falls.

Health & Medical

Kobe has good hospitals and clinics about 30 to 40 minutes away while Arima itself has few medical services. Long soaks in very hot water can cause dizziness, so rest and drink water between baths. Strong saline kinsen can sting cuts.

Accessibility

Accessibility is limited. The centre is small but hilly with steps in places. Check the entrances and changing areas of the baths you plan to use. Some ryokan have step-free rooms and baths, so ask before booking.

Tap water

Tap water in Arima Onsen is safe to drink like the rest of Japan. Vending machines and shops sell bottled drinks in the centre. The hot spring water is for bathing, so don't drink it unless a sign says it's drinkable.