Kinosaki Onsen by day
Kinosaki Onsen by night

Kinosaki (城崎町, Kinosaki-chō) was a town in Kinosaki District, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.

Merger

On April 1, 2005, Kinosaki, along with the towns of Hidaka and Takeno (all from Kinosaki District), and the towns of Izushi and Tantō (both from Izushi District), were merged into the expanded city of Toyooka and they no longer exist as independent municipalities.

As of 1 October 2010, the Kinosaki district of Toyooka had an estimated population of 3,778.[1]

Tourism

Kinosaki is a resort area, with onsen (Japanese hot springs). The Onsen town has a history of 1,300 years.[2] In 1913, the writer Shiga Naoya came to Kinosaki and stayed there for three weeks. Kinosaki provided the inspiration for his short story, "Kinosaki ni te" or "In Kinosaki".[3]

People dressed in yukata, walking along the streets of Kinosaki.

Onsen Resort

There are seven public onsen bath houses in Kinosaki Onsen:

  • Kouno-yu
  • Mandara-yu
  • Goshono-yu
  • Ichino-yu
  • Yanagi-yu
  • Jizou-yu
  • Satono-yu

Tourists staying in many of the ryokans (Japanese traditional inns) in Kinosaki can receive a free pass to all seven. It is common for tourists staying in Kinosaki Onsen to walk around in yukata, this saves them having to change into their own clothes every time they use an onsen.[4] A ropeway at the far end of the street transports visitors to the top of Mt. Taishi, which has views of the town and coastline, as well as a temple appropriately named Onsenji.[5]

Museums

Kinosaki Literary Museum

In addition to the onsens, tourists can visit the Kinosaki Straw Craft Museum where they can participate in a straw craft-making workshop, the Kinosaki Literary Museum to learn about the writers of Kinosaki Onsen, as well as many shops and cafes. Some of the area's specialties in these shops and restaurants include snow crab, Tajima beef, and onsen-boiled eggs.[6]

Kinosaki Straw Craft Museum

Transportation

Fukuchiyama branch office of JR West on Toyooka.

Railway

The Sanin Main Line provides a JR rail connection to Kyoto, and direct trains to Osaka are available via Fukuchiyama. Direct Express trains take about 2.5 hours from Osaka to Toyooka. A JR Pass (more specifically, a Kansai WIDE Area Pass) can be purchased to travel from Osaka or Kyoto to Kinosaki.

Highways

Airway

The Tajima Airport serves Toyooka and runs two direct flights a day to Osaka Itami Airport.

References

  1. ↑ Toyooka City Hall statistics 2015 Archived 2015-06-13 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 17 June 2015
  2. ↑ "About Kinosaki Onsen - Hyogo Travel Guide | Planetyze". Planetyze. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  3. ↑ "Kinosaki International Arts Center". Visit Kinosaki. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  4. ↑ "How to Wear a Yukata". Visit Kinosaki. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  5. ↑ "Ropeway". Visit Kinosaki. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  6. ↑ "Kinosaki Onsen". Visit Kinosaki. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
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