Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on October 14, 2024.
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When visiting Japan, odds are good you have soaking in the natural hot springs of an onsen on your must-do list.
But did you know there is a town with not one, not two, but seven onsens open for visitors to enjoy? And, perhaps important to many, are also tattoo-friendly? Enter Kinosaki Onsen, a beautiful mountain coast town in northern Japan that is just a 2 1/2 hour train ride from Kyoto.
While we have an entire article dedicated for how many days in Kinosaki Onsen (read: more is always the answer), in this one we thought we’d share a little bit about the seven onsen you can find in town- what they’re like, which ones we liked, and which ones we did not spend much time in at all.
Although all the onsen here are quite fun and you should check each out on a visit, a few were standout favorites.
Goshono-Yu – Our All-Around Favorite
Goshono-Yu was arguably our favorite onsen in Kinosaki, and with good reason- it is large, has a great ambiance, impressively strong water jets for relaxation, and a lovely outdoor view of a waterfall to name a few.
As with all onsen, genders are separated at Goshono-yu, but they flip sides on alternating days, giving a good reason to go back a second time to check out the variation differences between the left and right onsen spaces. While they are admittedly quite similar, we have to admit that the left side was our favorite design wise- particularly for the seating area at the front with the jets!
Ichino-Yu – Onsen in a Cave
Ichino-Yu is an interesting onsen as it has both indoor and outdoor components, with the outside section being set in a dimly lit cave. While the baths here were on the smaller side compared to others in Kinosaki, the ambiance of a cave made it quite unique.
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Kono-Yu – The Oldest Bath House
Kono-Yu is located just steps away from the cable car station in town, and can make for a great visit right after summiting the mountain. Much like Goshono-Yu, Kono-Yu had a lovely outdoor onsen surrounded by rocks as well as some shallower sections of the water for more relaxing wading.
After visiting this one, be sure to go across the street to Chaya to cook your own onsen egg and enjoy a nice cold beer while soaking your feet in hot spring water while you wait. A great way to finish a relaxing soak here!
Yanagi-Yu – The Hot One
One of our favorite things about trying all the onsen in Kinosaki, beyond the aesthetic, is that they all seemed to be at slightly different temperatures. By the end of our stay, everyone had an onsen that was just right for them on the temperature spectrum. But for those who want it hot, and we mean hot, there was a clear outlier- Yanagi-Yu.
The water at this onsen was so mind bogglingly hot that we, plus many others in the onsen along with us, struggled to get in past the legs. Those that braved a full plunge in the hot water only lasted a few minutes before jumping out looking like a freshly cooked lobster.
Mandara-Yu – A Tub Plunge
Mandara-Yu is another somewhat smaller onsen in town and has one modest indoor bath and two ceramic tubs outside for a deep, hot soak. While these were fun to try out, we have to admit that there was a bit of a line to try them, and, given their constrained size, felt a bit too, ahem, close for comfort when thinking about sharing the water with strangers after a quick turn.
Jizo-Yu – A Simple Bath
Perhaps our least favorite onsen was also our first- Jizo-Yu. While there is nothing particularly wrong with this onsen, we simply found the ambiance to be somewhat lacking and felt more like a communal bath at a recreation center than one found in a resort town.
Still, for those who are coming with kids, it is worth noting that the onsen here does have a shallow children’s bath that could make for a great option for those who may not be able to soak in the larger pools nearby.
Satono-Yu – The One We Missed
Unfortunately, we did not make it to all seven of the onsen during our visit to Kinosaki Onsen, if only because Satono-yu was closed for renovations during our visit. This was a bit of a shame because this onsen was said to have Turkish-style baths, Japanese baths, and an outdoor waterfall with views, to name a few.
As such, while we cannot overtly state where this one would fall on our spectrum of favorite onsens, by all accounts based on photos, it likely would’ve been towards the top of our list. But, much like Goshono-yu mentioned above, if you visit and this one is open note that the facilities may switch genders by day.
Check Onsen Popularity Online
Before heading to the onsen in Kinosaki, you may be interested to know that you can check how busy each one is on Visit Kinosaki. We stumbled upon this one somewhat accidentally during our visit and really loved the real-time count of how many people were at each!
At the end of our last night, we were going to head back to our favorite, Goshono-Yu, for one final soak, and saw it was pushing 100% capacity. Rather than deal with the crowds or a potential wait, we went to have a drink, only to find the onsen’s capacity opende back up significantly shortly thereafter. A real strategy perk!
To book your room in Kinosaki Onsen, click here.
About Jeremy
About the Author: Jeremy is a full-time travel writer based in Pittsburgh and primary author of this site. He has been to 70+ countries on five continents and seeks out new food, adventure activities, and off-the-beaten-path experiences wherever he travels.