Tattoo-friendly ONSEN town: Kinosaki

Empty Japan - (Empty.Japan)
Itinerary created by
Empty Japan
What you’ll do

Kinosaki Onsen Town is a charming spot known for its seven public hot springs. What sets it apart is its tattoo-friendly policy, a departure from the norm in Japan. Here, you can enjoy the healing and relaxing waters without being turned away due to tattoos, a welcome change.

The town's ambiance is traditional, with willow-lined canals and picturesque bridges. As you stroll through the streets in a provided yukata, you can easily hop between its public onsens, each offering a unique bathing experience.

The open-minded approach to tattoos enhances the relaxation factor. You can soak in the therapeutic hot springs without any worries. After enjoying the baths, explore the town's historic streets, local shops, and indulge in delicious cuisine, including Kinosaki's famous Tajima beef and fresh seafood.

  • You do NOT have to rent a car to get to Kinosaki onsen

  • Travel time from Kyoto station by train: 2h 30m /// by car: 2h 40m

  • Travel time from from Osaka station by train: 2h 40m /// by car: 2h 20m

Day Total

4.1 km (2.5 mi)

17 min

Total route too long to export to Google
1

How to get to Kinosaki onsen
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Read before your trip
Category
Public Transport
Est. Price
$$
Transport Type
train
Direction
2

Read before your trip to Kinosaki
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Read before your trip
Category
Sightseeing
Direction

If you arrive before the check-in time, I recommend leaving your bags at the hotel and starting to explore the town right away.

3

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Oedo Onsen Monogatari Kinosaki
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Hotel with a large onsen
Category
Hotel
Direction

966 m (0.6 mi)

4 min

4

Satono Yu Onsen
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Onsen
Category
Hot Spring
Est. Price
¥900
Direction

All the restaurants in Kinosaki are located really close to each other so feel free to experience them in any order you want, according to your preferences or the restaurants' reservation availability. For example you might want to have some seafood during lunch and some wagyu for dinner or the other way around.

5

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Okesho sengyo & Dinning room Kaichuen
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Delicious local seafood
Category
Restaurant
Est. Price
¥2,500
Direction

52 m (0 mi)

6

Kōmoto shōten / 河本商店
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Gift shop
Category
Shop
Direction

135 m (0.1 mi)

7

Ichi roku hachi iroha yu no machi / 一六八 いろは湯のまち
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Ghibli store
Category
Shop
Direction

16 m (0 mi)

8

Matsugami
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Egg snack
Category
Café
Est. Price
¥300
Direction

157 m (0.1 mi)

1 min

9

木輪 本店
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Woodcraft store
Category
Shop
Direction

18 m (0 mi)

10

城崎茶宴 ちゃの湯
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Tea shop
Category
Shop
Est. Price
¥1,000
Direction

19 m (0 mi)

11

Maruyama Karyo Kinosaki Store
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Traditional Japanese snack shop
Category
Shop
Est. Price
¥600
Direction

182 m (0.1 mi)

1 min

12

Ichinoyu Onsen
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Onsen
Category
Hot Spring
Est. Price
¥800
Direction

Up next, you'll have restaurant options to choose from (swipe right to see the other choices).

13

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Orizuru Sushi Restaurant
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Delicious sushi
Category
Restaurant
Est. Price
¥4,500
Direction

21 m (0 mi)

14

Shisho Shrine / 四所神社
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Shrine
Category
Sightseeing
Direction

This marks the end of day 1 in this itinerary.

In the upcoming section, you'll discover three public onsens in Kinosaki that, in my opinion, are not as appealing as the other four mentioned during day 1 and day 2 of this itinerary (the reasons for this will become apparent as you read their descriptions).

I decided to include these three onsens nonetheless because excluding them would have left the itinerary feeling incomplete, and you might want toto explore all seven public onsens in Kinosaki town anyway.

15

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Mandarayu Bath
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Onsen
Category
Hot Spring
Est. Price
¥800
Direction

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