Hyogo Kobe City
Arima Onsen Taiko no Yu
A miraculous, renowned onsen of 6-million-year-old ancient seawater rising from 60 km (37 mi) underground
- Arima Onsen
- Natural Hot Spring
- Free-flow from source
- Auto löyly available
- Finnish sauna
- Sauna Available
About Arima Onsen Taiko no Yu
Arima Onsen Taiko no Yu, in Arima-cho, Kita-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, is an onsen theme park among the largest in western Japan. Themed on Arima Onsen, beloved by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, it offers 26 kinds of baths and a warm-stone room. You can enjoy three waters at once: Kinsen (gold spring), a miraculous, renowned onsen of 6-million-year-old ancient seawater that rises from 60 km (37 mi) underground with the highest salt concentration in Japan; Ginsen (silver spring), a radium spring from the Rokko mountains; and a carbonated bath (artificial) at therapeutic-spring level. The Kiwami Lava Sauna in the main bathhouse was the first in the Kansai region to use Sakurajima lava and germanium. Every 12 minutes, automatic löyly darkens the room and the crystal at its center lights up, creating a space for meditation. There is also Ginsen Iwashimizu, a rustic cold plunge of cooled Ginsen water. Dining ranges from a kaiseki restaurant to a food court styled like old-time street stalls. It is a 10-minute walk from Arima Onsen Station, with a free shuttle bus and four hours of free parking.
Hot SpringONSEN
Kinsen
A miraculous, renowned onsen of 6-million-year-old ancient seawater that rises from 60 km (37 mi) underground with the highest concentration of onsen minerals in Japan. Serpentinite strata holding the ancient seawater were carried down to the upper mantle by the subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate, where the water was squeezed out and rose to the surface, making it an onsen directly linked to a tectonic plate, rare anywhere in the world. Its minerals are so concentrated that you should take care not to get light-headed from soaking too long.
Ginsen
Arima Onsen’s Ginsen is a simple, weakly radioactive cold mineral spring containing radium. It is clear and colorless, with a soft, mild feel. Gentler than Kinsen, it suits longer soaks and alternating hot and cold baths, and is said to make it easy to feel effects on circulation and metabolism. At Taiko no Yu it comes in many forms, from Ginsen alone to blends with Kinsen and from foot baths to full soaks, including the gourd-shaped open-air bath, Ginsen Kutsurogi-yu and the blend in Tenka-no-Yu.
SaunaSAUNA
Kiwami Lava Sauna
The first sauna in the Kansai region to use germanium on the floor and Sakurajima lava, with its high heat emissivity, on the walls. As an all-around sauna and warm-stone room in one, it lets you enjoy both at the same time. A power crystal (quartz) at the center of the room creates a calming space. Once every 12 minutes, automatic löyly dims the lights so that only the crystal is lit, letting you focus on the sauna as you would in a meditation sauna.
Cold BathCOLD BATH
Ginsen Iwashimizu
Uses 100% sacred spring water, just as it is, rising at the foot of the Rokko mountains upstream of the famous Zuihoji temple. A rustic cold plunge of Ginsen water cooled without heating. Being able to enjoy natural onsen water even in the cold plunge is a welcome touch. It recreates the way the water flows out from between the rocks at the source.
Where to stay near Arima Onsen Taiko no Yu
Hotels and ryokan we feature, within 10 km in a straight line.
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Facility Information
- Address
- 292-2 Ikenoshiri, Arima-cho, Kita-ku, Kobe, Hyogo
- Business Hours
- 10:00〜22:00
Irregular Holidays
- Closed Days
- Irregular Holidays
- Gender Access
- Gender Separated
- Tattoo Policy (Communal Bath)
- No Tattoos
- Official Website
- View official site
Access
By car
- From central Osaka and the southern Hanshin area (Ashiya → Royu Driveway → Arima Onsen)
- From Himeji and Okayama (Chugoku Expressway, Nishinomiya IC → Arima-Yamaguchi Line (bypass) → Arima Onsen)
- From northern Osaka and Kyoto (Chugoku Expressway, Nishinomiya-Yamaguchi JCT → Hanshin Expressway Kita-Kobe Route → Nishinomiya-Yamaguchi-Minami IC → Arima-Yamaguchi Line (bypass) → Arima Onsen)
Train and bus
- From Kobe/Sannomiya: about 30 minutes (subway and Kobe Electric Railway → Arima Onsen Station)
- From Hankyu Takarazuka: about 45 minutes (Hankyu Bus)
- From Umeda/Osaka: about 50 minutes (Hankyu Bus)
- From Hankyu Shukugawa: about 35 minutes (Sakura Yamanami Bus)
- Kobe Airport → Sannomiya Station: about 20 minutes (Port Liner)
Shuttle
- A loop shuttle bus runs between Arima Onsen Station on the Kobe Electric Railway and Taiko no Yu (timetable on the official website)
About 550 m (1,800 ft) from Arima Onsen Station on the Kobe Electric Railway toward the Stamp Museum, roughly a 10-minute walk. The driving routes are the officially recommended ones for when the road from Nishinomiya-Kita IC on the Chugoku Expressway toward Arima Onsen is congested.
Visited by the Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief visited in person in August 2025
A Blissful Moment in the Golden and Silver Springs
Read the full review
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