Unfortunately, the Kansai area is one of the least exciting parts of the country for a seasoned onsen enthusiast. Unfortunate, because that happens to be where I lived. However, among the few onsens that there are in this mainly industrial area, some real beauties are to be found. For example.....
The residents of Arima claim that their spring is the oldest in the whole of Japan. There is some evidence to back this up, such as a mention in the ancient "Nihon Shoki", an almost prehistoric Japanese travel journal. This would mean that the town has been around since at least 720, but many insist on it being closer to 2000 years old. Arima also holds the even greater distinction of being the first onsen ever visited by yours truly. It's only about 20 minutes from my house. One more striking feature of this small suburb lurking in the foothills of Mt. Rokko is yhe colour of the spring water. It is naturally a brilliant red colour, due to large quantities of iron in the surrounding land. First timers may balk at the thought of climbing into what looks like a bath of tomato soup, but fear not! You will come out the same colour as you went in. Almost. Arima abounds with places in which to immerse yourself, but I would recommend the cheap, public "Onsen Kaikan" for those on a tight budget. People wishing to splash out a staggering 1000 yen could do a lot worse than one of the following hotels.
Arima Gyoen (Rotenburo available)
Arima Royal Hotel
Arima Grand Hotel
Kinosaki is one of the prettiest towns you could stumble across. Located a mile or two from the Japan Sea coast, the tree-lined river flows through the middle of the town, past all the baths and hotels. Early April is easily the best time to visit, as the trees are then in full bloom. A beautiful sight and no mistake. The "thing to do" here is to strap on your "geta" (almost unimaginably uncomfortable wooden sandals) and do a tour of the six main bathhouses of the town. All are quite different, with "Goshonoyu" having a steam sauna, and "Konoyu" having a very pleasant open-air bath. "Jizoyu" is a mere 3 years old, while the others stretch back to at least the last century. All are 300 yen, with 3 being open from 7:00a.m. until 11:00p.m., and the other 3 open from 3:00p.m. All in all, a very unspoiled town, and a good onsen experience.
Yumura is the boonies. Serious countryside, and as such has an altogether slower pace to it than either Arima or Kinosaki. Again, it is located in the north of Hyogo Prefecture, not far from the border with neighbouring Tottori Pref. The place to head here is to the dubiously titled "Yumura Refresh Park", a sort of health centre, based around the source. This complex contains several baths, all very different in style (one bath is simply a huge beer barrel with a wooden seat inside. There is also a spring water swimming pool, but this tends to be full of people so old that they can remember the town before the spring occurred (several hundred years ago). All the baths are mixed (yippee!!), but they give you a ill-fitting pair of Dr. No style shorts to wear. You know the kind. The ones that, when they get wet, form a superstrong chemical bond to your nether regions. Removing them requires a complicated operation usually ending with the loss of several square of top skin. Don't let it put you off, though. It is a good place to unwind, and you could always take your own trunks.
Shirahama, or "White Beach" is a very popular onsen town in the far south of Wakayama Prefecture, an area famous as Japan's no. 1 orange producer. Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that this is a town of a mere 30,000 people with its own airport. A much more pleasant way to turn up, however, is via JR's "Kuroshio" limited express from Osaka, a railway trip that follows the coast right the way down from Wakayama City. A bus is needed to get into town from the station. If you walked it, you'd need more than just a hot bath. Shirahama abounds with hotels, so I'm not even going to bother recommending one, mainly because I can't remember the name of the place we stayed. It was up on a hill, as I recall. 3 springs are worthy of mention in this town.
Top of the list is a small expanse of rock known as "Sakinoyu" (Bath on the cape). This stands out for two reasons: one, it is FREE!! Yep, not a penny piece to pay, and secondly because it is really rather cool. Being about 2 yards from the beach, you can see and feel the waves breaking on the rocks. In fact, in stormy weather, the place is closed. Pity, really, it would be kind of fun.
About half a mile inland, is a secluded little spot called "Sogennoyu" (Bath is the meadow), an odd name considering that it lies in the middle of a forest. This, too, is an open air bath, and we actually had the place to ourselves for most of the time. The water here is HOT. Seriously scalding. We ventured in all the way up to our ankles, and sat there grimacing and cursing as our feet went through the full spectrum of colours. After about 30 minutes or so, we were ready to give up and go for a beer, when who should appear, but the caretaker, who took one glance at our feet and show us the tap that pours cold water into the bath. Ah ha! We 'warmed' to the place after that, and really soaked it up. The scenery is lovely, especially on a freezing Boxing Day. The undiluted water is a near unbearable 55 degrees, hence the need for a tap. The beer is cold in waiting room, though.
Last, and probably least, is "Shirarahama" (Good, white beach), not far from "Sakinoyu", but not free, unfortunately. An indoor variety, it seems to be frequented entirely by old men, determined to tell you how many countries they've never been to. Still, you can ignore them by watching the waves break through the window, and pretending you don't know what they're on about.
All in all, not a bad little town, and if you're there, a trip to local beer hall called "Sakana", with its friendly host, will please you, but set you back a few thousand yen. Go in the winter, and you'll no doubt go home laden down with bags of seemingly unwanted oranges given out at every store and street corner.
Kurama is located about half an hour's drive north of Kyoto City itself, but in fact you'd never know you were anywhere near such a metropolis. Roundabout is little apart from steep wooded mountains, and the noted Kurama Temple (well worth a visit). The onsen is located about 10-15 minutes walk from Kurama station, the terminus of a small mountain railway, or if you're lazy, there is a courtesy bus that will save you a bit of time and effort. At the onsen, you have two choices: indoor or outdoor. I would recommend the latter, as the bath site is surrounded by a particular lovely array of shrubs and flowers, with the mountains providing a perfect backdrop. There isn't anything as complicated as a changing room. You just whip your kit off at the side of the bath, and there you are. No problem of theft, therefore, as your belongings are only a couple of yards away. The baths are wooden, and the water temperature just about perfect. Hot enough to soothe, but cool enough to stay immersed for a while. People coming here under their own power can also take advantage of the other benefits of the area, such as the afore-mentioned Kurama Temple, the brilliant noodle shops perched on stilts over the nearby river, and the opportunity to drive through some really beautiful wooded countryside. I had a blast round the country roads on a Kawasaki ZZR, and enjoyed every second. The roads are ideally suited to two-wheeled shenanigans. The onsen has a large car park, and the only possible drawback of this place is the number of people who flock to it at weekends and holidays. Still, no hesitation in recommending this place.
As soon as you are within about 50 miles of this town, your eyes will be bombarded with adverts telling you to make for "Kua House". So we did. It is the hot-spring equivalent of an out of town shopping mall. Resembling an aircraft hanger, this is not the place to come if in search of a quaint, olde-worlde type onsen. It is communal bathing on a massive scale. You are limited to an hour (enough) from the moment your ticket pops out of the giant, flashing machine. The bathing/showering area is far too small for the number of people, and everywhere there are kids crying, and parents shouting. The main claim to fame is that the bath boasts a view of the oh-so-stunning Amanohashidate. In reality, it is about 5 miles away, and not worth looking at, anyway. So, if you want to come here, don't expect to relax. You may be able to clean yourself, but that's all.
Yubara is a pretty little town, stretched along the banks of the River Asahi. For the discerning bather who is keen on a cheap dip, he has 2 options: first, there is Yubara Onsen Sunayu, a free, mixed bath by the river's edge, below a huge dam, where one is obliged to cover the family jewels with either a bath towel or appropriate swimwear. This rule is only loosely adhered to, and we were treated to the memorable sight of several ladies in their 80s, buck-naked, and completely unaware of/unfazed by the horrified gazes all around them. A mile or two downstream, there is Shimoyubara Onsen, a similar place in terms of cost, location and gender division, differing only in that the aforementioned towels and/or bathing costumes are not only not essential, but actually banned. After my previous eyeful, I'm afraid I wasn't man enough for this. I'd just had lunch.
Misasa is located not far from the Japan Sea Coast, and is one the country's more famous hot spring towns. We plumped for a hotel named "Burannaru", although none of us could work out from which language this word had been pinched. The residents claim that it is a "European-style" town, but I failed to see any connection whatsoever. Maybe it's to do with their incessantly rainy weather. The bath is nice enough, and there is a good steam sauna. There is also an open-air bath in the car park (!!), should you wish to experience Tottori rain first hand.
Fukube is a one-building onsen,right on the Japan Sea coast, a couple of miles of the Tottori Sand Dunes. The actual bath house is a modern concrete affair, but the view from the bath is lovely, especially at dusk, when the lights from all the fishing boats become visible out at sea. It is also very handy for people who have spent the day hang-gliding, paragliding etc. on the sand dunes. After recovering/relaxing in the bath, relax in one of the 4 massage chairs and enjoy chatting with an old guy who operates the chains, electrodes, prodders and pokers in the chair. You may feel that he's doing his best to cripple you for life, but a few minutes after the torture finishes, you feel like a new man (even if you're a woman).
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