Funaoka Onsen

Kyoto Is One of the Best Places to Travel in 2023 — and Winter Is an Underrated Time to Visit

"A beloved public bathhouse dating back to 1923, notable for intricately carved wooden ceilings and colorful tiled walls that give the sentō a distinctive, historic atmosphere." - Katie Chang Katie Chang Katie Chang is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Her work has been published in Forbes, Travel + Leisure, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Esquire, Architectural Digest, Vogue, Food & Wine, Town & Country, and more. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines

"Open since 1923, this is one of Kyoto 's oldest bathhouses. The late hours (3 p.m.–1 a.m.) make it a great stop after a long day of walking (Fushimi Inari Shrine, anyone?). At ¥430 (around $3.75) per visit, this onsen won't break the bank any time soon, either. These are public baths strictly divided by gender, and in the Japanese tradition, all bathing and soaking is done in the nude. Visitors can choose from eight or so pools, most inside but a couple also in an open-air courtyard. Funaoka has bragging rights as the first onsen to install an electric pool, but it's not for the faint of heart—literally. Tiny shocks pulse through the water—therapeutically or painfully, you decide—and a sign clearly instructs visitors with heart problems to avoid that particular pool. Everything else is safe and pleasant for soakers ranging from their early 20s to late 80s."