Goshonoyu Onsen

Very cool Onsen. Outdoor-only with a waterfall. Gets crowded during main times (4-6pm) so better while others are at dinner or in the morning and you'll be only with a few others. I went both in the evening (7pm) and in the morning (8;30am) and they switched sides of female/male so you could experience both sides of the waterfall, which was cool!

This is an amazing bathhouse. The exterior is grand and the bathing areas are spectacular. They switch the bathing areas around each day, or they appeared to at least. Both sides feature water falls cascading down into the bathing pools. One side had 3 tiers of pools from a top level near the waterfall to the bottom. The other side was more of a single tier but split pools and had some spots set up with wooden logs for headrests and stretching out. I saw a number of interesting little creatures while here. They have some neat spiders in this area, I saw a blue streaked salamander in a little side garden in on one side and when I was on the other I saw a little blue and red crab sitting just outside the gate of the waterfall that cascades down the hill. The crab was sitting there watching the bathers, naughty crab 🦀.

We checked out a few of the local onsens and this was by far the favorite. The gorgeous waterfall and peaceful serenity offered here was a surreal and very relaxing experience. Definitely don't miss this one when here. Highly recommend!

It is 7:10 am and not so crowded. Beautiful entrance leading to a cascade of three onsen pools , all from an artificial stream of hot spring, lined by beautiful Japanese maples.

Visited 3 out of the 7 major onsens during our four day trip to kinosaki, plus a ryokan. This one was my personal favorite because of the large outdoor onsen. It is tiered and situated by a small waterfall and so lovely. The locker area was very spacious compared to the other onsens too. The indoor pools are always a little too warm for me so it was nice to have a large outdoor pool, which is always my favorite.

Visited on a Friday night. It was very busy. There wasn't a greeting, and I could tell the owners were just thrilled to be raking in all that money. The women's area was incredibly crowded. You basically couldn't move without touching other naked people. The instructions said to take a small towel, but there were none. Then I found out you had to pay for them. There was some inappropriate-looking behavior from one young girl lying back on the rocks, and lots of people chatting very loudly. The waterfall was cool, but the whole experience was far from relaxing. Not really my thing. In fact, it was so weird and off-putting that I didn't try any other onsen in Kinosaki Onsen and just spent the rest of my time doing other things there.

Really nice onsen, beautiful view of a waterfall, relaxing. Always busy but still doesn’t feel too crowded even if capacity says 100%.

Amazing Experience. This was our first Hot spring and was bit excited.We went as family. No Private/Family pool. Women and men are separate. Leave shoes in the entrance locker. Leave dress in inside locker. Entry to water only allowed nude. dont forget towels. This onsen has got open pool facing the water flowing mountain. amazing view. water is about 60 degrees hot and a nice warm feel. they have different pressure levels of water areas where you can sit stand and semi-laying positions. Dont miss if you flying to Japan.

If there is one place I would suggest coming to it is Kinosaki for the love of enjoying Japanese tradition and also being able to check out these cool onsens. Relaxing and being able to walk around with a yukata is just something you don't do everywhere, but in this town, you will see it almost anywhere you are walking! Even bars allow you to come in with it! That is how different it is. The history and the calmness here, make your whole body so relaxed and just enjoy the moment of being here. Don't forget to visit the temples, shops, and of course the many onsens around.

We stayed in a cute hotel (not handicap accessible due to the stairs) that was above a cafe that served the breakfast that came with the room. Some hotels don't have showers (since you will most likely shower at the Onsens) but have bathrooms. You can pay more for a private Onsen at the many hotels located throughout. We were lucky enough to get 2 rooms and wander through the town in our hotel provided yukatas that were super cute. My friend who we were with went to all seven onsens and loved the Goshonoyu Onsen since it has a beautiful outdoor onsen while some of others were not as picturesque. You can buy the day pass at the onsens for ¥1500 = $9.82 where you can go to any of the 7 onsens there for that price. It was relatively easy to navigate as this was my first time going to one.

Kinosaki Onsen is an incredibly charming town known for its seven natural onsens (natural hot springs) and the seven sentos (bathhouses) built around them. A township of only 3500 people, Kinosaki Onsen is celebrating its 1300 years of history. A two and a half hour train ride from Kyoto, one can easily traverse the entire length of the town in about 30 minutes. However, beyond the bathhouses, there are so many fascinating spots to see. Shrines, temples and shops devoted to local artisans. This is an absolutely gorgeous spot to sight-see and witness a much different perspective and pace of life in Japan than major cities like Kyoto or Tokyo. As someone who is heavily tattooed I was aware that most bathhouses in Japan were not tattoo friendly. Many of the ones available in the big cities will allow you to enter if you have a small tattoo you can cover with a patch. That would be impossible for someone like me. So I came realizing that I'd have to look carefully if I wanted the Sento/Onsen experience as a person with a lot of tattoos. The websites advertising Kinosaki Onsen are explicit in the fact that they are very tattoo-friendly and that all seven of the Sentos allow for anyone to come and bathe, regardless of how much pigment has been added to their skin. Considering how prosperous this small town appears (and how many tattooed tourists I saw), I get the impression that this was a wise move from a tourism perspective. Even by Japanese standards, the place was immaculately clean and well-preserved and in the middle of a truly beautiful spot in Japan. The Otani River runs through the middle of the town, creating an incredibly picturesque view of bridges crossing the river and streets lined with willows and lanterns. Of all the places I visited in Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto...etc.), this place gave me the feeling I first had discovering traditional Japanese paintings and prints. I had the amazing luck to arrive during the Kinosaki Fall Danjiri Festival. During this Shinto festival, men from various shrines in Kinosaki Onsen carry elaborate miniature shrines on their shoulders and engage in mock battles. It was so fascinating and the shrines they carried were absolutely beautiful. I felt so privileged to get this picture of the cultural/religious life of the people of this small town. I visited four of the seven sacred bath houses. Each is different, but they all are fed by the natural hot waters of this geo-thermally active area. My favorite was Goshono-Yu which is Sento that has a section that is open air and you can see the hot waters flowing down waterfalls into the bath. Truly magnificent. Most of the hotels in this town offer guests yukatas (un-lined cotton kimonos) and getas (traditional japanese clogs). Besides for being comfortable, they allow for you to easily dress and undress to use the bathhouses (where clothing of any kind is absolutely forbidden). Most of the hotels, including my own, offered a guest pass with a QR code that allows for you to visit all of the Sentos in the town. The second day I was there I visited three in the span of two hours. It was wonderfully relaxing, though I will tell you that it took me some time to get used to just how hot the water is. It's quite a bit hotter than you would find in the average hot tub/Jacuzzi in the West. Honestly, I could probably go on writing about Kinosaki Onsen indefinitely. My advice, if you're even remotely close (like Kyoto), it is well worth the train ride to visit this town. Between the beautiful views, access to the delightful bathhouses and the cultural festivals, you will take with you a host of wonderful memories. Highly, HIGHLY recommended.

This town has seven onsens, or bath houses. Most have ryokans, or hotels attached to them. Each of them can be accessed individually but the most fun is to have your hotel provide a pass to all seven of them. Yelp currently lists three or four of them but I'll give you a general rundown of the scene. Your hotel will provide you with a day pass. You wear it as a necklace. It contains a QR code to gain access to the onsens. Your hotel will also give you a yakata, or robe, and wooden slippers. You are also given both a large and small towel. This is owned by your hotel, not the bath house. You wear underwear underneath and then meander from onsen to onsen at your leisure. Upon entering, you stamp your souvenir book trying to get all seven stamps, one from each onsen. One onsen was closed for construction during our stay. You put your shoes in a locker or shoe rack and head to with the mens or ladies locker rooms. These are all unisex, although you can go to a few couples onsens around town. You lock all of your clothes and belongings in a locker and keep a key with a wrist band. Armed with only your small towel and a smile, you start your adventure. Next, you enter the bath house and take a quick shower. You are fully nude in the group setting and you shower and soak in the hot tub in the same large room. After your shower, you slip into the tub. Most of the places have an outdoor tub, too, and the cool air is very refreshing. The water is a natural hot spring and is quite warm. You keep the small towel with you and rest it neatly folded on top of your head while soaking. Most folks usually stay in the water only about 10 minutes are so. After your soak, you shower again, rinsing away the hot spring water. It has a sulfur kind of scent. Back in the locker room, you use the large towel to dry off and you get dressed again in your robe and slippers. There are scores of people walking the streets of this onsen town, mostly in their Yamasa and slippers. It is romantic and a really special way to spend a day and evening.