Hyogo Prefecture

Hop between baths in a robe and fire a cork gun

In some old hot spring towns, inn guests stroll from one public bathhouse to the next, called soto-yu, wearing a yukata, a light cotton robe lent by the inn. Between soaks, stop at an old game parlor to knock prizes off a shelf with a cork gun, a game called shateki, or play smart ball, a pinball-like game with glass marbles. These towns are 2.5 to 3 hours from Tokyo or Kyoto, so they are best with a night at a ryokan, and many parlors stay open into the evening.

See old classics back to back on a big screen

A meigaza is an old-style repertory cinema that shows films after their first run, usually two back to back for a single ticket, with programs built around a director or an era. Pick a double bill from the schedule and settle in among local film fans. Japanese films are usually shown without English subtitles, so choose a foreign film in its original language or a screening marked with English subtitles.

Compare the waters of five hot spring towns

These are five of Japan's best-known onsen towns: Kusatsu, Gero and Arima, the classic three, plus Beppu, which has more hot spring water than anywhere else in Japan, and Dogo, one of the oldest. Each has its own water and a landmark at its heart, from wooden channels of steaming water to a bathhouse where you are buried in warm sand. They are spread across Japan, so pick the one that fits your route; Arima is the closest, about an hour from Osaka.

An island of sweet onions and whirlpools

Awaji Island, across a long bridge from Kobe, is Japan's best-known onion island, where harvested onions are hung in sheds to cure until they turn sweet. At its southern tip, facing the whirlpools of the Naruto Strait, eat whole roasted onions and onion burgers with a view of a giant suspension bridge, then take onions home from a farm market. It is about two and a half hours from Osaka by train and highway bus, and a car makes getting around much easier.

Seaside cafes facing the setting sun

The west coast of Awaji Island, a large island in the Seto Inland Sea linked to Kobe by a long suspension bridge, faces open water, so the sun sets straight into the sea. Cafes and restaurants line the coast road, each with windows or terraces turned toward the sunset. You will need a car, about an hour's drive from central Kobe, so check the sunset time and aim to arrive a little before it.

End your trip high above the city lights

Hakodate, Kobe and Nagasaki are known for Japan's three great night views, each seen from a mountaintop where you look down on a city spread between hills and sea. Ride up a little before sunset and watch the city slowly light up below you. Hakodate and Nagasaki are a flight away from Tokyo, while Kobe is close to Osaka, so it is the easiest one to fit into a trip.

An onsen town for bath-hopping in a yukata

In Kinosaki, ryokan line a willow-shaded canal, and public bathhouses are scattered through town, each with its own kind of bath. Change into a yukata, a light cotton kimono, and wooden geta sandals, and walk from one bath to the next; day visitors are welcome too. It is about 2.5 hours by train from Kyoto or Osaka.

Soak in Japan's three classic hot spring towns

Kusatsu, Arima and Gero have been called Japan's three finest hot springs since the 1600s, and each town has public baths you can use on a day visit without staying overnight. The water is different in each: strongly acidic in Kusatsu, rust-brown and salty in Arima, smooth and alkaline in Gero. Arima is about an hour from Osaka, while Kusatsu and Gero are better with a night at a ryokan.

Watch rice crackers bake and try free samples

Senbei are crisp Japanese crackers, usually made from rice, and some are pressed thin with shrimp or octopus. At a few factory shops you can watch them being baked through a window, then walk along the tasting counters and choose a favorite to take home. Watching is free and you can drop in without booking.

Laugh along at an old-style comedy hall

A yose is a small theater for rakugo, comic storytelling in which one performer kneels on a cushion and plays every character with only a fan and a hand towel. Between the storytellers come comedy duos, magicians and paper-cutting artists who snip shapes on request, so the acts keep changing through the afternoon. Most of the talk is in Japanese, but the magic and paper-cutting need no words, and at many halls you can simply buy a ticket at the door.

An onsen town with gold and silver waters

Arima is one of Japan's oldest hot springs, written about in a chronicle from the year 720. Two kinds of water rise here, rust-brown kinsen ("gold water") and clear ginsen ("silver water"), and you can try both at the public bathhouses, which allow tattoos. It is about an hour from Osaka by bus, or 30 minutes from Kobe.

Sip sake you can only get at the brewery

Some sake breweries run their own restaurants, where you can drink sake that is not sold anywhere else, with food made to go with it. Non-drinkers can tour the brewery, try sweets made from sake lees, the paste left after pressing, or simply enjoy the meal. All three here are an easy train ride from Tokyo or Osaka.

Explore More Areas

Okayama Prefecture

Kyoto Prefecture

Osaka Prefecture

Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture

Shoshazan Engyoji Temple

Google

Minamiawaji, Hyogo Prefecture

Kamitatekami Rock

Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture

Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

Minatogawa Shrine

Minamiawaji, Hyogo Prefecture

Whirlpools Cruise

Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture

Kakurinji Temple

Google

Minamiawaji, Hyogo Prefecture

Keino Matsubara Beach

Google

Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture

Hyogo Prefecture Awaji Hanasajiki

Sumoto, Hyogo Prefecture

Sumoto Castle Ruins

Google

Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture

Google

Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture

Google

Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture

Esaki Lighthouse

Google

Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

TAOCA COFFEE 神戸六甲店

Google

Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture

ニジゲンノモリドラゴンクエストアイランド

Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture

Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture

Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge

Google

Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

神戸どうぶつ王国

Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture

Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

Kikuseidai (Observation Platform)

Google

Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

Nunobiki Falls - Ontaki

Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture

甲子園歴史館 The Museum of Hanshin Koshien Stadium

Google

Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

北野坂にしむら珈琲店

Google

Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

ハーブミュージアム

Google

Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture

大西屋水翔苑

Google

Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

有馬街道温泉すずらんの湯

Google

Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

BE KOBE モニュメント (メリケンパーク)

Google

Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

PATISSERIE CASSALADE (パティスリーカッサレード)

Google

Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

兵庫県立舞子公園

Google

Minamiawaji, Hyogo Prefecture