Getting to Arima Onsen from Kobe is very straightforward. From Shinkaichi Station, take the Kobekosoku-Nanboku Line to Arimaguchi Station, then transfer to the Kobe Dentetsu-Arima Line to the final stop, Arima Onsen Station. The trip will take around 45 minutes.

Zuihoji Park is said to be one of the best places in the Kansai region to see the colorful autumn leaves. It is only about a 15-minute walk from the center of Arima Onsen. Previously this was the site of the Zuihoji Temple, but after it was abandoned in 1873, it was made into a public park.

There are walking paths inside the park and when the leaves are at their best, the whole park is dyed in bright reds. The park is not that large so that even at a leisurely pace you can walk around it in about 30 minutes, but you may find yourself stopping often to enjoy the colorful leaves above you.

The views are absolutely gorgeous. The bright reds and oranges make a beautiful mosaic creating a kaleidoscope effect as you walk beneath them. It is easy to see why so many people come from other prefectures just to enjoy the autumn leaves.

According to legend, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was so captivated by the autumn scenery here that he spent the entire day playing go on a stone board beneath the glowing maple leaves. From dawn until dusk, he simply sat, played, and admired the view, which is how the spot came to be known as Higurashi Garden, literally meaning “from morning to night.”

Autumn foliage may be the main draw, but it is far from the only highlight. The grounds are also home to a striking 13-tiered stone pagoda and an impressive main gate relocated from Fushimi Momoyama Castle in Kyoto.

There are no shops or vending machines inside the park, which only adds to its quiet, timeless feel. The one exception is the Momiji Tea House, which opens for a limited period from late October to late November, right when the autumn leaves are at their best.

During this short season, it becomes a popular stop for visitors looking to slow down and soak in the atmosphere. The vivid red bankasa (coarse oilpaper umbrellas) placed around the tea house enhance the mood, making the scene especially photogenic during fall.

Along with classic tea house treats like dango, zenzai, and amazake (sweet sake), the menu also includes some unexpected options. You can order authentic pizza baked in a stone oven, as well as wine, making it a surprisingly versatile place to take a break during your visit.

Taiko-no-Yu opened in 2005 and quickly became one of Arima Onsen’s biggest attractions. After a major refurbishment in April 2019, the facility is now especially well suited for day-trip visitors, and to date, it has welcomed more than three and a half million guests.

What makes Taiko-no-Yu stand out is the sheer variety. In addition to the famous Kin-no-Yu and Gin-no-Yu baths, which feature two distinct types of mineral-rich waters, visitors can also soak in a recreated version of the historic Arima Carbonated Spring.

Inside, the experience feels more like a full-scale spa complex than a simple bathhouse. There are 26 different baths and bedrock baths to try, along with relaxation areas, a food court, and gift shops, making it easy to spend several unhurried hours here.

The interior is designed to show how Arima looked during the Azuchi-Momoyama Period and over the front desk is a hip gable roof. Room wear for adults is offered in four different colors from which you are free to choose.

One of the attractions of the Arima Onsen is the different mineral quality in the Kin-no-Yu and Gin-no-Yu baths. Kin-no-Yu is a reddish-brown ferruginous saline spring that has a higher salinity than seawater and is reputed to make the skin smoother and warm the body to the core. In addition to the open-air bath with hot spring water flowing directly from the source, a recreation of the stone bath that was in the palace of Hideyoshi, there is a large bath that combines the waters of both the Kin-no-Yu and Gin-no-Yu bath.

Gin-no-Yu features clear, colorless water and is known as a radon hot spring, traditionally believed to help promote healthy blood circulation. It is also an artificially carbonated spring, giving the water a lightly effervescent feel that many visitors find especially refreshing.

Beyond the outdoor baths, the facility offers a spacious indoor bath, bedrock baths, and even a foot bath, all using Gin-no-Yu spring water. This variety makes it easy to enjoy the benefits of the onsen at your own pace, whether you want a quick soak or a longer, more relaxing visit.

The Golden Steam Bath is designed after the golden tea room Taiko Hideyoshi had made, and the interior is also in gold. At least once try this luxurious steam bath where you can experience all the benefits of the mineral qualities found in the Kin-no-Yu and Gin-no-Yu bath.

This is a good place to take a rest after taking a bath. In addition to these reclining chairs, there is also a tatami mat space where you can relax.

The food court seats up to 331 people and feels lively rather than purely functional. The menu covers a wide range of comfort foods, including set meals, rice bowls, and noodles, and on some days the space even hosts live music performances.

Autumn is a particularly good time to eat here, thanks to a seasonal specialty made with local Hyogo ingredients. One standout dish is Takoiri Omu Sobameshi, an omelet filled with octopus and sobameshi (soba and rice cooked together with meat and vegetables). It is hearty, distinctly regional, and priced at 850 yen before tax, making it an easy and memorable local food experience.

While walking outside you can think about Kuroda Kanbei, a military commander with links to Arima. The walking path is patterned after the one in the Kurpark in Germany, a country noted for its therapeutic spas, and while strolling along it you can think about how you can improve your health while enjoying this area that transformed a chief vassal of a feudal lord into the country's most powerful warlord.

There are seven hot spring sources scattered throughout Arima Onsen and visiting them while walking around the area is an enjoyable way to pass the time. Tenjin Sengen is representative of the hot spring sources in Arima and it is a Kin-no-Yu-type of hot spring. The temperature of this gurgling hot spring from which steam vapors rise within the compounds of the Tenjin Shrine that enshrines Sugawara no Michizane, god of learning, is about 98 degrees Celsius.

The stairs of Tenjin Shrine have a reddish-brown color as a result of the rich iron and salt content in the Kin-no-Yu
hot spring water. The precincts are not that large, but this is a popular photo spot because the steam vapors billowing up makes an excellent background for a commemorative photo.

The Gosho Sengen is to the south and next to the popular Kin no Yu, another outdoor bath of Arima Onsen. This is also a Kin-no-Yu hot spring and the area maintained as a garden is a popular spot for couples and is illuminated at night.

You probably noticed the surreal signboards near the hot spring source.

There are several of these signboards with the cartoonish body and realistic faces scattered throughout the hot spring town. Actually these were created in 2013 during the Arima Onsen Backstreet Art Project and the faces are those of individuals who work at Arima Onsen. All together there are nine of these signboards which you might enjoy looking for.

A popular product of Arima Onsen is the Tansan Sembei. Flour, starch, and sugar are mixed with carbonated spring water, rolled into a thin sheet and then roasted to make a slightly sweet and crisp cracker. This is a treat that many have tasted even though they have never been to Arima Onsen.

There are many shops that sell the carbonated cracker in the hot spring town, but Mitsumori, which has ten shops in the town, was the first, beginning sales of it in 1907. Mitsumori Honpo, situated in Yumotozaka along with other gift shops and places to eat, has been making the crackers by hand in the same way since its beginning.

You can watch the crackers being made and grilled inside the quaint wood-frame shop and to the side, a task of trimming the crackers called "bari" being performed. Often the window is opened and freshly roasted crackers are offered to onlookers to sample. Most find them so delicious that they end up buying them as gifts. A round can containing 34 crackers costs 1,080 yen (tax included).

Soap, bath salts, mist, hand cream, and other skin care products are popular with women visiting Arima Onsen. Those who have used them swear by them and often come back time and again to purchase them. They are also sold at Yoshitakaya, a gift shop in front of the Kobe Electric Railway Arima Onsen Station.

In addition to skin care products, there are also many other items and original gifts packed into this store with the nostalgic atmosphere, making it a fun place to window shop.

This is a reproduction of the Arima Cider Teppo Water, the first cider drink made with carbonated spring water in Japan in the early 1900s. “Teppo” is the word for “gun” in Japanese and gives its name to the drink because of the popping sound made when opened. The reproduction of the original label has a gun on it.

It takes about 30 minutes to get to Arima Onsen either by train or express bus from Sannomiya. From Osaka it takes only about an hour, so this is a good destination for a day trip. Autumn is the best time, but the hot springs can be enjoyed throughout all the seasons, so when you visit the Kansai region, you should definitely make a point to visit here.

Text by: Editorial Works