Best Activities around Kansai Spot List

A cozy accommodation with its own hot spring

Take a relaxed trip around Ine Bay by boat

Known as one of Japan’s top three beauty hot springs

The Rokko Arima Ropeway takes about 12 minutes to travel between Rokko Sancho Station, where Rokko Garden Terrace provides a sweeping vista of urban Kobe and Osaka Bay, and Arima Onsen Station, where clouds of white steam drift upward from one of Japan's three most famous hot springs. While gliding through sky, you can savor the superb view of the majestic nature of Mt. Rokko with scenery that changes with the seasons. What's more, there are attractions dotted across the mountain to enjoy at your leisure such as the Rokko Alpine Botanical Gardens and Rokkosan Country House. After unwinding in an onsen, take the ropeway back to Mt. Rokko.

This ropeway connects Yunoyama Onsen with Mt. Gozaisho, located 1,212 meters above sea level. From the window you can see the townscape of Yunoyama Onsen and Yokkaichi, as well as Ise Bay, and the natural scenery surrounding Mt. Gozaisho transforms every season: azaleas in spring, red dragonflies in summer, colored leaves in autumn (from mid-October to late November), and beautiful frost-covered trees in winter.

This studio has started offering a new experience called the Maiko Location Photo Plan, where you can take a photo in front of a Kyo-machiya (townhouse in Kyoto) or in the Higashiyama area. To experience being a maiko, you can choose from a variety of gorgeous attire and wear traditional Japanese makeup using face powder and a water-soluble lipstick. Other popular plans include Couple Plan where you can take a photo with your partner wearing a kimono, and the Kids Maiko Plan for children aged five and over (height: 100 centimeters or more).

A bathhouse exuding old-fashioned charm

Located just one meter away from the sea, this is a public open-air bath that Shirahama Onsen is famous for. According to the ancient history books, such as the Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan) and the Manyoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves), Prince Arima visited this place about 1,350 years ago.

This open-air bath is right next to Shirahama Beach. Since you can wear a swimsuit while soaking in this pool-like bathtub, it's convenient to visit after a day at the beach. The hot water that springs from its own source is constantly replenished, ensuring the water is always fresh. During the non-summer seasons, it's used as a footbath instead.

This footbath was constructed when JR Ogoto Station was renamed as Ogoto-onsen Station on March 15, 2008. Tradition says that Ogoto-onsen was discovered by Denkyo Daishi Saicho, the founder of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mt. Hiei. The building is designed to recall a hexagonal hall located in Hayao Jizoson, where stone jizo statues (guardian deities of children) allegedly made by Saicho, are enshrined.