I Love ゆ Blog

Yu~Raku near Juso in Osaka Added

2012-01-14T13:34:00.001+09:00

Uploaded a really short review of Yu~Raku. Sorry couldn't remember much about this nicely located sento a 10 minute walk from Juso on the Hankyu line. It's a soft water place which is always great.

Check out the full review here

Rakutenchi Onsen in Tenma Added

2012-01-09T13:17:00.000+09:00

Last night I was able to check out this little sento in Tenma. Had a great time but not a place for beginners. Read the full review here.

I Love ゆ Newsletter No. 4 - January 2012

2012-01-08T14:09:00.002+09:00

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I Love ゆ Newsletter No. 4 - January 2012
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In this newsletter:

1)    Site updates.
2)    This issue’s recommended spot.

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Happy New Year!
I hope all my readers get to enjoy some great hot springs this year!

1)    Site updates

Sakai is finally finished. A few really good super-sento are located in Sakai, including a brilliant little sento with a natural hot spring. All of the Sakai spots can be found here

Sakai: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/osaka/sakai/sakai.html

I've added a new supersento in Kakogawa, Hyogo. Akane no Yu is a great little super-sento with a ton of bubbly baths, but no natural hot spring.

Akane no Yu: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/Hyogo/hyogo/hyogo/akane.html

I've also updated the photos at the great Pokapo in rural Kato city.

Pokapo: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/Hyogo/hyogo/hyogo/pokapo.html

In Osaka city I've added a great neighborhood sento near Sekime station on the Keihan line. Super local with a great feel. Totally recommended for an authentic sento experience.

Suzuran Onsen: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/osaka/osaka/osaka/shimizu.html

2)    This issue’s recommended spot.

Sakai has a great number of sento and super-sento. Most of them with in a short walk from one of the many railways that run through the city. Here's an extra unique one among many unique sento in the city. Minatoshio-Yu actually pumps saltwater in from the Osaka bay, cleans it, heats it up and pumps it into the baths. What was once a common practice in the sento in the area is now only found here. So enjoy a nice saltwater bath but watch out for any little cuts! Ouch!

Minanoshio-Yu: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/osaka/sakai/sakai/minatoshio.html

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Happy new year! I've been doing this for 3 years now as I Love Yu and another one or two as Kansai Onsen Review. Hopefully the site will get more polished in 2012 and I can begin to do some more promotions for it. Coming up I've got a bunch of great places including a few in Shiga and one in Tsuruga, Fukui that I just adored.

Thank you for subscribing and, as always, can contact me in the comments or by email.

I Love ゆ Newsletter No. 3 - September 2011

2011-09-02T17:58:00.001+09:00

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I Love ゆ Newsletter No. 3 - September 2011
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In this newsletter:

1)    Site updates.
2)    This issue’s recommended spot.

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1)    Site updates

With Hyogo prefecture finished, I have moved on to Osaka first dealing with those sento and supersento in the city’s borders. Looking at this finished list I can think of a few places that I have been to but omitted due to poor note taking. Overall there is a good sampling of the what’s on offer within the city including some amazing natural springs that shouldn't be missed. There are 22 reviews of active sento and one remembrance of a great sento that closed since my visit.

Osaka city: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/osaka/osaka/osakacity.html

2)    This issue’s recommended spot.

I can’t recommend Shigino Kengon Onsen more. My first trip here was somewhat of the impetus for what became the I Love Yu project. Shigino is a gem of a sento with great staff and a truly amazing spring. I can’t write much more than what is already on the review so check it out there.

Shigino Kengon Onsen: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/osaka/osaka/osaka/shigino.html

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And that’s it for No.3. Thank you for subscribing. I hope you’re all enjoying some baths and that you had a great summer vacation. Since having a baby and going to the gym, my sento time has really been cut into. Hopefully sometime this weekend I’ll be able to get out of the house for a few hours.

Sakai city is next on my list. I’ll try to visit a few more around there before uploading my reviews. If you have any tips in Sakai please send them my way. As always you can contact me in the comments or by email.

Sento in China Facing the Same Problems as those in Japan

2011-07-23T13:01:00.003+09:00

Reader Mark tipped me off to this article from the LA Times about the disappearing Chinese sentos. According to the article new development is to blame. The sento featured in the article was the location for the Chinese language film "Shower" which I hadn't heard of before but has an 86% at Rotten Tomatoes.

This is all the more pertinent given that I just found out that Tanabe Onsen (田辺温泉) in Osaka city closed sometime in early 2009. Going through my database to begin uploading my Osaka reviews I came across the 口コミ (word of mouth) page about Tanabe on @nifty.

One commentator saying:
"Yes, It's really closed."
"There was a chain across the entrance"
"I was shocked as I recalled the memories [of Tanabe]"

Previous comments state that the owner had to undergo medical care. That was in 2009 and three years later the onsen has yet to re-open. I hope the owner is healthy. It would be good to see Tanabe reopen as it was a wonderful sento that I have recommended to people before. As the generation that built the current sento infrastructure gets older and their children more and more take up other professions we will only see the number of sento continue to decline.

Here's my original post from Kansai Onsen Review:
http://kansaionsen.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-post.html

Yupika - Ono, Hyogo - Updated

2011-07-03T16:14:00.000+09:00

The review of Yupika in Ono, Hyogo was just updated with new pictures and more information about the wonderful baths there. Make sure to try the local Ono beer!

I Love ゆ Newsletter No. 2 - June 2011

2011-06-12T13:52:00.002+09:00

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I Love ゆ Newsletter No. 2 - June 2011
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In this newsletter:

1) Site updates.
2) This issue’s recommended spot.

1) Site updates.
I have competed 20 reviews of mostly supersento from around Hyogo. Most of them more easily accessible by car, but there are a few that you can get to by train. Ebisu-Yu standing out as one of the best with an amazing spring feeding two outdoor-ish baths

Ebisu-Yu: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/Hyogo/hyogo/hyogo/ebisu.html
Hyogo: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/Hyogo/hyogo/hyogo.html

2) This issue’s recommended spot.

One supersento that my wife and I keep on saying that we want to return to is Nehime-no-Yu tucked up in rural Kasai city. The recommended course to get here by public transport on their website involves taking a highway bus and getting off at one of those lonely bus stops on the freeway and walking 5 minutes! Using trains won’t help much either, it’s 15 minutes by car from Hojomachi 北条町 station on the Hojo Dentetsu line or Yashirocho 社町 station on the JR Kakogawa line. It’s the most inaccessible place in this batch of reviews, so why am I recommending it? We just really enjoyed going here. The countryside is beautiful. We arrived just as the sun was setting and sky was beautiful. Inside it was filled with friendly locals. The baths were simple but comfortable. A Japanese garden covers a slope that makes up the rear of the rotenbro providing something to look at as you soak. I could imagine that this would be a great place for a midday soak with the sun out anytime of year.

Nehime no Yu: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/Hyogo/hyogo/hyogo/nehime.html

Did you even know there was a Hojo Dentestu? It use to be a JR line that was sold to the local municipality when JR was broken up and privatized in the 80’s. It’s a fun short ride and a good day trip for train fans in the Kansai area. I wrote about Hojo Dentetsu in my post about the now defunct Miki Dentetsu on my Japan blog.

Hojo Dentetsu on sleepytako: http://sleepytako.blogspot.com/2008/02/death-and-life-of-japanese-railways.html

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I’ll leave No. 2 at that. I’ll be working on Osaka next and I have some great recommendations coming up in that batch.

I Love ゆ Newsletter No. 1 - March 2011

2011-03-06T11:43:00.000+09:00

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I Love ゆ Newsletter No. 1 - March 2011
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In this newsletter:

1) Welcome and thanks!
2) Site updates.
3) News
4) This issue’s recommended spot.

1) Welcome and thanks!
Thank you all for subscribing to this little newsletter I hope that you’ll find the information inside useful and interesting. I’m trying to spend as much of my free time getting my reviews edited and up on the site and I thank you for your patience.

2) Site updates.
As of right now the Kobe city, Amagasaki city, and Nishinomiya city pages are online for a total of 64 reviews. The next group will be the rest of Hyogo prefecture, and once that is done I’ll be moving on to Osaka city.
Kobe: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/Hyogo/kobe/kobe.html
Amagasaki: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/Hyogo/ama/ama.html
Nishinomiya: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/Hyogo/nishinomiya/nishi.html

4) News.
A new foot bath, Momiji No Aishyu (もみじの足湯), is opening up in front of Hankyu Minoh Station in Minoh city, Osaka. The grand opening is set for Sunday, March 27. The foot bath will be open from 10am till 4pm with longer hours on weekends, holidays and during the fall colors in November. It will be closed on Thursdays. The admission is set at ¥150 yen which includes an original hand towel.

PDF Press release from Hankyu [Japanese]: http://holdings.hankyu-hanshin.co.jp/ir/data/ER201102222N1.pdf
Hankyu’s “Blog de Virtual Ekicho” has photos and more information [Japanese]: http://www.ekiblo.jp/user/sp_yukari_renta/sp16/17666.html

4) This issue’s recommended spot.
Each issue I’ll be recommending a sento and for the first I’d like to recommend Kua Mukogawa. It’s a short walk from Hanshin Mukogawa station. The exterior appears to be a normal sento, but it’s a newly reformed one on the inside. Last year the entire bathing area was rebuilt. You’ll love their strong jet baths and the great outdoor hot spring bath. This is a real deal hot spring. Many places have nice simple hot springs that let them advertise as being a natural hot spring, but it doesn’t really matter either way as the experience is mostly in the tubs and the normal baths. Kua is different. When you see the brown calcium deposits all around the tub and the opaque brown mineral rich water thats filling it, you’ll know that this is truly a natural hot spring. The water is somewhat like that of Arima Onsen and for ¥410 you’re getting a great deal. So a perfect--but somewhat narrow--sento experience plus a great hot spring for a very reasonable price. Highly recommended.

The neighborhood surrounding Kua is also worth checking out. Hanshin Mukogawa station is unique for being built entirely on a bridge near the mouth of the Mukogawa River. The west exit, the one you’ll use to get to Kua puts you out in Nishinomiya city while the east exit provides access to Amagasaki city.

North of the train tracks about a ten minute walk is a great Japanese sweets shop called Saikaen 彩花苑 that sells Karinto manjyu かりんどう饅頭. These brown ball shaped manjyu are the best that I’ve ever had. Crunchy on the outside while soft and chewy on the inside. Worth checking out if your a manjyu fan.

Kua Mukogawa: http://iloveyu.jp/Reviews/Hyogo/nishinomiya/kua.html
Saikaen homepage [in Japanese]: http://www.saikaen.jp/
Saikaen map: http://goo.gl/iSSEI

Well, that’s it for No. 1.

Any comments or questions are always appreciated.

Newsletter!

2011-02-26T16:05:00.002+09:00

I've set up a newsletter for site updates and things like that. I suspect it will come out once a month. I've your interested please click the banner below to sign up.

Site Update!

2011-01-09T15:43:00.000+09:00

I've be doing a lot of work over at iloveyu.jp.

Kobe city and Nishinomiya data is online. I also rearranged some of the graphics. Getting rid of GIMP and moving to Pixelmator made live so much easier.

I'll also be integrating this blog into the site itself thanks to a Rapidweaver plugin I just found.

Here's my current map of uploaded reviews.

Here's the lists for Kobe and Nishinomiya

Off to a basketball game!

New Website

2010-01-15T09:51:00.000+09:00

It's still being developed, and none of the onsen or sento are listed yet, but please check out my new site I Love ゆ for everything sento.

again that's iloveyu.jp

Why no updates?

2009-09-21T08:20:00.003+09:00

I'm making a website to host my reviews, along some other ofuro goodies. It's been taking me longer than I thought, but it should be up by the end of fall. I've got I whole bunch of new reviews coming too. I know this is taking much longer than I thought, but when it's done I think you'll all like it.

Thanks,

David

#52 灘温泉　水道筋店　Nada Onsen Suidosuji

2009-04-01T20:05:00.005+09:00

灘温泉　水道筋店
Nada Onsen Suidosuji

Location:
神戸市灘区水道筋１丁目２６番地
Hyogo-ken, Kobe-shi, Nada-ku

Access:
10 minute walk from Hankyu Oji-koen station. (阪急王子公園駅)

Water:
Natural spring water. Sodium, bicarbonate, cloride spring with a neutral pH.
Holiday:
The first Thursday of March, June, November, and December.

Hours:
05:00~24:00

Price:
Baths - ¥410
Baths and Sauna - ¥560

Links:
Nada Onsen Homepage

Baths:
Heated well water, straight spring water, jet baths, electric bath, waterfall bath, rotenbro (outdoor bath)

Sauna:
Dry sauna with TV

Review:

Water Quality 4/5
I love the water here it's cool, but it warms your inside. If you go into the luke warm bath with the straight spring water you're body will soon be covered in bubbles from the natural carbonation in the water. It's like bathing in metallic smelling San Pellegrino. One of the most relaxing baths ever.
Baths and Saunas 4/5
The electric bath is just strong enough, the jets positioned well, the waterfall bath is nice and strong it's just perfect. The rotenbro, and other two spring water baths are well built with nice materials especially the heated spring water bath which has very nice shaped stone walls and benches.
Building Design 4/5
The fixtures are pretty basic but there are some high points, the raised stone walkways for example.
Atmosphere-Other 4/5
I love this place. There are lots of great signs promoting good manners which are fun to read. The chilled water in the changing room is a nice touch. But, and this is out of the control of the staff, its often too crowded. The straight spring water bath is like finding a place in a sardine can. If you go here when it's busy the water might not be as clean as it could be and you might have to wait to find a spot in your favorite bath. There's always a few gangsters here, but they typically are smiling and happy. I've had a few conversations with random people here and enjoyed them
Total 16/20

Notes:
While this place is good anytime, I recommend going on a hot afternoon. The lukewarm straight spring water bath might be packed, but you'll know why when you get in.

There is a great old beer vending machine across from the onsen. They sell Asahi Black in cans which tastes great after a nice bath.

Parking in the lot next to the onsen is free if you get it validated inside.

They have two onsen in their group the smaller second one is near JR Rokkomichi station. I have reviewed it here

Additional Photos:

#14-2 花山温泉 Hanayama Onsen (Second Look)

2009-03-31T20:39:00.004+09:00

花山温泉
Hanayama Onsen
(Second Look)

Location:

和歌山県和歌山市鳴神574
Wakayama-shi, Wakayama-ken

Access:
A 10 minute taxi ride from JR-Wakayama station

Water:
Natural spring water with carbon dioxide, iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and bicarbonate. pH 6.4

Holiday:
Every Thursday

Hours:
08:00-23:00

Price:
Baths and Sauna: ¥1000
After hours (18:00~close): ¥600

Baths:
Spring water bath 26c, spring water bath 36c, Spring water bath 41c, Spring water rotenbro, jet bath, waterfall bath

Sauna:
Dry sauna

Review:

Water Quality 5/5
In my top 5 for water quality the brown claylike water here makes you feel perfect. I can't recommend it more. People go there for the water.
Baths and Saunas 4/5
The only reason I don't give this a 5 is because I wish the sauna was hotter, otherwise it's great. The bathing area is simple, but well designed. The largest 41c degree bath has some shallow and deep grottos for finding a great little place to go. There are some bars in the bath to lean against or hang on. All of the spring water baths have been calcified by all the minerals in the spring water either making soft wave shapes that looks like clay or chocolate ice cream, or a shaper ridged shape that must be seen to believe. Outside the rotenbro looks out to a simple but pleasing garden.
Building Design 5/5
It's a perfect old onsen style building. Some of the floors creak. There are pipes carrying water through out the building. Hallways seem longer then they should be. Once inside the building you forget where you are. It helps make this place seem so otherworldly.
Atmosphere-Other 4/5
If it's crowded you might have to wait for a space, mostly in the 26c degree bath which people take a long time in, but everyone here is very civil. People, unless they are with a friend or family member, seem to go into a trance here just taking in the great water. I once asked a fellow bather to read a kanji for me and he was very nice when helping me understand what it meant. The crowding and the lack of free lockers for your stuff knocks this down from a 5, otherwise everything here is great.
Total 18/20

Notes:

You can drink the water here. In the hallway leading to the the baths there's a sink and a spigot across from it with the spring water for drinking. It tastes great.

Please splash your self off with clear water before entering the normal baths.

Make sure to look around and check out all the signs they have posted about the onsen, especially the one with the photo of the calcification in one of the pipes carrying the spring water. I hope my arteries don't look like that.

This is also a hotel so you can spend the night here.

Like I said above, there are no keyed lockers for free in the changing room. There is a rack of coin lockers but they cost ¥100 so leave your stuff in your car or make sure you have a ¥100 on you before you enter.

I recently went here for the first time after sunset. I have to say that going here in the daytime is the best. The hotter it is outside makes it better too. Hanayama really shines for a afternoon soak.

The supermarket down the street from Hanayama has some great food.

I originally reviewed this onsen on September 23, 2007. The photos are from that original review.

#4-2 Arimafuji Onsen Hanayama no Yu 有馬富士温泉花山乃湯　Second Look

2009-03-31T19:19:00.008+09:00

有馬富士温泉花山乃湯
Arimafuji Onsen Hanayama no Yu 　
(Second Look)

Location:
兵庫県三田市尼寺835-1
Sanda-shi, Hyogo-ken

Access:
Shinki bus from Sanda station (JR or Shintetsu). Take bus #24 heading to 乙原バレイ

Water:
Natural spring water. Well temp 30.2C. pH 8.

Holiday:
every third Thursday of the month

Hours:
10:00-23:00

Price:
Baths and Sauna - ¥600

Links:
Arimafuji Onsen Homepage

Baths:
rotenbro, waterfall showers, deep and shallow normal bath, jet baths

Sauna:
Dry sauna with TV

Review:

Water Quality 4/5
Great soft water in the normal baths leaves your skin slippery soft and the spring water in the rotenbro is just as clear and soft feeling
Baths and Saunas 5/5
There are two different bathing areas that change from men to women each day. They have a wooden and stone motif. All of the wood looks fresh and alive while the stones show their age with grace. The tiles on the floor which have just enough grip yet feel smooth are great on your feet. The jets are all my favorite single or sunflower style direct streams.
Building Design 4/5
As I said with the baths everything is really nice. It might not seem that way from the outside, and the golf driving range isn't the most beautiful thing, but inside everything seems right to me. It's not the biggest supersento and you might bump into someone on occasion. The sauna can fit 3~4 people max. Also soap from the showers pools up on the tiles and doesn't drain well.
Atmosphere-Other 4/5
I had a great chat with some of the customers in the sento. Everyone there seemed happy and enjoying themselves. The view from the rotenbro is just a some rice fields and and some forested hills but it's quite refreshing. There always seems to be a nice cool breeze which helps make this place seem fresh. It's easy for me to stay for a while, but for those with kids they might get bored fast here. It's too peaceful.
Total 17/20

Notes:

The bathing areas are different and they change daily.

There is a golf driving range in the same building as the sento. They have club rentals if you want to hit a few balls.

I've only been here in the afternoon and I have to say that a lot of the appeal of this onsen is how bright and refreshing it is in the afternoon. I cannot recommend more going there on a nice sunny day.

There is often a tent set up in the parking lot selling fruits and vegetables. I've gotten some great mikan there and some very good and very cheap strawberries.

I originally reviewed this sento on June 4, 2007 where I gave it a much lower score. What was I thinking!

The photo above is from the original review.

#51 Yu~Bath Sakai Hamadera ユ〜バス　堺浜寺店

2009-03-30T08:04:00.004+09:00

ユ〜バス　堺浜寺店
Yu~ Bath Sakai Hamadera

Type: Onsen Supersento

Location:
堺市西区浜寺船尾町東１丁１０８番
Osaka-fu, Sakai-shi

Access: 10 minute walk from the Hankai streetcar Ishizu station. (阪堺　石津)

Water: Natural hotspring. Sodium and calicum high temperature spring. Well temp 51.2C

Holiday: The 1st Monday of the month

Hours: 06:00~03:00 (The next day)

Price: All Baths - ¥700 Morning bath (6:00~12:00) - ¥500 Normal baths (no access to the spring water) - ¥420

Links: Onsen Homepage

Baths: Shallow and deep normal baths, showers, jet baths, bubble baths, rotenbro, spring water bath

Saunas: Dry sauna, salt sauna

Review:

Water Quality 2/5
The spring water was quite nice and obvously from a nice well, but it was only one bath. The normal indoor baths were nice, but the "Royal" baths all felt dirty.
Baths and Saunas 1/5
There was a lot of diversity in the baths, but they all seemed dirty, the rotenbro especially. The salt sauna had a very strong unpleasant smell and the dry sauna, while nice and hot, was dirty and had holes in the walls.
Building Design 2/5
If you supersized a typical sento you'd get this place. The design in the normal bath area was stoic, while the "Royal" area had a bit more thought given to the design--but not much. The rotenbro was all white in a Greco-Roman theme. The palm tree out there was half-dead with fake palms attached to the trunk. The indoor spring water bath had a rocky theme with a geometric waterfall which I did enjoy.
Atmosphere-Other 3/5
Located next to a freeway onramp, a few love hotels, chain restaurants, this was the most truckstop-esque of all the supersento I've been to. The staff was pleasant and the costumers all seemed to mind their own business and not interact much with each other. The beer I had tasted rancid.
Total 8/20

Notes:

This is the worst grade I've ever given a place on this blog. I feel bad, but I really didn't enjoy my time here. This chain has 3 more supersento in Kansai and I hope they are better than this one. The spring water was very nice, I wish they exploited it better.

The men's and women's sides at this supersento are different. They change each week. I went to the right hand side bath, closest to the door.

Additional Photos:

#50 Tokiwa Onsen トキワ温泉

2009-03-29T15:33:00.005+09:00

トキワ温泉
Tokiwa Onsen

Type: Onsen Sento

Location:

大阪府堺市神明町西3-129

Osaka-fu, Sakai-shi

Access: 3 minute walk from the Hankai streetcar Shinmecho station (阪堺神明町)

Water: Natural Hotspring: weak alkaline

Holiday: The 1st, 3rd, and 5th Monday of every month

Hours: 15:00~23:00

Price: Baths: ¥410 Bath and Sauna (incl. towel rental): ¥510

Links: Onsen News Blog (Great photos of the inside and a poster from the onsen) | Onsen Hopper

Baths: Deep, shallow and jet baths all 100% spring fed, cold water bath

Saunas: Dry Sauna

Review:

Water Quality 4/5
Opening the door to the bathing area the smell just hit me. Wow, this is exactly the kind of place that I love. A great old sento that looks like it's been here for years, filled with local history and just enough dust. The water was decent, but it was straight from the ground. No heating, cooling or mixing with municipal water. That's what this place is: a hotspring fed into a few baths. The smell was nice and the feel was good. Not the best water, but worth going back.
Baths and Sauna 4/5
The design is quite simple, but classic for a little sento like this one. It appeared to me that the jet baths were added on in a remodel, but I could be wrong about that. The center bath has a two level design with the upper bath being hotter and shallower. The cold bath is small, but enough space for one to sit in. Sitting at the kake-yu to rinse off was very refreshing. The sauna is accessed from the changing room. Not much to it, but good enough.
Building Design 4/5
The whole place is super small in comparison to most sento. The reason for this place being here is the hotspring--that's it, but that's all that it needs. The main bath is well built and full of good places to sit. There's a nice mosaic of Mt. Fuji on the back wall and the mirrors have old advertisements for nearby businesses. The men's bathroom is outside in an enclosed patio that is accessed from the changing room. There's a little sitting area there with an ashtray that in the summer would be a great place for a nice post bath smoke.
Atmosphere-Other 4/5
This old building has a very utilitarian feel to it. Lots of old exposed wood and notices written on old sheets of paper. The customers seemed part of a large family that have been coming here for years many of them greeting each other when they came and left. I loved how busy the place was and all of the buckets filled with soap and shampoo placed around the bathing area. The entire place had a sense of agelessness that really made the entire experience special.
Total 16/20

Notes:

Getting here you can ride the great Hankai streetcar line which, like this sento, has a living history feel. Tokiwa Onsen is a perfect place to really experience what day-to-day life in postwar Japan might have looked like.

I couldn't have picked a better place for my 50th review. Tokiwa Onsen is the kind of little sento that represent a living history and a way of life that is in danger in Japan, and also not so well known among foreigners.

Additional Photos:

The ticket vending machine

#49 Ogo Onsen 大箇温泉

2009-03-17T18:18:00.004+09:00

大箇温泉
Ōgo Onsen

Type: Onsen Sento

Location:

兵庫県西宮市津門大箇町7-17

Hyogo-ken, Nishinomiya-shi

Access: 5 minute walk from Hankyu Hanshinkokudo station (阪急阪神国道) or 10 minutes from Hankyu or Hanshin Imazu station (阪急今津 or 阪神今津)

Water: Natural Hotspring: weak alkaline

Holiday: Thursday

Hours: 15:30 - 23:30

Price: Baths: ¥410 Bath and Sauna (incl. towel rental): ¥510

Links: Homepage

Baths: Deep bath, shallow jet baths*, deep jet baths, cold water bath x2, big shower, waterfall bath, rotenbro*
*hot spring water used

Saunas: Dry Sauna

Review:

Water Quality 4/5
Not only does Ogo onsen offer a great natural hotspring, but it's normal baths and showers have the greatest soft water. I love soft water, it makes you feel slippery, as if you didn't rince the soap off well enough. The main, always piping hot soft water bath is more enjoyable for me than the spring water rotenbro (outdoor bath) even! This isn't to say that the spring is bad. I quite like it. It's slimilar to Futaba and Hamada near by.
Baths and Sauna 4/5
While small over all, everything is fit in quite well and it acutally seems much bigger. The rotenbro is triangle shaped with a nice view of the sky. The main indoor bath is quite deep and always piping hot. They have a great super srong jet that I always use. There are two showers, both cold water, that are agreat in the summer. The sauna has a seprate cold water bath. The only thing missing is a good place to sit. There are two seats outside, but I never find them that comforatable.
Building Design 3/5
The bathing areas were remodeled sometime in 2005 or 2006, so much of he tile and the fixtures at the showers are new. There is a small, inch high step going into the larger cold water bath that I have stubbed my toe rather painfully on twice to watch out for.
Atmosphere-Other 4/5
I always have a good time here and I've bumped into people I've met while bartending near-by. There are a fair share of yakuza that go to Ogo but they all seem to interact well with the customers. Many of the people here seem to know eachother. The front staff is always very nice. They have a free computer with internet for people to use and a giant TV in the lobby.
Total 15/20

Notes:

This is my place to go on Wednesdays because many sento in the Nishinomiya area take Wednesdays off.

Additional Photos:

#48 Enmei-yu 延命湯

2009-02-24T13:39:00.003+09:00

延命湯
Enmei-yu

Type: Sento

Location:

大阪市福島区福島5-12-5

Osaka-shi, Fukushima-ku

Access: 5 minute walk from JR Fukushima JR福島, JR Shin-Fukushima JR新福島 or Hanshin Fukushima 阪神福島 stations.

Water: Normal

Holiday: Tuesday (I might be wrong)

Hours: 15:00 - 24:00

Price: Baths: ¥350

Water Quality 3/5
Normal Osaka city water, but good quality.
Baths and Sauna 3/5
The design of the main bath is nice and curvy and the deep area is very nice, but the jets are weak and pushed into a cramped corner. The sauna is nice, but the time I went it wasn't as hot as I remembered it being. The rotenbro baths are both small and a little shallow.
Building Design 5/5
Done in a exposed concrete style with emphasis on curves the design of Enmei-yu makes it worth a trip here. The layout is basic bandai style with separate entrances for men and women. In the wide bright changing room the lockers curve in and out as they direct you to the entrance for the baths. The toilet is located in the front end of the changing room off of an little concrete alcove. Everything seems like it was the day it was opened. Of course it's shows signs of age, but it's not dirty like some places get.
Atmosphere-Other 4/5
The person in the bandai (the front reception area) is always cheerful and the costumers seem very happy. I had a nice chat with a fellow gaijin here the first time I came. Everyone seems to be enjoying their own time. And the price, at only ¥350 well below the local ¥410 price, you can't make a better choice for a quick bath near Umeda.
Total 15/20

Notes:

The holiday information might be wrong.

The name, Enmei 延命, means longevity.

They also sell some sento-sodas. See the Ofuroya-san Shokaijyo home page for more info. In Japanese.

Additional Photos:

#47 Ebisu-yu 恵美寿湯

2009-02-23T15:11:00.002+09:00

恵美寿湯
Ebisu-yu

Type: Onsen Sento

Location:
兵庫県明石市貴崎４−６−１２
Akashi-shi, Hyogo-ken

Access: 5 minute walk from Sanyo Hayashisaki-Matsuekaigan station 山陽林崎松江海岸.

Water: Natural hot spring: Iron, calcium, and sodium spring with neutral pH. Well temp. 27.8°C

Holiday: Monday. If Monday is a public holiday then the shop will be open and close on Tuesday instead.

Hours: 15:00 - 23:00

Price: Baths: ¥380. If you want to stay in the bath longer than 2 hours they have a "W ticket" which is ¥760.

Links: Onsen Hopper | Akashi no Onsen | Yahoo blog with interior photos

Baths: Deep and shallow bath with jets, bubbles, and electric bath, jet bath, cold water shower, heated spring water rotenbro, warm temperature spring water rotenbro.

Saunas: N/A

Review:

Water Quality 5/5
Very much like the water at Arima onsen, but without the price or all of the crowds Ebisu-yu's spring is a well known local secret. The mineral rich water feels like raw clay. Heated it feels thicker, the warm ambient well temperature bath is near body temperature and is great for cooling off in. The normal baths always feel nice and hot too. This is also the only hot spring that I know which is pH neutral. Doing a cycle of heating up and cooling down in the warm spring water bath is recommended would totally relax anybody.
Baths and Sauna 3/5
The design of the baths seems to work well. The main indoor bath is somewhat hard to navigate in, but it works. The deep and shallow areas offer many sitting places. Outside the warm bath has a more Japanese design with a spout which is very nice, while next to it is the heated spring water bath fed by a wide waterfall which has a brown 70's feel to it.
Building Design 4/5
The rotenbro is more of an enclosed patio area with a glass roof. There are openings in the roof that are open or closed depending on the weather. That roof is a highlight. I love the colored glass tiles. It's not that big, nor do I think it's that special, but I really like it. It's got a Midwest grandparents house feel to it. Coming during the daylight hours makes this bath much more refreshing because of the colored roof.
Atmosphere-Other 3/5
I have been here twice. Once in the summer right at 3 right when they opened and while there were a handful of customers so it wasn't too crowded to be a problem. It was so nice and refreshing to go there then. The most recent time I went it was on a Sunday, which is also free for children kindergarten age and under. It was packed. I really couldn't enjoy myself at all. This is a very small sento and it is very popular in the area and on those busy days it might be best to go somewhere else. Something must be said about the the wonderful staff who always seem very nice and friendly. It's a little local secret type of place in a cute, eclectic little neighborhood of subsidized housing, factories, and private homes.
Total 15/20

Notes:

I might have got the prices wrong, I forgot to write them down. I did get their pamphlet and I'll double check later today.

I have to say that Hayashisaki-Matsuekaigan is one of the longest station names ever. If the name is hard to remember for you Hayashisaki-Matsuekaigan is the second stop after Akashi on a local train heading towards Himeji. Only local trains stop there.

Additional Photos:

An advertisement for Ebisu-yu at Hayashisaki-Matsuekaigan station.

#13-2 Futaba Onsen 双葉温泉

2009-02-23T12:22:00.002+09:00

双葉温泉
Futaba Onsen

Type: Onsen Sento

Location:
兵庫県西宮市分銅町２-２８
Nishinomiya city, Hyogo pref.

Access: 10 minute walk from Hankyu Shukugawa station 阪急夙川 or Hanshin Nishinomiya 阪神西宮.

Water: Natural hot spring: Sodium, hot temperature, weak carbonation, weak alkaline. Well temp. 44.7°C

Holiday: Wednesday

Hours: 15:00 - 23:30

Price: Baths and Sauna: ¥410. Pay at desk or at the ticket machine

Links: Onsen Hopper | Spa Michiken

Baths: Deep and shallow bath with jets and electric bath, cold water bath, spring water bath with bubbles, warm spring water bath, spring water rotenbro, outside cold shower.

Saunas: dry sauna (¥130)

Review:

Water Quality 3/5
The hot spring is brownish with a light iron smell that stains the areas and leaves a calcium crust near it much like Hamada or Ogo onsens in the area. While the water is good, it's in no way the main focus of this sento. I've always thought the normal bath and the rotenbro were the main features.
Baths and Sauna 4/5
The main normal bath is always piping hot. The design is such that there are many little corners to sit or stretch out in. Sadly there are only two strong, but placed pretty low so good for feet or lower back but not much for the upper back here. I love the rotenbro here. It takes up about 40% of the entire bathing area. It's decorated by a nice waterfall rock feature with real plants. The view is straight up into the sky. In the summer coming here when around dusk out makes sitting around the rotenboro an absolute treat. You can pass out there for a long time, they even have a sign warning people about staying in the bath for too long. The other hot spring baths are very nice, but the bubbling one is placed in a conspicuous spot right in front of the door to the changing room that might deter some bathers.
Building Design 3/5
I love the great big ゆ sign in the parking lot along with the hot spring waterfall out by the sidewalk. In side the changing room and small lobby is basic but welcoming.
Atmosphere-Other 4/5
The family that runs the sento seem nice enough. I've seen people I know and my students here often as I live in the neighborhood here. Also the rotenbro and the cold shower in the summer gives the entire place a bonus point.
Total 14/20

Notes:
I have previously reviewed this sento, but I am rewriting the review as I have changed my format.

The locals like to cover the drain for the rotenbro making it overflow, you'll notice a small CCTV camera pointed in that area. I like it when they do it (if you go when they do it you'll understand) and I never take the bucket that's covering the drain off, but I'd never put it there myself.

Recently Futaba, along with many other sento in Hyogo, raised its prices to ¥410. This was agreed upon by the public bathhouse assiocation in Hyogo. Kyoto and Osaka prefectures raised their rates to ¥410 in 2008. This is the maximum price, some places do charge less.

Futaba is also special for me because it was the first sento I went to, and for a long time the only one I knew of. As an exchange student I would go there at least once a week, but typically more often. It's the closest thing I have to a local sento and I like it.

Additional Photos:

#46 Kyogoku-yu - 京極湯

2009-02-08T13:33:00.002+09:00

京極湯
Kyogoku-Yu

Type: Sento

Location:
京都府京都市右京区西京極西川町３９−７
Kyoto-fu, Kyoto-shi

Access: 5 minute walk from Hankyu Nishikyogoku station 阪急西京極.

Water: Normal

Holiday: Monday

Hours: 15:00 - 23:00

Price: Baths and Sauna: ¥410. Pay at desk.

Links: None

Baths: Deep and shallow bath with jets, electric bath, jet baths, cold water bath, rotenbro, outside cold shower.

Saunas: dry sauna (free)

Review:

Water Quality 2/5
Plain city water, but it must have been filtered because it was very clear and clean feeling. The rotenbro had a strong chlorine smell.
Baths and Sauna 2/5
Basic design, very clean and nice new tile. The rotenbro is in a nice spot outside that would be refreshing in the summer. The sauna's thermometer mounted high on the wall said it was 110ºC in there. I thought it was nice and hot, but not sure if it was that hot. Also the cold water bath is filled from a tap high enough to stand under. It felt great putting my head under it after baking in the sauna--after splashing off my sweaty body outside of the bath of course!
Building Design 3/5
This is a brand new sento. The previous building was demolished and the family rebuilt next door. This is a very traditional sento where the family lives above the bathhouse area. You can see the house's front door to the left of the sento's entrance. The brand new feeling is interesting, but it's not yet decorated and needs a few plants or something to cheer up the space--the rotenbro in particular. Currently there is not much out there and it feels like the hot tub in a chain hotel in America. Not a bad thing, however kind of nostalgic.
Atmosphere-Other 3/5
Everyone here knew each other. There was a conference of local Oji-sans going on in the changing room when I got out of the bath. The staff was very nice and I enjoyed being there. They also have a great selection of what I call sento-drinks. These are glass bottle sodas that look like they have been around, and haven't changed since the 60's. I had a sweet one called Royal Pet. (See photo below)
Total 10/20

Notes:
Nice little hometown place. I'm glad places like this still have enough business to rebuild like they did. It gives me hope that sentos will be around for my children.

Additional Photos:

#45 Kua Mukogawa - クア武庫川

2009-02-03T14:18:00.002+09:00

クア武庫川
Kua Mukogawa

Location:
兵庫県西宮市笠屋町３−１０
Hyogo-ken Nishionomiya-shi

Access: 5 minute walk from Hanshin Mukogawa 阪神武庫川 station - west exit.

Water: Natural hot spring: strong sodium. Brown color. pH: 6.54. Well temperature: 58.2℃

Holiday: Thursday

Hours: 15:00 - 24:00

Price: Baths: ¥410. Sauna: ¥220. Buy a ticket at the machine and give it to the receptionist.

Links: Onsen Hopper | Spa Michiken | Gensen Kakenagashi Onsen wo Motomeru (Good photos of the interior and the hot spring rotenbro.)

Baths: Deep bath, Shallow bath with jets, Jet baths, Electric bath, cold water bath, large standing showers, natural hot spring outdoor bath.

Saunas: steam sauna (free), and dry sauna (fee).

Review:

Water Quality 4/5
Only the rotenbro is filled with the natural hot spring water, but that doesn't mean the water is bad, there's just less access to it. You can easily tell it's real by the amount of brown clay like buildup coating the tub, walls and floors--inside and outside. It reminds me a lot like the Hanayama or Honmachi in Wakayama except this spring is much hotter. It's like bathing in very wet clay, you can feel the difference in the density of the spring water compared to the normal baths inside. Don't get this water on your face or lips, it's high salt content will sting.
Baths and Sauna 3/5
Recently reformed the indoor baths all have brand new fixtures and tile work. The design makes the most of the small space they have with no corner not in use. The lack of any good place to sit because it's so packed is a downside. Sadly all the baths are rather small space wise. They do have one of the best large sunflower jet baths I've been in. The electric baths are the less common large hole type that gives you stronger pulses at a slower interval.
Building Design 4/5
Despite being recently renewed everything still has the airs of an old sento. It is interesting to see how a bath house as old as this can stay in business this long and bring in enough money to remodel. I remember going here back in 2006 before the remodel and looking at the large old TVs they have placed in the changing room for the bathers to watch. The various plugs on the back, different than the antenna jacks common in the USA were interesting to me. Now those ancient TVs have been replaced by sleek new flat screen models. The large metal shelves that once held the old heavy TVs from the ceiling look conspicuously too large for the new flat screens. This year's kanji is hen/変 which means change, or strange, and seeing how an old sento can change can be interesting for an amateur anthropologist .
Atmosphere-Other 2/5
Because they are there it seems that everyone in the bath is glued to the TV. If you like having something to watch in the water, then it's a good thing. If you dislike the intrusion of TVs into daily life, then you might not like it. Personally I enjoyed it, but thankfully there is no TV in the rotenbro. Some places need to be free from TVs. Also, given Kua's popularity with the locals, it seems that it's always busy. You might have to wait for a spot or squeeze in to the bath you want.
Total 13/20

Notes:
I believe that they switch baths between the men and women. I don't think there is much difference in the types of baths, but the layout is different. From what I remember the first time I went, I was in the right side. This time I went in the left side. Sadly, Kua does not have a webpage with a map of their bathing areas.

Additional Photos:

#44 Heso no Yu - へその湯

2009-01-31T20:25:00.003+09:00

へその湯
Heso no Yu

Location:

兵庫県西脇市鹿野町２５５−２

Hyogo-ken Nishiwaki-shi

Access: By car or a 5 minute walk from Hie station 比延駅 on the JR Kakogawa line 加古川線. (Trains to this station might run once an hour or less, so be sure to check a timetable before coming.)

Water: Natural hot spring: weak alkaline (I could not find the well temperature or other information on the well water)

Holiday: The 3rd Thursday of every month.

Hours: 12:00 - 24:00

Price: Baths and sauna Weekdays: ¥500. Weekends and holidays: ¥600. Buy a ticket at the machine and give it to the receptionist.

Links: Homepage

Baths:
Warm bath with jets, hot bath (both of the indoor hot baths are filled with a different type of water, see Water Quality below), rotenbro (natural well water), individual tub baths (herbal), waterfall bath, cold water bath, shower.

Saunas: Wood side: normal sauna, salt sauna. Stone side: normal sauna, steam sauna

Review:

Water Quality 3/5
One natural well bath plus two onsen meguri baths give you 3 different bathing experiences in one place. Onsen meguri could be translated as "hot spring tour", which is where the baths are filled with normal water that is made to feel like that of various famous onsen from around Japan. I assume it is done by adding some something to the bathwater, but truthfully, I do not know. This is very common for places that do not have access to a good hot spring at their site. I'm going to ignore the onsen meguri for the point of this review, those two baths were fine and very refreshing but they change next month. The water quality in them was very good however. It was so clear that it was almost too clear. The rotenbro was filled with what is billed as natural spring water, but I did not see a sign anywhere with the report on the water's mineral content, pH, well temperature or anything like that. While the water was fine, not telling me exactly what's in the water seems shady. I have one magazine that says this place does not have a natural hot spring well (天然温泉じゃないけど...). I should have, but I didn't ask the lady at the counter if it was or not. Assuming the rotenbro is filled with natural hot spring water, I thought it was nice and it had that great hard, tight feeling on the skin.
Baths and Sauna 3/5
I was in the wood side (木の湯) which I found to be very well built. The wood used to line the baths and decorate was clean and beautiful. It had the rural supersento atmosphere, but it didn't suffer from poor construction that some places do. The bottom of the baths were lined with large stones set with thick grout that felt great to sit on, and the walkways were tiled with smooth pea sized pebbles that massaged my feet as I walked. I really liked the layout and over all design of the baths. The saunas had a nice concept, but failed to truly realize their potential. The normal sauna lacked a TV, something that I like, and in it's place it had a large picture window. Sadly, this window looked out onto a wall. There was ample place between the window and wall to put a nice garden or something to look at, but all that was there was a small stone pagoda that sat atop some gravel unevenly and an extension cord. The salt sauna had a nice window looking out at the rotenbro, but it was too cramped with only 4 chairs seemingly pulled from the restaurant outside to sit on. A stone bench would have been much more welcoming.
Building Design 4/5
I really enjoyed the construction of the bathing areas. Lots of thick wood beams supporting the roof. Japanese style plaster on the walls. Everything looked well built, well with the exception of the saunas. The garden, was stark due to the lack of leaves on the trees, but come spring I could imagine it being quite beautiful and I want to come back to see it.
Atmosphere-Other 2/5
All of the locals there seemed very content. The children in the bath were having fun, but well mannered. The area Heso no Yu is located is somewhat troubling, however. It's in a very industrial part of town with some worse for wear roads leading to it. I crossed a very old looking single track bridge in my car to get there which was mildly unnerving. All of this plus it's location, way out in the middle of nowhere lead to the 2/5 rating.
Total 12/20

Notes:

I only have been in the wood side (木の湯), but the stone side (石の湯) appears from the photos I've seen to have a lot of smooth stone lining the baths.

If anyone goes there and if you have the time to ask the staff could you figure out if the rotenbro is actually 原泉. That would be cool. I'm kicking myself for not asking, I just assumed the counter person wouldn't know.

If I lived in, or near Nishiwaki I would be there at least once a week. I would
also head to Nehime no Yu and Pokapo which I've been to but haven't reviewed yet. There's some good bathing in the Kato, Kasai, Nishiwaki if you have a car and time to get out there. You also get to see some beautiful countryside, along with some really gaudy pachinko parlours and love hotels, on the way.

Oh! And why is it called "bellybutton" or heso in Japanese. Well near there is "Japan's Bellybutton Park". 日本へそ公園. It's not a park devoted to bellybuttons, it's the geographic center of Japan. I went there years ago thanks to my love of places where lines cross and geography. You can read about it on my other blog with has directions and more links about the park.

Additional Photos:

#43 HAT Nagisa no Yu - HATなぎさの湯

2009-01-29T15:54:00.003+09:00

HATなぎさの湯
HAT Nagisa no Yu

Location:
兵庫県神戸市中央区脇浜海岸通１丁目３−３‎
Hyogo-ken Kobe-shi Chuo-ku

Access: 10 minute walk from Hanshin Kasuganomichi (春日野道), or a 15 minute walk from Hankyu Kasuganomichi (春日野道). By bus from JR Sannomiya station take the Hanshin Railroad bus headed to 人と防災未来センター.

Water: Natural Hot Spring: sodium and carbonated. Weak Alkaline pH 7.2. Well temp. 35.9°C

Holiday: None

Hours: 10:00 - 26:00 (the next day)

Price: Baths and sauna: ￥800. Pay at front desk when you receive your locker key.

Links: Homepage

Baths:
Shallow bath w/ electric bath, cold water bath, herbal bath (changes daily), outdoor well water bath rock lined bath with hotter upper section, separate large tub baths, jet baths.

Saunas:
Men's side: large dry normal sauna, small hot rock sauna.
Women's side: normal sauna, salt sauna, steam aroma sauna

Review:

Water Quality 3/5
The water has a brownish color and does give your skin that nice clay feeling that other onsen like this one do, but the problem is other wells of similar water are just so much better. Takara no Yu in Takarazuka, or Ebisu Onsen in Akashi for example. For some reason, perhaps location, this water never seems hot enough for me. Still very nice, but not the highpoint of this onsen
Baths and Sauna 4/5
There are two major factors that make a trip to Nagisa worthwhile. First is the great view from the rotenbro (see photo below). The rock wall that encloses the rotenbro has two viewing holes from which you can watch the traffic on the freeway and the harbor which I find very refreshing. The second thing is the saunas. At least on the men's side they are great. The rock sauna has a light show before nozzles spray water down on the rocks filling the room with steam. The large tower sauna just feels right, and it has some widows that you can watch people at the park below from.
Building Design 4/5
A nice building but nothing that makes it stand out. The smoking balcony that's connected to the men's changing room is nice. They cover the building with a light show (projected from a big digital projector mounted in the men's rotenbro area) on occasion. I've seen it twice. It looks cool from the freeway also. They do have an outdoor seating area that they use in the summer.
Atmosphere-Other 3/5
I've never had a bad time here, but there isn't much to say about the atmosphere here. It's a nice place and family friendly, but it doesn't have any community feel like smaller sento do. The staff is very helpful.
Total 14/20

Notes:

You have to check out the poor English on the warning signs. Some of the best Engrish ever.

The last time I was there I lost my key (it fell down between the wood slats in the big sauna), and forgot my bath kit. The staff was very helpful and got me back into my locker when it was time for me to go. I got my bath kit the next day with no problems either. Everyone there really did a good job even dealing with a big hairy naked white guy.

I wish I could give this place more points. My wife and I go here often, especially when we want a change from the 2-3 places we seem to go to the most. It's location is good if you go to the movie theater or shopping area nearby and make it a day trip. They also have a free foot bath with a great view of the harbor (see photo below).

There is also a gym in the same building.

Additional Photos:

The rear of the building. You can see the two holes where people in the rotenbro can look out from.

The free foot bath.

#42 Rokko Otomezuka Onsen - 六甲おとめ塚温泉

2009-01-29T13:51:00.003+09:00

六甲おとめ塚温泉
Rokko Otomezuka Onsen

Location:
兵庫県神戸市灘区徳井町３丁目４−１
Hyogo-ken Kobe-shi Nada-ku

Access: 10 minutes walk from JR Rokkomichi (六甲道) or Hanshin Ishiyagawa (石屋川) stations. 40 parking spots available.

Water: Natural Hot Spring: sodium and carbonated. Weak Alkaline pH 7.5. Well temp. 41.1°C

Holiday: None

Hours: 06:00 - 01:00 (the next day)

Price: Baths: ￥380. Sauna and rental bath towel: ¥380. Pay at the ticket machine.

Links: OnsenHopper | Spa Michiken - Onsen

Baths:
-Masurao no Yu 益荒男の湯 (dry sauna, right side, men odd numbered days - women even numbered days):
Indoor spring water bath with bubbles, outdoor spring water bath, outdoor cold water bath, jet baths, steam chest*, dry sauna*
-Kagura no Yu 神楽の湯 (salt sauna, left side, men even numbered days - women odd numbered days):
Indoor wood-lined spring water bath w/electric bath and bubbles, jet baths, rock lined outdoor spring water bath, salt sauna*

Review:

Water Quality 4/5
Don't let the green appearance fool you, the water is crystal clear--the green comes from the tiles used the the baths. This is one of the most complex, for lack of a better word, onsen that I have bathed in. It has a very cleansing quality to it while also feeling very medicinal to the point of being feeling unnatural. I doubt drinking this onsen would be OK given the trace amounts of arsenic and lead in the water. Arsenic, while fatal if ingested, is found in many of the world's most famous hot springs and good for you in small doses. While in the water it felt a little slippery, but the real magic of this onsen really became apparent after I dried myself off and put on my clothes. I felt great so clean and refreshed.
Baths and Sauna 4/5
The baths are all built into odd shapes offering lots of little corners to inhabit, but they also don't have many good places to get in and out. Also they are quite small given the amount of people using the baths. Also the sauna which was also very small, although very hot and enjoyable was a bit overpriced at ¥380 yen. If the sauna wasn't so enjoyable the time I went there I would have given it a 3/5 score. Personally, I enjoy the small, odd shapes of the baths. It makes the experience more like an onsen playground--something common in the Yuasobi group of bathhouses--but I can see how people used to the wider baths found in most supersento might dislike it. I was in the Masurao no Yu side the last time I went and I remember the Kagura no Yu side being much more wider and open feeling
Building Design 4/5
Otomezuka's three floor design is common among many sento in Kansai. The jet baths and some extra showers are placed in the mid-level between the changing room and the larger bathing area. Each side of this onsen has a different feel; the Masuro no Yu side being more eclectic with abstract tile work and the Kagura no Yu side having a more sedated traditional Japanese feel. Architecturally speaking this building is a living relic of a Japan that has long since changed. Some of the building is a little worse for wear with its age showing through, but not to the point of distraction in the slightest.
Atmosphere-Other 4/5
This is a local place to the core. More so than the smaller Nada onsen which I can see attracting many people from the newly build high rise apartment buildings nearby, Otomezuka seems to attract the people who have lived in this neighborhood for years.Being a foreigner I always get a few double takes here from the local costumers, but I've always felt invited and relaxed. There is also a food counter here with a few great deals. Beer and a snack for ¥500. Also, CHEESE FRIES! Yes, cheese fries and a beer after a soak. Could life get any better?
Total 16/20

Notes:

It's amazing to think that this onsen with its clear water is only one block away from Nada onsen which features water of a completely different makeup, temperature, feel and color.

Also, I use to frequent Grill in Tucson, Arizona when I went to school at the UA. It was the best all night restaurant in town. They had a rule: no cheese on potatoes. If you asked for cheese fries or tots, you'd get kicked out. That was their rule and I abode by it, however in my opinion, cheese fries are a gift from the gods. Combining cheese fries, beer (another gift from the gods) and glorious natural spring water baths in a single place--pure heaven.

Additional Photos:

#41 Fudo-yu 不動湯

2009-01-21T17:18:00.002+09:00

不動湯
Fudo-yu

Location:
大阪市城東区天王田１３−１４
Osaka, Joto-ku

Access: 12 minute walk from Shigino (鴫野) station on the JR Gakkentoshi Line or Osaka subway Imazatosuji line.

Water: Natural Hot Spring. Weak Alkaline pH 8.13. Well temp. 37°C

Holiday: None

Hours: 10:00 - 23:30

Price: ￥410 (Sauna and bath w/ rental bath towel ¥510) Pay at ticket machine next to shoe lockers.

Links: Homepage

Baths: Deep hot bath* (Winter: 44°C Summer: 42.8°C), Shallow bath* (42.5°C), jet bath*, bubble and electric bath*, cold water bath (18°C), dry sauna, outdoor bath/rotenbro* (40°C)
(Baths with * mark are filled with natural well water)

Review:

Water Quality 5/5
From start to finish this water amazed me. It felt hotter than it's actual temperature, and the heat stays with you. Also in some of the baths you might find yu no hana (湯の花) which is bits of minerals, plant life or whatever that comes up with the well water. There is a sign warning bathers of the presence of yu no hana and explaining that it's not garbage. Yu no hana is a sign of a high quality well water and in the case of Fudo-yu it holds true.
Baths and Sauna 5/5
First of all, practically all of the baths use the wonderful well water. Second, the deep circular bath is one of the best designed baths that I have soaked in. It's simple design betrays how well built it is. The added pressure of being under that much water also helps in making it feel hotter. The sides are nice and wide enough for you to sit and dangle your legs into the bath when it gets too hot for you. That's just talking about the first bath, the rest are just as wonderful. I could have sat in the shallow bath for hours if I had the time. I wish the jet baths were a bit stronger, and the rotenbro has only a little view of the open sky, but those are inconsequential in the overall experience.
Building Design 5/5
A very basic facade only advertised by a giant neon ゆ, the name in neon, and a sign board. The baths are on the second floor with parking below. Like it's sister onsen, Fudo-yu doesn't need to attach bells and whistles to attract customers. It has great water and it exploits it well. Beside a few vending machines and draft beer nothing else is for sale here, nothing else is needed. In the bathing area, the seats are tile and built into the floor, dangerous if you stub your toe, but also very stylish.
Atmosphere-Other 5/5
People were smiling. Everyone was happy. I came in and was immediately talked to by a gangster with a full body tattoo. Only is lower arm, feet, nipples and that other place down there wasn't tattooed. He asked in his mumbling, gutteral Japanese, "Japan dekimasuka?" meaning, "Can you do Japan?" which I assume he meant as "Can you speak Japanese." I replied yes and he laughed.
In the bath there was a little 2 year old boy who kept on checking me out so I said "hi" to him. His grandfather and I began to chat a bit and I found out that the boy went to an English preschool.
Everyone here was happy and how could they not be with a bathhouse like this; how could you be sad?
Total 20/20

Notes:

They try to keep the sauna very dry so they ask everyone to use the bath towel you receive at the front desk to wipe off any excess water from your body before entering the sauna.

Additional Photos:

#40 Happu no yu

2009-01-12T22:55:00.003+09:00

八風の湯
Happuno-yu

Location:
滋賀県東近江市永源寺高野町352
Shiga-ken, Higashi Omi-shi

Access: Free bus from JR Omi-Hachiman JR近江八幡 (Timetable) or by car. 12 min fron the Yokaichi IC (八日市IC)

Water: Natural Hot Spring. Weak Alkaline pH 8.38

Holiday: The third Thursday of the month.

Hours: 10:00 - 22:00 (Saturdays 10:00 - 23:00)

Price: ￥1,300 (Weekends and holidays ¥1,500)

Links: Homepage

Baths*: Indoor bath with jets (hot and warm), sauna, mist sauna, cold water bath, outdoor bath, outdoor individual tubs.

Review:

Water Quality 3/5
It gave the skin a silky feel when in the baths and had a nice smell.
Baths and Sauna 3/5
The baths were made with concrete which felt great to sit on and to touch. Outside the rotenbro had a very nice natural feel to it with great rock features. The sauna had that great wood smell that new saunas have and was nice and hot. Next to the sauna was a nice square cold water bath that was set below the floor and was not very deep. It was not the best design to make splashing yourself off after sweating in the sauna easier, but I found the bath itself very refreshing. I would have given a higher score if there was some more diversity in the baths.
Building Design 4/5
Set far into hills if you go here at night you'll be able to see a dark sky with out the light pollution of more urban supersentos. The building uses the stoic modern Japanese style incorporating lots of wood and rock set in concrete which I found aesthetically pleasing. One bad thing was the long, long walk from the front entrance to the baths. It's quite beautiful, but it seems never ending.
Atmosphere-Other 2/5
While I loved the fresh rural air while outside and felt the building was very beautiful, but I couldn't keep on wondering why this costs ¥1,500. Yes towel and a robe for relaxing between baths were included in the price and they try to make this more than just for bathing by providing a large sleeping and TV room, but I still wasn't convinced that I was getting my money worth.
Total 12/20

Notes:

At the entrance you'll notice the signs are in Japanese and Portuguese due to the large Brazilian population that works nearby. If you have the time, try stopping at the Brazilian market near the IC. They have some great meat filled buns for sale.

Overall this is a great new place in a part of the country that doesn't have many bathing facilities like this. If you have time to spend a few hours there and really use the facilities to make up for the high price it would be well worth it.

*There are two different bathing areas here that change from men's to women's use on a schedule. This review represents only one side of the bathing facilities.

Additional Photos: N/A

#39 Fukuro no Yu ふくろうの湯

2009-01-10T20:00:00.004+09:00

ふくろうの湯
Fukuro no yu

Location:
和歌山市本町2丁目1番地　フォルテワジマ地下1階
Wakayama-shi, Wakayama-ken

Access: Take the bus from stop 7,8 or 10 from Nankai Wakayamashi station (南海和歌山市), get off at Honmachi 2 Chome (本町に２丁目)

Water: Natural Hot Spring.

Holiday: The third Tuesday of the month.

Hours: 10:00 - 00:00

Price: ￥1,000

Links: Homepage

Review:

Water Quality 5/5
Some of the best water to be had. It's coming from the same source that Honmachi Onsen and Hanayama Onsen tap, sadly they aren't using it as well as they could.
Baths and Sauna 2/5
The baths are overall small and uncomfortable. The area for soaking in the warm well temperature spring water is awkwardly designed with a long bench seat that doesn't let you really stretch out.
Building Design 3/5
Very modern and new the design was very nice, but it seemed that lots of the space that could have been used for the baths made was wasted. If there were outside windows it would have gotten a higher grade.
Atmosphere 3/5
Very relaxed and clean feel with nice staff.
Total 13/20

Notes:

Given that this new supersento, opened in December of 2007, was given a feature page in the 2009 edition of Hikaeiri Onsen I thought there would be more. Sadly I was disappointed. Conveniently located in Downtown Wakayama in a new shopping building Fukuro-yu has the day retreat style of Ama-yu or other large bathing complexes, but it lacks the largeness. Located in the basement there is no rotenbro and the entire bathing area is about as big as a typical sento. The baths are well built and quite beautiful, but for 1000 yen I felt mildly ripped off. Nearby Honmachi Onsen is larger, just as stylish (albeit in a retro kind of way), cheaper, and has the exact same spring water. Perhaps a better well even. The other onsen in Wakayama that taps the same source, Hanayama Onsen, at the same price as Fukuro-yu gives so much more. Including a bright outside rotenbro.

Fukuro-yu shows that just being new doesn't mean being better, that doesn't mean it won't attract customers. The night I went, a Sunday at 8PM, it was moderately busy. Its high points (convenient location, modern style, ganbanyoku (heated stone napping rooms)) aren't enough to make up for its pitfalls (high price, no rotenbro, small bathing area). I had high hopes for this onsen because it's spring water is so great and another place to enjoy it is welcome, but I don't think I'll go back there not while Hanayama and Honmachi are still around.

One more bath to note is their Slik Bath (シククイン) which has ultrasonic vibrations making bubbles in the water. It made my chest feel very strange and breathing was a bit hard, it was kind of like there were air bubbles in my blood.

Additional Photos:

#38

2008-10-09T12:12:00.008+09:00

柚耶の里
Yuya no Sato

神戸市垂水区名谷町湯屋谷2251
Kobe-shi, Tarumi-ku

Classification: onsen, sento

Review:

If there was a sento at Tokyo Disneyland, it would look like this.

Giant waterfall with a cavern like bath behind it. Jet baths powerful enough to push you across the bath. A monkeybar set above that very bath. Well water rotenbro. Carbonated bubble bath. Hidden cavern like sauna. Not to mention the old "Spirited Away" looking exterior. It's almost a simulacrum of a sento if it weren't for the fact that this place truly is quite old.

Post bubble differences in Japan are a undercurrent that someone like myself who did not experience it cannot grasp. The Japanese themselves also seem to have forgot the bubble days. But opulent places like this onsen hint at what that time would have been like. There's a sense of nostalgia, with a hint of sadness, in this sento. The dark stairwell with its light fixtures removed really had that feeling. But these feelings are by no means the overwhelming atmosphere of this sento. It's an enchanting, wonderful place. It reminds me much of the sento in Matsuyama that was the inspiration for the one in "Spirited Away," albeit not as wonderful.

One note, the locker numbers are written in kanji, but the keys have numerals on them so if you can't read numbers in kanji you might have a problem.

Baths: Normal bath, bubble bath, carbonated water bath, rotenbro, cave-like bath, steam sauna, jet baths, well water rotenbro, cold water bath, sauna*

Price: ￥380, Royal Corner (Sauna) +￥380

Access: By Sanyo bus Route 12 from Myodani (名谷) station on the Kobe Subway Yamate line. Get off at 神和台 bus stop which is right in front of the onsen.

Holiday: N/A

Hours: 10:00~08:30 (the next day)

Links: Onsen Hopper, Spa Michelin

Score (out of 5)
water: 3
baths: 5
building: 4
atmosphere: 4
Total: 16 (out 0f 20)

#37 Ashiya Onsen あしや温泉

2008-10-09T11:39:00.004+09:00

Closed for reconstruction. Will Reopen April 1 2010. (Thanks to Onsen Soaker for the tip.)

あしや温泉
Ashiya Onsen

Classification: onsen, sento

芦屋市呉川町14番10号
Ashiya-shi, Hyogo-ken

Review:

After the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1996 many houses lacked water and hence a place to bathe. The local sento were the only place to wash yourself. Ashiya city doesn't have many sento and there was a strong need for public bathhouse, hence Ashiya Onsen was built. Quickly.

The building is prefab, the fixtures are sparse and basic to say the least, but the local feel is strong. This is a city owned truly public bathhouse that is used by the citizens (mostly citizen grandfathers) of Ashiya.

There is only one bath along the back wall with a spigot constantly refilling the bath with well water on the left. On the right there's a normal spigot for adding cold water to the bath to chill it a bit. Down the center there's a metal wall dividing the super hot left side from the so-so hot side right side. The well water has a temperature of 46 degrees and is used as-is.

Near the entrance there is a basin with chilled well water. This is used for splashing over your body and you are not to get into this basin.

Although simple I found this bath to be refreshing and very enjoyable piece of everyday life in Ashiya.

Baths: Well water bath, chilled well water basin

Price: The price for non-residents of Ashiya-city is ¥380, please buy your ticket from the lowest row of buttons labeled (市外) on the vending machine. Residents can buy their ticket from the uppermost row labeled (市内). Residents of Ashiya 65 years or old or disabled can use the ¥260 ticket.

Access: 15 minutes from Hanshin Ashiya station, or by bus. Closest bus stop is 呉川町 (Gokawa-cho?) on the Hankyu bus line. Other bus routes can be found here (in Japanese).

Holiday: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays.

Hours: 14:00~22:00

Links: Spa Michiken - Ashiya city homepage

Score: 7/10

If you bring your own bottles you can bring the well water home to drink

#36 Chimuspa Kobe / チムジルバンスパ神戸

2008-10-05T14:32:00.004+09:00

チムジルバンスパ神戸
Chimujiruban Spa Kobe

Classification: sento

兵庫県神戸市須磨区車字奥中ノ尾７７２−６
Kobe-shi, Suma-ku

Review:

Up in the hills above Suma is this grand Korean themed supersento (hence the katakana name). Getting there was a bit hard, but once there the experience was well worth the trip. This is a near 10 point supersento.

The style is very modern with clean, smooth black stone and geometric shapes. The bathing area seemed a bit dark, but in a relaxing way. The atmosphere created by the running water, plants, and well designed baths gave me a refreshed, relaxed feel from the start.

Inside the central bath is naturally carbonated well water. It's like the baths at Nada Onsen, but hotter and with smaller bubbles. Imagine bathing in hot Gerlistiner. There is also a salt sauna which has rotating salts and herbs. The smell of the sauna was great, as was the salt, it was thicker and crunchier than other salts I've seen at other places.

Outside they have a "Micronano bubble" bath which was opaque due to the millions of little bubbles in the water, sadly I coudn't feel the difference between that an the normal still water bath. There's also a large well water bath outside and a few smaller baths around it.

Overall I feel this sento was very well layed out but there were a few strange things. Going from the inside to outside baths you have to go into the changing room, the plastic boards around the tub baths warped under my weight, and there weren't any clear windows to see the landscape from the baths. These small gripes aside it's a great bath. If the well water was a bit better, I'd give this place a 10.

Baths: Normal bath, cold water bath, natural carbonated bath, well water rotenbro, well water tubs, "microbubble" rotenbro, sleeping baths, jet baths, sauna, and salt sauna

Price: Adult ¥800 Members ¥700 Membership ¥200

Access: By car, or free bus from Myohoji, Myodani, Sannomiya, Shin-Nagata, or Itayado stations. See timetables here.

Holiday: N/A

Hours: 10:00~01:00 (the next day). Last entrance 24:00.

Links: Onsen homepage

Score: 9/10

#35 Kanoko Onsen

2008-10-05T13:36:00.003+09:00

鹿之子温泉
Kanoko Onsen

Classification: sento

兵庫県神戸市北区長尾町宅原１６１１
Kobe-shi, Kita-ku

Review:

When I use to live in Sanda, Kanoko was the closest onsen to my apartment. It would take me 15 minutes or so to ride there on my bike. I'd often go there after or before work. This became my almost weekly onsen. Now that I've moved back down to Nishinomiya, I do miss riding my bike here through the rice feilds to enjoy this wonderful and old sento.

The sento is different on each side, but both have the same basic layout. The bath on the left side of the front desk has a nicer rotenbro and salt sauna. The bath on the left, my favorite, has a very strong jet bath and a 95-100 degree sauna. Although small, Kanoko offers well designed baths that the more you go the more you like. The water is heated well water. It's not the best onsen, but it feels extra hot. I go here for the baths and the super hot sauna--not the water.

As a daily onsen, Kanoko doesn't get boreing. Despite the price Kanoko has free body soap and shampoo, a very good point card system, and many disounted or double point nights to take avantage of. I rarely pay the full ¥600 price.

Kanoko Onsen has a second shop, Karato Onsen, is my wife's favorite spa and has a very similar feel, but much bigger. (To be reviewed later.)

Baths: Normal bath (deep and shallow), electric bath, jet baths, rotenbro, sauna or salt sauna

Price: Adult ¥600

Access: 20 min on foot from Shintetsu Dojo Minamiguchi

Holiday: N/A (Execpt for 2 maintance days a year)

Hours: 09:00~01:30 (the next day)

Links: Onsen homepage

Score: 8/10

#34 道頓堀温泉 Dotonbori Onsen

2008-09-22T22:12:00.007+09:00

道頓堀温泉
Dotonbori Onsen

Classification: sento

大阪府大阪市中央区高津2-3-15
Osaka-shi, Chuo-ku

Review:

Never have I ever been so interested in the design of a sento. Dotonbori Onsen receives a 9 for it's style, despite of how confused, eclectic and despondent as it is. Located just at the edge of a love hotel district in front of an adult video store and the National Bunraku museum, Dotonbori Onsen is lost in time.

There are three stages to this onsen, visually speaking. The lower third is the classic sento tile. Browns, whites with floral motives a cross of Spanish design and your grandmothers doilies, plus the various basic coin sized tiles. These tiles are beautiful, but not so unique. It gets better as you go up.

The middle third is the rebellious in your face stage. A giant tile mosaic of a fish on the back wall all in bright colors, the bright red tile that wraps around the central fountain that fills the main baths, the amazing wall that separates the men's and women's section with it's mosaic of multi-colored amorphous, lava-lamp splotches. It makes me wonder who designed these walls, were they the work of trained artists, the architects or merely the owners own armature, yet quite amazing, hand.

The top third blends classic and modern together. The wall that encompasses the rotenbro is done in beige coin sized tiles, with large stained glass windows in muted colors. The upper walls leading towards the main exhaust windows has very simple square and rectangle motif done in what appears to be paint and concrete, reminiscent of some American abstract artist of the 60's.

Now imagine all of this in a state of graceful, yet quite apparent disrepair. The bright red tiles of the central fountain have been washed stark white by years of flowing water. The sliding door to the rotenbro is removed and propped up on the outside wall. The rotenbro is open air but seemingly perpetually covered by a raintarp. There are cracks in the windows and ancient looking dust high in the rafters. It's doubtful that this sento could ever be repaired to its apparent original luster. So go to this one while it's still around.

Finally, the baths were nicely laid out and had a very unique feel due to their design. One of the jet baths even had a strength control, although it was broken. The water was normal, but nice and hot, the showers strong, and the atmosphere wonderful.

I would like to thank a recent reader to this blog for recommending this sento among others. I'll be checking those recommendations out in the coming weeks. If you want to recommend a sento or just check in please feel free to email me at: sleepytako -at- gmail -dot- com.

Baths: Normal bath (deep and shallow), electric bath, herbal bubble bath, jet baths, rotenbro, steam sauna, sauna*

Price: Adult ¥410, sauna +¥100

Access: 3 minutes from Niponbashi station on the Osaka subway, or Kintetsu line.

Holiday: Every Thursday

Hours: 07:00~02:00 (the next day)

Links: Onsen homepage

Score: 9/10

#33 森の湯 Mori no Yu

2008-09-21T12:58:00.003+09:00

森の湯
Mori no Yu

Classification: sento

姫路市南駅前町25
Himeji-shi, Hyogo-ken

Review:
A seemingly very popular local sento a stone’s through from JR Himeji station, Mori no Yu left me happy and refreshed. Not too large but quite well built, the baths all were lined with the same blue, 500 yen coin sized tiles. This very health themed sento had many posters showing bathing courses, bath tub exercises, and notices about health related things posted on the walls. I loved the extra hot 43.5 degree bath that complemented wide and shallow cold water bath. They also had a knee height bath that was filled with smooth white stones for massaging the bottom of your feet. Amazingly refreshing, but quite painful. I know a good sento if I leave it feeling taller, my back straighter, and ready for the next week of work, and that’s how I felt leaving Mori no Yu.

Baths: electric bath, jet bath, normal bath, extra hot bath, warm bath, cold water bath, stone filled foot bath, sauna.

Price: Adult ¥380, bath + sauna ¥560

Access: 5 minutes from JR Himeji Station on the south side.

Holiday: 1st, 3rd , 5th Wednesdays.

Hours: Monday - Saturday and Holidays 13:00-24:00, Sunday 09:00-24:00

Links: Onsen homepage

Score: 8/10

Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.

#32　湊潮湯 Minatoshio-yu

2008-08-28T02:17:00.012+09:00

湊潮湯
Minatoshio-yu

Classification: sento

大阪府堺市堺区出島海岸通１丁２−１３
Sakai-shi, Osaka-fu

Review:
I try not to talk about my personal problems much on this blog. That's what my other blog is for... kinda. Well today I'm going to talk about my inner thigh. It gets sweaty down there during the hot Japanese summer. When I walk around all day like I did before going to today's sento, it gets red and irritated. Typically that would be ok, but today's sento was something special.
According to their webpage this the last surviving salt water sento in Kansai. The salt isn't as strong as straight ocean water so it doesn't leave you sticky, but if you have any sore spots they will sting just as my inner thighs did. Ignoring the stinging the salt water is very refreshing. They pull the water from 2KM away, run it through some processing, heat it and pump it into the baths. If you happen to get any of the bathwater in your mouth, you'll know for sure that it's from the ocean.

Minatoshi-yu looks recently remodeled and has a very clean feeling to it. It's very bright and open inside, despite its low ceiling. This is in contrast to the cluttered lobby that seems to be the gossiping spot for the local grandmothers. At least the night I went there was lots of chatting going on. I also think I heard the grandmother behind the counter ask her counterpart at the food bar, "Gaijin daijyobu desuka?" (Are foreigners ok?) when I entered. I didn't hear the reply, but I wasn't asked anything at the counter unusual. Perhaps foreigners are a rarity there, or the grandma was filling in for the typical front person who sees more foreign costumers.

I know of two Super-sento in western Kobe that also have saltwater baths, but haven't yet added them to this page. The salt water is an uncommon in sentos and worth trying at least once. I would put this down as one of the more unique sentos in the Kansai area and worth going out of your way to try.

Baths: Normal bath, Jet/bubble bath, cold water, electric bath, sauna, filtered sea water bath, filtered sea water bath rotenbro, filtered sea water waterfall bath

Price: Adult ¥410, sauna ¥150

Access: 5 minutes from Nankai Minato station (湊) on the Nankai Main line.

Holiday: Every Monday, national holiday and festival days.

Hours: 15:00-23:30

Links: Onsen homepage - Onsen Hopper

Score: 8/10

#31 柳湯 Yanagi-yu

2008-08-20T12:42:00.005+09:00

柳湯
Yanagi-yu

Classification: sento

兵庫県神戸市兵庫区西出町２丁目９−７
Kobe-shi, Hyogo-ku

Review:

A beautiful little bathhouse hidden in a small neighborhood next to Kobe's Harborland shopping and entertainment district, going to Yanagi-yu is like taking a step back in time. Yanagi-yu is located down a street wide enough for a bicycle or small delivery truck that's lined little family shops. Many stray cats meander around the maze of small paths and streets that serve this densely packed residential and commerical neighborhood. Walking around It's easy to forget that the massive Harborland area of Kobe is just down the street.

The bathhouse itself is the old bandai style where there are two doors in the front, one for men (男) and one for women (女). Make sure you choose the right one as they are only labeled in kanji. Inside the bathhouse the building is old and in need of some maintenance, but still very clean. The changing room and bath fixtures seemed to be from the buildings original construction. A highlight of the design is the tile mosaic of a western style lake scene with a rock feature on the far side of the back wall.

The baths were fairly normal. The herbal bath was not too hot and constantly refilled from a waterfall spout that was very refreshing in the summer heat. In a separate room that I originally thought was a sauna, there was another bath that appeared to be filled with the same water as the rest of the baths. A broken shower head in the bath led me to believe that originally was a radon bath, but I asked the master and he said that is wasn't. I'm not sure exactly what it use to be or what it is now.

The neighborhood it's located in and wonderful old building make this sento worth going to. It's also conveniently located near Harborland.

Baths: Normal bath (deep and shallow), bubble bath, herbal bath (warm), electric bath, chair jet bath.

Price: Adult ¥380

Access: 10 minutes from JRKobe station (JR神戸) or Harborland station on the Kaigan line of the Kobe Subway on the ocean side of Route 2.

Holiday: Monday

Hours: 15:00-22:30

Links: Onsen Hopper

Score: 6/10

Gensen Rotenbro for Summer @ Nada Onsen

2008-08-17T16:31:00.002+09:00

The summer in Japan is hot and humid, that doesn't mean people don't go to sento, but that means the cold water baths are much more popular. The folks at Nada Onsen - Rokkomichi know that and they have decided to fill the rotenbro with their cool unfiltered spring water, which is the same as the small popular inside bath. The lady at the counter said it would continue everyday till the end of summer. If you haven't had the chance to experience either of Nada Onsen's two sentos I recommend going there before the end of summer in the afternoon for the most refreshing experience.

My review of Nada Onsen - Rokkomichi can be found here.

#30 Maya Onsen まや温泉

2008-07-21T22:03:00.002+09:00

まや温泉
Maya Onsen

Classification: sento

兵庫県神戸市灘区天城通７丁目３
Kobe city, Nada ward, Hyogo pref.

Review:

Maya Onsen is a basic sento with a few things making it noteworthy. Maya has the basic centerpiece of a waterfall into the electric bath to the shallow bath and finally the deep bath, something that is common in many sentos. The bath isn't the high point however, the sauna is. Unusually free of an extra charge the well used and a little beat down yet clean enough sauna was set to around 98 degrees. I love a hot sauna as do the locals at this sento it seemed to me. Most saunas set to 85 degrees or so are not hot enough for me. This one was perfect. If it wasn't so hot and humid I would have spent my time going back and forth between the sauna and cold water as I do in other sentos with good saunas. The accompanying cold water bath is only big enough for one but nice and cold, and it refills fast which is good. Going in you'll always end up flooding the floor infront of the bath making a great rushing water sound. Due to the heat, I spent my time sitting outside getting some sun and daydreaming instead of using the sauna. All in all a lovely experence. Beside the sauna, the signage out front is worth checking out as are the parks in the surrounding neighborhood.

Pardon the low quality photos for this onsen, I only had my cell phone with me.

Baths: Normal bath (deep and shallow), jetbaths, cold water bath, sauna, outdoor bath, electric bath.

Price: Adult ¥380

Access: 5 minutes up the hill from from Hankyu Ojikoen station (王子公園駅).

Holiday: Every other Monday

Hours: 14:30-23:30

Links: Onsen Hopper

Score: 6/10

#29 福寿温泉 Fukujyu Onsen

2008-07-14T02:47:00.002+09:00

福寿温泉
Fukujyu Onsen

Classification: sento

兵庫県尼崎市東園田町５丁目６０−３
Amagasaki city, Hyogo pref.

Onsen Hopper

Review:

A 5 minute walk from Hankyu Sonoda Station this is old, but well maintained public bath with what seems to be good local crowd. Quite small on the inside but not too bad to the eye, sadly this sento had some downfalls. The mist sauna had a strong musky sweaty smell that turned me off. There was an outside area but it appeared unused and didn't have a bath but two showers. Maybe good for the summer but useless in the winter. Also in order to get to some of the baths you have to step over people or wait for them to get out to get behind them. I enjoyed the old tile work, the local atmosphere and the bright open room the baths were in, but I can't say much stood out here.

There is also a coin laundry attached to the sento.

Baths: Normal bath (deep and shallow), herbal bath, jetbath, cold water bath, mist sauna, sauna*, outdoor showers.

Price: Adult ¥340?, sauna plus ¥100 (I don't remember the price exactly. It might have gone up since I was last there)

Access: 5 minutes from Hankyu Sonoda station (園田駅).

Holiday: Tuesday

Hours: 13:30-23:30

Review: 5/10

#28 有馬湯 Arima-yu

2008-07-08T21:35:00.002+09:00

有馬湯
Arima-yu

Classification: sento

京都府宇治市宇治壱番８
Uji city, Kyoto pref.

Ryojyuhen

Review:

A great little sento I happened upon just across the street from JR Uji station. I was on a day tip with my girlfriend who kindly let me take a quick bath as she had a dessert at the cafe next door. The cafe next door looked really good too, but since this is an onsen blog I won't dwell on that. The sento was basic, small, and wonderful. Mid-afternoon is always my favorite time to take a bath. In a very well kept at least 70 year old sento. Well not much gets better than that. The baths were hot and the water was crystal clear. The electric bath was just the right strength and the jets were strong. The small single bench sauna lacked a TV but the piped in music was just as good, plus from the sauna there's a window into the changing room which was a first for me. The waterfall bath also was a lovely surprise. From the outside the entrance is quite old, you can tell where the original entryway gives way to the remodeled portion. Most likely the bathhouse was remodeled to better separate the sexes as such laws became more strictly enforced. Each sex has it's own door leading out to the street with a arrowhead shaped row of shoe lockers which divides the entryway on the inside. An unusual design. Despite its simplicity I deferentially recommend this sento for its access, baths and atmosphere.

Baths: Normal bath (deep), electric bath, jet bath, waterfall bath, cold water bath, sauna*

Price: Adult ¥350, sauna plus ¥100

Access: One minute from JRUji (JR宇治) station.

Holiday: Monday

Hours: 16:00-23:00

Review: 7/10

The onsen's name is carved into this ornament above the entryway.

Pardon the lack of updates...

2008-07-07T23:08:00.005+09:00

Dear Readers,

I have to apologize for the lack of updates. I know that there are a few readers to this little blog and I'm trying to publish as many reviews as possible. This blog will only be useful once I get a large list of onsen on it just like my Japanese counterparts. As of now my coverage is quite spotty. I have a overwhelming list of onsen to review and post and I will try to my best to put them up in the following weeks. The main problem is my workplace is understaffed and I have been picking up the slack of everyone else to the determent of my own health since January. Also... my Mother came to town! ACK! Plus, I'm getting married. So, needless to say, life has been quite busy. I have not given up on this blog however, and I hope to expand it further in the future. Please make sure to bookmark it or add it to your favorite RSS reader. As always your comments or criticisms are welcome.

Note: I edited my review of Asahi onsen. Also, I will be replacing the Japanese word "gensen" with "spring water" in my reviews for clarity for non-Japanese speaking readers, and I will put the romanji names of the onsen before the Japanese in the post titles hopefully making them easier for everyone to read. Eventually I will be putting up an onsen vocabulary list for those Japanese students among us.

#27 つぼ湯 Tsuboyu

2008-05-28T11:40:00.004+09:00

湯の峰温泉　つぼ湯
Yunomine Onsen Tsuboyu

Classification: Natural onsen

〒663-8167　和歌山県田辺市本宮町湯峯１１０
Hongu city, Wakayama pref.

Homepage (Japanese)
Homepage (English)

Review: Amazing.

The mythology says that a monk recovered using the hot spring here.
The mythology says that the water changes color 7 times in a day.
The mythology says if you bath here when you're pregnant you will have a healthy baby.

All you really need to know is that this is one of the most amazing places in Japan, if not the world. There is something very special about this place, especially if you can share it with someone you love like I did. The water leaves you skin feeling as if it was coated in soap. Afterwards, this bath will leave you feeling better than you could imagine. I can't wait to go back.

Because only two people can use the bath at the same time, you have to make a reservation and wait your turn. Men and women can enter together and children are also allowed. What you have to do is go up to the ticket counter. The person will give you a general idea about how many people are waiting in front of you, but they won't tell you how long the wait is because they don't really know. Coming earlier in the morning increases your chances of getting in sooner. We got there around 9 AM and were able to go straight into the bath. Great luck.

After you buy your tickets from the vending machine, the front desk person will give you a plastic card with a number on it. They will call your number when your time comes up. If you're not there then they call your number you will loose your turn, so make sure to stay in the area. After your number is called walk along the river to the shack that surrounds the bath. In front of the door place your number on the hook in view of the CCTV camera, take off your shoes, and enter.

Inside there are some plastic baskets for your clothing. Of course you go in naked like any other bath in Japan. Since there is no place to wash with soap a simple splash off is fine. That's what I did. I think that using soap isn't allowed in Tsuboyu, but I might be wrong. The natural well water is 92℃ so you'll have to add river water from the large gray pipe to cool the bath before you can enter it. There is also a large stick there for you to use to stir the bath. The hottest part of the bath, where the hot water bubbles up to the river bottom is in the upriver corner. Although it shouldn't be that hot that it would burn you, just be aware of it. The tub is mostly made up of a worn smooth doughnut shaped semi-circle with a rock face on the upriver side. The bottom of the tub is filled with smooth river rock. You can't see the bottom, so make sure not to drop anything into the tub as you most likely won't be able to find it.

After you leave the main Tsuboyu, you can use the medicated baths behind the ticket booth. We didn't try them.

While your waiting, or after you get out I also recommend getting eggs from the nearby stores and boiling them in the onsen water. They come in a net bag to boil them in. It takes about 15 minutes for the eggs to boil. In this photo you can see takenoko (bamboo shoots) boiling in the water also.

There is also a simple public bath, men and women separate, that you can use with out waiting but the water is not the same as that in Tsuboyu although it is very nice.

Baths: One rock lined bath

Well temperature: 92℃

Price: Adult ¥750, per person for 30 minutes.

Access: By bus from Shingu Station by Kumanokutsu (60min), from Kiitanabe Station by Ryujin (90min), from various stations in southern Nara pref. by Narakotsu (5 hours 20min), or by car. Links to transportation to via the Tsuboyu article on Wikipedia (Japanese).

Holiday: None

Hours: 06:00-21:30

Review: 10/10

#26 浜田温泉 Hamada Onsen

2008-05-08T01:05:00.004+09:00

浜田温泉
Hamada Onsen

Classification: Natural onsen, sento

〒663-8167　兵庫県西宮市甲子園浜田町1-27
Nishinomiya city, Hyogo pref.

Onsen Homepage
Onsen Hopper
Michiken Land

Review:
When I lived in Nishinomiya this was one of my most frequented onsen. Its water has the same nice metallic smell and taste that Futaba Onsen has. It's much like Futaba in many ways, but unlike in others. Hamada has a very wide open feel for a small sento in the baths, the same sadly cannot be said for the changing room or lobby however. The staff really seems to love bath houses and they sell bathouse related phone straps and key rings. This is a perfect local sento. It's very well maintained and the owners do a lot to make sure the onsen looks good on the outside and the inside. The website claims that they only dug a well and had actual onsen in 2001 although the sento has been there since 1960. The jet bath and the cold water bath with its waterfall are both highly recommended as is the rotenbro with its real plants and good view of the sky.

Baths: Normal bath, electric bath, onsen bath, onsen bath with bubbles, jet bath, cold water bath, sauna, onsen rotenbro

Price: Adult ¥380 (Sauna +¥130)

Access: 5 minutes from Hanshin Kusugawa station (久寿川駅)

Holiday: Every Wednesday

Hours: 15:00-24:00

Review: 8/10

#25 朝日温泉　Asahi Onsen

2008-04-03T17:11:00.004+09:00

朝日温泉
Asahi Onsen

Classification: Spring water fed onsen, sento

兵庫県神戸市兵庫区永沢町２丁目３番３号
Hyogo ward, Kobe city, Hyogo pref.

Onsen Homepage
Onsen Hopper

Review:

One of my favorite sentos about halfway between JR Kobe and Shintetesu/Hankyu/Hanshin Shinkaichi station Asahi Onsen has both two of my favorite baths that go great together, the 46 degree extra hot bath and the refreshing 38 degree unfiltered spring water bath. The onsen here is much like that of Minatoyama Onsen, Futaba Onsen, and Nada onsen to name a few. It has a metallic taste and feel. Cooling off in the cool spring water bath after sitting in the 46 degree hot bath is quite an amazing feeling. Something I look forward to doing and travel here for the experience.

Asahi Onsen also has a great balcony with an open air cold water bath and many other baths and saunas through out its three story building. The front desk, refreshments, and changing rooms are on the second floor with the baths on the third, giving you the chance to walk up stairs naked. Something that's still a bit of a thrill to me, despite it being rather common among setos of similar size.

Asahi Onsen has one downfall, it's not the most relaxed sento. Kids will play around in the water. People will enter the baths without washing or splashing themselves with water. If you don't let that bother you and take it as it is I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I do, if you are annoyed by that you might find Minatoyama Onsen up the mountain more to your liking. The few bad mannered bathers aside, I've had a number of funny conversations in the changing room with the other bathers here and find the atmostphere as it should be for this kind of sento.

Baths: Heated spring water bath, warm spring water bath, extra hot bath, jet baths, bubble bath, waterfall bath, steam sauna, sauna*, cold water bath.

Price: ¥340 / Sauna and Bath ¥500

Access: JR Kobe or KosokuKobe 10 minutes. Shinkaichi 15 minutes.

Holiday: Second and fourth Wednesdays

Hours: 06:30-00:30 (the next day)

Review: 9/10

#24 極楽湯尼崎店 Gokuraku-yu Amagasaki

2007-12-04T23:14:00.001+09:00

極楽湯　尼崎店
Gokuraku-yu Amagasaki

Classification: Supersento

兵庫県尼崎市浜1-6-18
Amagasaki city, Hyogo pref.

Onsen Homepage

Review:

Supersento are placed differently in my grading scheme of things. There is no such thing as a bad supersento. I’d never turn down going to one, but they really have to shine for me to fall in love with them. I end up going to them more often than not because what I love about small sentos is what my girlfriend dislikes about them. She wants the newer wider places, and I don’t blame her, and for her part she understands what I like about older smaller sento. I bet if I grew up in Japan I would have the same opinions. Being a foreigner here who has also been to hot springs in the United States biases my opinions greatly. I doubt that most foreigners here who go to hot springs know they exist in their own countries, never the less have been to one.

Now at this point you might be wondering why the preamble to the review of this supersento. Get on with it. So I will. Gokuraku-yu in Amagasaki is the example of the perfect balance of everything one would want in a supersento. It’s big. It has a ton of different baths, it has a giant sauna, it has good water, it has a great restaurant, it has massages, facials, you can go back in and out of the onsen all day if you want (most supersento don’t let you go back in after you’ve left the bathing area), hell, it’s even perfectly placed for train nuts with a smoking porch that overlooks on of JR’s busiest lines. But I don’t go here because I want to. I go here because it’s convenient and the girlfriend loves it. It’s one of her top 5 places. I understand why. I always feel happy and relaxed when I leave and consider every yen spent worth it, but going here is never amazing. And it never will be. Getting breakfast at Denny’s can be completely great and leave you super happy, but it can’t be truly amazing.

So please, don’t let this review discourage you from supersento. They are all great. Gokuraku-yu and Yamato-no-yu, two big supersento chains, both do a great job, even at their less appealing outlets. Go. Bathe. Tell me what you think about my crazy opinions and add your own.

Price: Adult Weekdays ¥700, Saturdays/Sundays/Holidays ¥750

Access:
Baths----
Inside:
normal bath, jet bath, bubble bath, cold water bath, sauna, shower
Outside:
herbal bath, stone bath, wooden bath, giant pot baths, mist sauna, sleeping area

Holiday: n/a

Hours: 10:00-01:00 (the next day)

Rating 7/10

#23 平和温泉 Heiwa Onsen

2007-11-20T19:18:00.001+09:00

平和温泉
Heiwa Onsen

Classification: Sento

Ikeda city, Osaka pref.
池田市石橋１丁目１−５
Map

Sento Hopper
Michiken Land

Review:
A great simple little sento a wonderful old shopping street. While this is nothing special it’s still a lovely place to take a bath. I found it very relaxing. Heiwa Onsen also has a classic setup with the coin laundry out front.

Price: Adult ¥390, Sauna ¥150

Access: 3 minute walk from Ishibashi station (石橋駅) on the Hankyu Takarazuka line (阪急宝塚線)

Baths----
Inside:
normal bath, electric bath, jet bath, bubble bath, cold water bath, sauna, mist sauna, herbal bath

Holiday: Every Monday

Hours: 14:15-01:00 (the next day)

Rating: 5/10

#22 豊中温泉 Toyonaka Onsen

2007-11-04T11:40:00.001+09:00

豊中温泉
Toyonaka Onsen

Classification: Sento

大阪府豊中市本町1-5-14
Toyonaka city, Osaka pref.
Map

Sento Hopper
Michiken Land
Toyonaka Bath Guide

Review:
This small sento 5 minutes from Hankyu Toyonaka station was quite pleasant, although not as appealing as Mizuki-yu reviewed below. Toyonaka Onsen left me feeling quite good. The sauna was the high point of the experience for me. Not a typical gas sauna, this one was heated by two shower-heads that would spray out ultra hot water on a timer filling the room with hot steam, initially it wasn’t too hot but given time it did its job of warming me up quite well. The design of this sento was a little awkward due to the small area the designers had to work with. The baths are quite small and most could barely fit two. The bubble bath is also situated so that you could not enter it without stepping over another bather’s legs. The showers are also situated quite close to the baths and close to each other making it also very easy to splash your neighbor. This sento’s very convenient location gives it an edge and worth stopping by.

Access: 5 minute walk from Toyonaka station (豊中駅) on the Hankyu Takarazuka line (阪急宝塚線)

Price: Adult ¥390

Baths----
Inside:
normal bath, electric bath, jet baths, bubble bath, cold water bath, sauna
Outside:
medicated rotenbro

Holiday: Every Thursday

Hours: 15:00-00:30 (the next day)

Rating: 5/10

#21 水木湯 Mizuki-yu

2007-11-04T11:22:00.001+09:00

水木湯
Mizuki-yu

神戸市兵庫区水木通2-2-21
Hyogo ward, Kobe
Map

Sento Hopper

Classification: Sento

Review:
This sento 5 minutes from Shinkaichi station (Hankyu, Hanshin, Shintetsu and Sanyo all trains all stop there) in Kobe’s old downtown was an absolutely lovely experience. This is a basic bathhouse, the water is just Kobe city water, nothing special about it, but this place proves how the right baths, design, and overall atmosphere can turn any water into a great experience. Small and old, Mizuki-yu doesn’t show signs of wear as other sentos of the same age do. The baths were a bit hotter than the usual 41c it seemed, although it could have been that my body was cold that night. Either way it was a wonderful little sento, and let me reemphasize little. The one pitfall of this sento was the sauna, while without extra charge it had an unpleasant smell that made it rather unappealing. That might have been caused by the one customer who was using it however. The grandmother who was sitting at the bandai (the high counter with a few of both male and female sides of the bath house, common in most older sentos) was quite kind to me as we had a little chat as I was leaving. Her kindness definitely added to the wonderful atmosphere of the sento.

Price: Adult ¥380

Access: 5 minutes from Shinkaichi (新開地) station on the Hankyu, Hanshin, Shintetsu, or Sanyo railways.

Baths----
Inside:
normal bath, electric bath, jet baths, cold water bath, sauna

Holiday: Every Monday

Hours: 13:30-23:00

Rating: 6/10

#20 極楽湯大和橿原店 Gokuraku-yu Yamato Kashihara

2007-11-04T11:09:00.001+09:00

極楽湯大和橿原店
Gokuraku-yu Yamato Kashihara

奈良県橿原市新堂町210-1
Kashihara-city, Nara
Map

Onsen Homepage
Supersentou.com

Classification: Supersento

Review:
Part of the Gokuraku-yu chain, their xxx outlet in Nara pref. is a fairly basic supersento. Sadly nothing popped out to me here, although it was featured in one of my onsen magazines. The key feature is a long rectangular stone lined rotenbro which was much smaller than it appeared in photos of it in magazines. The entire bathing area seemed much smaller in comparison to the dining area and in general to other Gokuraku-yu outlets that I’ve been to. The water was nice but not impressive. Everything about this supersento was adequate. It seemed to be a wonderful place to spend an evening with the family if you lived in the area or came in from the more rural areas of Nara prefecture. The one amazing thing about this supersento, which I almost forgot, was its insanely powerful jet bath that while very refreshing for me, could be uncomfortable for others.

This supersento really summed up the chain supersento experience for me. It’s much like going to a chain restaurant; in the same chain some shops are better than others and overall the whole chain they basks in averageness. That’s the nature of a chain operation be it a restaurant or supersento. I doubt that a chain supersento will ever get a 9 or above on my scale, but, on the other hand, I doubt one will get less than a 4. This supersento is a solid 5. It’s a fine place. I’d go there often if I lived in the neighborhood, but it’s nothing to write home about. The Amagasaki and Suita outlets are much finer examples of the Gokuraku-yu chain. Both of which I will feature later on this blog.

Note: Gokuraku-yu has a membership card that gives a discount, but some cards only work at some outlets. If you don’t have a card you will have to pay the higher price listed. Anyone can become a member, but there is a fee.

Price: Adult Weekdays ¥650, Saturdays/Sundays/Holidays ¥700

Access: By car, or walk from Ukiana station (浮孔駅) on the Kintetsu South Osaka line (近鉄南大阪線)

Baths-----
Inside:
normal bath, cold water bath, various jet baths, electric baths, sauna.

Outside:
gensen stone rotenbro (hot and tepid), sleeping baths, wood lined bath, mist sauna

Holiday: n/a

Hours: 09:00-02:00 (the next day)

Rating: 5/10

#19 田辺温泉 Tanabe Onsen CLOSED 廃業

2007-10-12T21:29:00.002+09:00

CLOSED 廃業

田辺温泉

Tanabe Onsen

大阪府大阪市東住吉区田辺１-５-１３
Osaka city, Higashi Sumiyoshi ward
Map

Onsen Hopper
Michiken Land

Classification: Sento

Review:
Next to a subway station in a sleepy residential neighborhood this onsen has a family feel. It seemed that everyone there knew each other. The staff was constantly chatting with the customers and visa versa. One might think this is a good thing but, this can be a unsettling the other costumers were rather watchful of a new, strange, and foreign guest. That combined with the architecture, baths, and tiles gave it an Osaka feel.

The baths has the same glass and steel feel that its entry way has. In the baths the seats are built into the ground and made of tile, unlike the more common movable plastic ones. The water has a slight greenish brown tint that’s emphasized by the colors of the tiles. This onsen runs hot and leaves you radiating heat. Something in the mineral composition of the water and the design of the tubs here lead me to be made it easy for my body to absorb the heat faster and more completely than at other places.

This onsen has an emphasis on radon baths, something I think is common among older Osaka sentos, and is the first onsen I’ve featured that has a radon bath. In this case the radon is added to the water and is not naturally occurring in the water. Radon is thought to be beneficial to your health, but it is radioactive and is a carcinogen, and as such should be approached with caution. Personally I like it but I’m well aware of the danger and there’s no real immediately notable feel to the bath compared to another bath in the onsen. Also be aware that children aren’t allowed in any radon bath or sauna. (I’ll write more about radon baths later.)

Also be aware the the second floor of this onsen, the radon sauna and rotenbro gensen bath is accessible only if you pay an extra 240 yen. They will give you a plastic tile on a string which you wear around your next to show that you’ve paid the fee.

Access: A 1 minute walk from Tanabe station (田辺) on the Osaka subway Tanimachi line (谷町線).

Price: adult ¥360

Baths:
Inside: Normal bath, gensen bath, cold water bath , steam sauna, radon bath, waterfall bath, spray shower, jet baths, radon sauna

Rotenbro: gensen bath, cold water bath

Holiday: Every Wednesday

Hours: 06:00-23:00

Rating: 6/10

#18　泉温泉 Izumi Onsen

2007-10-07T15:00:00.001+09:00

泉温泉

Izumi Onsen

兵庫県尼崎市武庫元町2-21-2
Hyogo Pref., Amagasaki city

Map

Sento Hopper

Onsen ni Ikou

Classification: Sento, Bathhouse

Review:
Izumi Onsen prides itself on being simple. No jet baths, no rotenbro, nothing special but a well designed--if not quite unique--basic bathouse. Everything about Izumi Onsen from the mural of Mt. Fuji to the rare bottled sodas in the lobby expresses a sense of nostalgia, but a clean, well kept nostalgia. The water is said to be soft, which is the onsen's selling point. I found it to be quite comfortable. What most amazed me was the showers which had a long tile bench to sit on and the cold water shower that had the pressure and density of the hardest downpour I've ever experienced. The semi-detached outside toilet, and the onsen's location inside a shopping arcade make Izumi Onsen a pleasant and interesting bath.

Access: A 20 minute walk from Hankyu Mukonoso station (阪急武庫之荘) or Amagasaki city bus from the same station.

Price: adult ¥340

Baths:
Inside:
normal bath (deep, shallow), cold water shower
Rotenbro:
N/A

Holiday: Every Friday

Hours: 15:30-23:00

Rating: 6/10

#17 灘温泉　六甲道店 Nada Onsen Rokomichi

2007-09-30T19:49:00.001+09:00

灘温泉　六甲道店

Nada Onsen Rokomichi

兵庫県神戸市灘区備後町3-1-4
Kobe city, Nada Ward

Map

Onsen Homepage
Onsen Hopper

Classification: Sento

Review:
One of the most convent, refreshing, beautiful sento around. A great place to have your first sento experience. In fact this was the sento I took my sister to. Incredibly small, yet it isn’t very bothersome. Nada onsen has wonderful water that in the gensen and the charcoal filtered normal bath both feel wonderful on the skin. The baths are well designed big and relaxing. Nada Onsen’s two pitfalls come from the size. First the showers are tightly spaced and close to the baths so one must be careful not to spray the bathers. Second, the gensen bath can fit 2~3 people and it’s very popular. Despite these pitfalls this is one of my most frequented onsen due to its location, baths, and water. Nada Onsen also has free body soap and shampoo, something quite rare for a 380 yen sento. There are also a few other wonderful things to look out for if you go here; the charcoal filtered drinking water in the changing room is immensely refreshing after a long soak, and the illustrated warning posters are quite funny.

Access: A 5 minute walk from JR Rokkomichi station (JR六甲道)

Price: adult ¥380

Baths:
Inside:
normal bath, electric bath, jet baths, gensen bath
Outside:
normal bath, waterfall bath, cold water bath, sauna

Holiday: the second Thursday of ３月,６月,９月,１２月

Hours: 6:00-25:00

Rating: 8/10

#16 日之出温泉 Hinode Onsen

2007-09-30T19:29:00.001+09:00

日之出温泉

Hinode Onsen

大阪市東淀川区西淡路２丁目３−１３
Osaka city, Higashi Yodogawa Ward

Map

Michiken Land
Nikkan Sports Sento Navi

Classification: Sento

Review:
Recommended by a gaijin who I bumped into in an Umeda sento, Hinode Onsen sadly didn’t live up to his recommendation. While it is a fine onsen built from nice materials the water is sadly uninspiring. The bathing area itself is quite small compared to the large lounge areas. The building is odd, looking like it should be a mansion or office building rather than a sento. The small rotenbro is decorated with a lot of plants making it quite nice but actually calling it a rotenbro is a stretch; balcony bath would be a better term. The layout of the washing areas in relation to the baths was too close. Also the low shelf where you put your washbasin was installed so that water flowed across it so that my neighbors soapy water was constantly spreading into my area rather than spilling off onto the floor as it should. Despite its downfalls this is fine, clean and convenient sento.

Access: A 10 minute walk from JR Shin-Osaka station (JR新大阪)

Price: adult ¥300

Baths:
Inside:
normal bath, jet bath, cold water bath, sauna
Rotenbro:
“bubble” bath with fragrance

Holiday: Every Monday

Hours: 15:00-23:30 (Sundays extra 07:00-11:30 morning bath service)

Rating: 5/10

#15 かもきみの郷 Kamokimi no Sato

2007-09-23T14:46:00.002+09:00

かもきみの郷

Kamokimi no Sato

奈良県御所市大字五百家333
Gose city, Nara pref.

Map

Yunavi
Onsen ni ikou

Classification: Super Sento

Review: Located 15 minutes away by bus from the nearest train station, Kamokimi no Sato is deep in rural Nara prefecture. The building and surrounding garden is quite modern concrete construction that, although somewhat of a juxtaposition, fits within its landscape. The stone and other materials used in the construction of the baths is pleasing for the eyes and body too. A great deal of attention was paid to the design of the bathing area and this is accented by the water which is quite refreshing. The gensen has a slight brown tint to it and leaves the skin feeling quite good. I actually found the normal baths to be more refreshing than the gensen bath here. For some reason the crystal clear water better accented the feeling of the water. Another key point of this super sento is the well designed waterfall bath which is placed in a shallow pool at the back of the rotenbro area. These baths are popular but hard to design into the bath area so they are rarely perfect. The height, double spigots, and low wall to hold on to makes it one of the most refreshing waterfall baths I’ve seen. Sadly the design that was lavished upon the bathing area, exterior and garden was missed on the rest of the building where there is a very hollow underutilized feeling. Not necessarily worth the trip if going to this super sento is your only reason for heading to this corner of Nara prefecture, however if you happen to be in the area I definitely recommend it.

Access: A 15 minute bus ride from JR Gosho station (JR御所) or Kintetsu Gosho station (近鉄御所)

Price: adult ¥500

Baths: Normal bath, gensen (pure mineral water), bubble bath, herb/fragrance bath, waterfall bath, foot bath, cold water bath, jet baths, sauna, salt sauna, rotenbro

Holiday: N/A

Hours: 10:00-23:00

Rating: 7/10

#14 花山温泉 Hanayama Onsen

2007-09-23T12:17:00.001+09:00

花山温泉

Hanayama Onsen

和歌山県和歌山市鳴神574
Wakayama city, Wakayama pref.

Map

Onsen Webpage

Classification: Onsen Hotel

Review: Hanayama Onsen features brown clay-like iron and calcium rich water that leaves your skin feeling amazing and your body rejuvenated. The tubs are caked with the calcium that makes the water so good. These deposits on the bottom and sides of the tubs give you a smooth place to sit, but in other places due to the way the water flows the deposits create a jagged landscape reminiscent of volcanic rock. There are 4 baths that use the unfiltered water. Three of them are heated, but the fourth is at the onsens natural temperature some where close to normal body temperature. After warming up in the hot baths, or cooling down in the cold water bath getting into the body temperature bath is one of the most amazing experiences ever. The temperature difference between the water and your skin combined with the high mineral content makes your skin feel open letting all the old water inside of you laden with its toxins be replaced with the healthy, energetic waters of the baths. A incredible experience.

Access: A 15 minute taxi ride from JR Wakayama station (JR和歌山)

Price: adult ¥1000

Baths: Gensen (pure mineral water) baths, jet bath, cold water bath, sauna, rotenbro

Holiday: Every Tuesday

Hours: 08:00-23:00

Rating: 10/10

About my reviews: Ratings

2007-09-03T19:18:00.000+09:00

I chose a 10 point system when starting this blog because I’m an indecisive person and having more options seemed to be better than a 3 or 5 point system. Recently I’ve realized that I’ve been too generous in rating the onsen that I’ve reviewed and begun to inflate the points given, hence I have revised some ratings based on the following criteria.

5 points:
This is a good onsen. The baths, atmosphere, building, and quality of the water are all adequate. A 5/10 onsen is one that I would have no problem going to on a daily basis if I lived near, or I would return to if I was in the area.

6 - 10 points:
These onsen have something special, something that warrants giving this place honors. These are onsen that I would go out of my way to return to.

0-4 points:
-These onsen are inadequate in some way, and after my initial visit I would most likely not return to that onsen under normal conditions.

I hope this helps make my reviews more understandable for everyone. As always your comments on these onsen or my reviews are welcome.

#13 双葉温泉 Futaba Onsen

2007-09-03T17:17:00.001+09:00

双葉温泉

Futaba Onsen

兵庫県西宮市分銅町２-２８
Nishinomiya city, Hyogo pref.

Map

Onsen Hopper

Spa Michiken

Classification: Sento

Review: This was the first sento that I went to after coming to Japan, and because of that it is one of my favorites. Always quite busy, this onsen is quite popular with the local gangsters, taxi drivers, and salary man. The natural water bath is refreshing and has a slight iron smell that dies the tiles a reddish hue while depositing a white calcium. The normal bath is refreshingly hot in the winter and the shallow rotenbro, with its small garden is relaxing even in a rain storm. Sadly I've never felt truly welcome at this sento by the staff. I typically do my thing and go. But done let that discourage you, I've had many a wonderful bath here and I definitely recommend going here.

Access: A 15 minute walk from Shukugawa (夙川) station on the Hankyu Kobe line, or a 10 minute walk from Hanshin Nishinomiya (阪神西宮) on the Hanshin Main line.

Price: adult ¥380, sauna ¥130

Baths: Unfiltered bath, unfiltered bath with bubbles, normal bath, jet bath, cold water bath, electric bath, sauna, rotenbro

Holiday: Every Wednesday

Hours: 15:00-23:30

Rating: 8/10

What is an onsen?

2007-07-30T18:16:00.000+09:00

Japanese bathhouses can be quite different from any other hot-spring experience you might have had in your country. Unlike the rural, sometimes free and ramshackle places found in the western United States, where the author is from, Japanese bathhouses are found throughout the country in urban, suburban, and rural settings. Japanese bathhouses have many different names and classifications depending on the type of establishment. Most of them are vernacular with meanings of each classification different depending on whom I am talking to. I have devised my own nomenclature and classifications to use on this site based on personal observation and the vernacular definitions of my friends and colleagues.

Onsen 温泉

This is the most common name that blankets over the entire industry. Onsen literally means hot-spring. The water from any establishment calling itself an onsen must come from a thermally heated well by law. Onsen have a sign somewhere, typically near the rotenbro, that describes the mineral makeup of the water, its temperature at the source, and when the well was originally bored.

Onsen, when referred to by overseas travel literature, typically means an establishment typically with an attached hotel and high quality Japanese restaurant. These onsen offer various packages ranging from use of the baths only to multi-night food and room inclusive packages. Onsen like this are typically found in hot-spring villages (温泉郷) which are often featured on Japanese television and the most famous ones are known to the average Japanese. Examples of these are Arima-onsen (有馬温泉) and Kinosaki-onsen (城崎温泉). Prices can range from ¥1,000~¥5,000 just for the baths, or from ¥10,000 and up for overnight packages. Such packages are popular with OLs taking a weekend off and couples on a romantic vacation. Typically discount tickets are available for places like this so it’s good to ask ask around, use a travel agency, or search through the many onsen vacation magazines available in any bookstore or convenience store.

The baths at onsen and onsen-hotels are typically very simple. There might be a sauna and one jet bath and often a rotenbro, but beside that the draw of the onsen is the mineral water, which is unique to each town--and in some cases each well--each offering different health benefits. Besides the baths the draw of these places is also relaxation, eroticism, and self-pampering. Basically a place to where you can fulfill your selfish desires with out any inhibitions. Because of this many onsen towns that are not based on curative bathing also have a thriving sex industry in the town, so much so that some onsen towns are more known for their soaplands than their baths.

Onsen most likely will provide its patrons with everything they would need for bathing, including soaps, shampoos, towels, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, and cotton robes (yukata ゆかた) for walking around outside of the bathing areas. In addition various supplementary items that aren’t offered for free will be available for purchase.

Super-sento スーパー銭湯

Super-sento are relatively phenomenon new with prices starting at around ¥500. Super-sento do not have hotels attached, but some larger ones, especially 24 hour locations, have sleeping rooms with large comfy chairs, a tatami room to take a nap in or a capsule hotel. Being a more commercial establishment than an onsen-hotel the main draw of a super-sento is it’s many different baths. The difference between the onsen-hotels and a super-sento is stark; the level of overt commercial activity in the form of snack counters, massage chairs, vending machines, and even pachinko or slot machines, is dramatically increased at super-sento.

Super-sento are popular as a night out with the family and cater to them as such. While the onsen-hotel will offer a multi-course feast, the super-sento will have a moderately priced sashimi plate next to its curry and ramen. Because of their clientele, super-sento are geared towards families who have cars making them harder to access by public transportation or in suburban residential areas. Some are even attached to new shopping centers such as Poka-Poka onsen in Kobe. Going to the bath is one part of a family’s day out shopping and having fun.

Super-sento, unlike onsen, don’t have to use thermally heated water, unless they have the name onsen somewhere in their name. In fact super-sento don’t call themselves super-sento in their names. Super-sento is a name for the industry and type of bathhouse and used when talking about them vernacularly, but not by the establishments themselves. Super-sento commonly offer body soap, shampoo and rinse and will sell or rent a towel for a fee, typically ¥100-¥300. Super-sento also offer asuri (アツリ), a type of scrubbing massage from Korea, and table or chair massage typically starting at ¥2,000.

Sento 銭湯

Sento are local bathhouses typically found in older neighborhoods where in olden days the surrounding houses lacked bathing facilities. Because all newer houses have bathing facilities and because of competition from super-sento which are newer and perceived as cleaner many of these establishments are closing. This is a sad thing because these have the most character than other establishments thanks to their age and clientele. Sento like their bigger brothers do not have to use thermally heated water. Only if they also call them self an onsen then you can be assured that the water is being drawn from a well.

Small neighborhood sento are the major focus of this site. I find them to be the most interesting of the bathing options available in Japan, but many people, including some of my friends, disagree. Somewhat prejudicially I feel. Sento are typically much older and it shows. The customers are also, typically, of a different class. It’s not surprising to see a naked tattooed gangster smoking a cigarette in the changing room. I’ve had most of my most memorable bathing experiences in these places. As I said above these shops have more character because the bathers are often locals who come many times a week creating a unique culture and atmosphere. For the first time visitor each sento might seem like the last, but with a little careful inspection the differences become apparent. What is nice is that most of the manners remain the same. Because some of these places haven’t been remodeled ever the faucets might be a little broken, the tiles stained or cracked, and in general a little worse for wear, but don’t let this make you think that these places are dirty. If a bathhouse was dirty the locals would stop going there and the business would quickly dry up. Personally, I feel many of the super-sentos are much dirtier because the users are less experienced and hence aware of the proper manners so they bring dirt into the tubs.

Sentos do not provide anything for their patrons, so you’ll have to bring all the goods you’ll need, or pay extra for the “empty handed” set (手ぶらセート). The front counter will also have towels and other goods for sale if you forgot anything. The price of a sento is typically the same with in a given area (Hyogo ¥380, Osaka ¥390, Tokyo ¥400). If the sento also takes government aid, for the preservation of Japanese bathhouse culture, it’s price is also moderated by that bureaucracy. Most sentos also charge extra for using the sauna, this includes the use of a rental bath towel. In some places you can sneak in to the sauna and not pay, I actually used the sauna at my local sento for a long time before realizing that there was an extra fee. Because of this some sento actually have a special plastic key that acts as a door handle that they give to people who pay for the sauna. Sento can have a few vending machines to a large snack counter offering curry, takoyaki, beer, and soft cream among other things.

Bathhouses / Ofuroya お風呂屋

The lowest on the rung of bathing in Japan is the simple bathhouse. Originally these served the majority of people who lacked a bath in their houses, but since the war and with Japan’s increased prosperity people began installing baths in their own houses and these once common sites became scarce. Finding one still around has been hard for me and I can only say that I’ve been to two or three that I would put under this classification. Most charge the same as a sento based on the prefectures price guide. The setup of a bathhouse is quite simple typically lacking showers and only having two simple tubs of water one cooler than the other. The bathhouse might not have any goods or rental towels for sale so it would be best to go equipped with everything you might need. Because these shops are often very old and most likely on their last legs the building and fixtures might be in dire need of repair, but don’t let this push you away from going at least once as these places are living history. Bathhouses can also be onsen and use geothermal water just make sure to look for the word onsen (温泉) in the name.

#12 神田温泉 Kanda Onsen

2007-07-16T15:01:00.002+09:00

神田温泉

Kanda Onsen

兵庫県尼崎市神田北通８−２１９
Hyogo, Amagasaki city
Map

Onsen Hopper

Spa Michiken

Classification: Sento

Review: A neighborhood sento in a working class part of Amagasaki close to Route 2. Kanda onsen's most notable feature is it's nicely designed tiered main bath. The whole lobby, dressing room and bathing area conforms to a wonderful S shape. The long rectangular rotenbro is treated with herbs and had some copies from a book of poems written between parents and their children posted on the wall.

Access: A 10 minute walk from Hanshin Deyashiki (出屋敷駅) station on the Hanshin main line or 20 minutes (through a cool old shotengai) from Hanshin Amagasaki (阪神尼崎) station.

Price: adult ¥340, sauna ¥100

Baths: Normal bath, jet baths, electric bath, cold water bath, Rotenbro with herbs, sauna, shower.

Holiday: N/A

Hours: 06:00-02:00 (the next day)

Rating: 4/10

#11 志宜野華厳温泉 Shikino Kengon Onsen

2007-07-08T15:05:00.001+09:00

志宜野華厳温泉

Shikino Kengon Onsen

大阪市城東区鴫野東２−１９−５
Jyoto-ku, Osaka-fu

Map

Onsen webpage Click on the 6th link down to interior shots of the onsen.

Spa Michiken

Classification: Sento

Review: A few onsen can make me feel better than this place. From the outside I was a bit scared, no big sign, no neon, nothing but a few bikes. Inside was the same. No pictures, no advertisements. Everything was very stark. In fact the only decoration I saw was an old sign written in old Japanese in the bath area. This should have turned me off, but no! Any place that doesn't rely on advertisements or fancy baths must, must have great water. I wasn't let down. The large main bath was filled with crystal clear perfectly heated water that felt great to the touch. I can't describe how wonderful this water was, but there is more. Outside in a long bath along the side of the building is an unfiltered bath with some of the best onsen water I have ever had the chance to bathe in. Slightly brown, the water was in a perfect temperature for long soaking. My skin felt wonderful as soon as I got in. Sitting in this bath I realized how bathing is one of our last contacts with nature. Yes I am in a building and yes the tub isn't some dirt and rock lined hole, but the water, that wonderful water that was surrounding my body must have rained upon the Earth when dinosaurs still roamed the land. It was ancient. I was bathing in it. A sign above the bath said to not worry about the Yu no Hana (onsen flowers) clumps of sediment that come up with the water. This is a sign of good water.

There were 3 other grandfathers in the bath with me and I wanted to talk to them, but I couldn't understand their old grandfather Japanese and I didn't want to barge in, so I reminded silent. Leaving I complemented the nice lady on how wonderful the water was. She said that gaijin were rather rare and asked where I came from. I replied Sanda, forgetting that she probably meant what country. We talked about some other things and I promised to return and I left. About 100 meters down the street I heard someone calling something and turned around. One of the grandfathers was calling me to come back. The lady wanted to find out what country I was from. I returned to the onsen and told them I was from America, and I had this blog and that this was a 10/10 onsen. She was very surprised and happy about that and they invited me to have a drink. Sadly, I had to decline. I should have stayed, but I had an appointment later that evening and had to get going.

I cannot emphasise enough how wonderful this onsen is. If you're only a tourist and want to experience I bit of vernacular Japanese culture, if you're a hot spring fan in your country and want to experience some Japanse water, if your an onsen freak like me, if you breath air and drink water, this is a highly recommended onsen.

Access: A 10 minute walk from Shigino (鴫野) station on the JR Katamachi line or the Osaka subway Imasato line.

Price: adult ¥390

Baths: Normal bath, 2 simple jets, electric bath, cold water bath, Rotenbro with unfiltered water.

Holiday: N/A

Hours: 10:00-23:30

Rating: 10/10

#10 露天風呂たこ湯 Rotenbro Tako-yu

2007-07-02T15:23:00.001+09:00

露天風呂たこ湯

Rotenbro Tako-yu

大阪府豊中市曽根東町6-7-15
Toyanaka city, Osaka-fu

Map

Onsen webpage

Spa Michiken

Classification: Sento

Review: It's hard not to find Tako-yu thanks to its giant namesake octopus painted on the side of the building. Tako is the Japanese word for octopus. If the giant mural on the outside doesn't impress you, the giant tile mosaic of an octopus on the inside should. There are many more unique features of this sento besides the murals. First off it has a very odd layout where the shoe boxes are inside the building behind the front counter, opposite of the normal design where the shoe boxes are at the front door. The changing room of this sento is quite small, actually the entire place is smallish but it's high ceiling and more than ample skylights give the baths a wide fresh feeling. The baths are also well kept and comfortable. They have, quite possibly, the best jet bath I’ve ever experienced with its 5 strong jets hitting my back in just the right spots. I was amazed. The lovely cold shower and second floor outdoor bath round out a near perfect design. Sadly the water is the one drawback of this sento. Tako-yu doesn’t use geothermal water, but instead heats up normal city water on site. Nevertheless, Tako-yu is a wonderful sento and well worth the 9 points I'm giving it. And, of course, they also have takoyaki, a dumpling with a piece of boiled octopus in the center, for sale.

Access: A 7 minute walk from Sone (曽根) station on the Hankyu Takarazuka line.

Price: adult ¥350, sauna ¥200

Baths: normal temperature bath, jet bath, cold water bath, electric bath, sauna, waterfall bath, rotenbro

Holiday: Every Thursday

Hours: 14:00-01:00

Rating: 7/10

#9 萬歳湯 Manzai-yu

2007-06-25T14:15:00.001+09:00

萬歳湯

Manzai-yu

神戸市長田区腕塚町4-1-2
Nagata, Kobe
Map

Onsen webpage

Onsen Hopper

Classification: Sento

Review: A simple little sento with a small yet comfortable rotenbro. Tucked town a alleyway off of a major shotengai (shopping street) Manzaiyu is small but nice. Nothing really distinguishes this sento but it was worth the visit. I did have a wonderful chat with one of my fellow bathers there. Sometimes when I'm in these small sento I'll see someone who I know will try to talk to me. I knew instantly when a man in his mid-40's with long hair and necklace came in that he was going to talk to me. It didn't take long. I can't remember how he started the conversation, but he spoke to me in decent English. Lowering his voice he looked at me very seriously and said, "In this onsen there are many... Japanese mafia" and slapped his back in a body language way to say back tattoos which most yakuza have. I replied that I've been to other onsen with many yakuza and I'm cool. I guess he didn't understand me cause again he said, "many Japanese mafia" and this time drew his index finger across his cheek to symbolize the facial scars that some yakuza have, common body language in Japanese. Now remember he's speaking to me in English quietly so no one else could understand us, but he's using all this body language that anyone could plainly see. Hmmm, thanks for the advice man. After that we had a short little conversation about where I was from and I left. Best part of this hobby is the random stuff that happens sometimes.

Access: A 5 minute walk from Shin-Nagata station (新長田) on the JR or Kobe subway

Price: adult ¥340, sauna ¥100

Baths: hot and normal temperature baths, jet baths, cold water, electric bath, sauna

Holiday: N/A

Hours: 14:00-25:00

Rating: 4/10

銭湯大スキ？ Yes, I do!

2007-06-23T01:24:00.001+09:00

IMG 0860, originally uploaded by sleepytako.

Along with the reviews I will also post onsen and sento related things such as this poster I saw in front of an Amagasaki sento.

This is a poster promoting going to the sento.

It reads:
銭湯大スキ
Sento daisuki
Really like the sento

湯気の中はみんなしあわせ
Yuke no naka ha mina shiawase.
In the steam everyone is happy.

The poster portrays children in a typical sento with the traditional landscape painting of Mt. Fuji on the wall. Sadly these murals of Fuji-san, as it's called in Japan, are becoming more and more rare. In all of my travels I have only seen a few murals Fuji-san. Mostly I see alpine or other Japanese themes.

#8 湯庵温泉 Yu-an Onsen

2007-06-23T00:08:00.001+09:00

湯庵温泉

Yu-an Onsen

兵庫県三木市別所町西這田566-2
Miki, Hyogo
Map

Onsen webpage

Onsen Hopper

Classification: Super Sento

Review: Far away from much of anything is this gem of a super sento. Yu-an was in the featured section of one of this year's onsen guide magazines (I'll write more about them later in this blog) but I never got around to it until recently because I didn't have access to a car. Thank to an extended weekend holiday at my work I rented a car and made the 1 hour drive to Miki to find this place. It was well worth the drive. I knew I was out of the city when I entered the place, the shoe locker didn't require ¥100, nor did the girls working the front assign me a locker. I could take what ever one I wanted once in the changing room. The restaurant, massage, and warm stone sleeping areas all looked great, but the gem at this onsen was its brown clay rich rotenbro with TV. The TV was situated so that if you wanted to ignore it you could, or if you're like me you could opt to watch it. I enjoyed watching the opening scene "Vertical Limit", A crappy Hollywood film about rock climbers, while cooling off on a big boulder. Access is a bit hard and driving is recommended. Although watch out the onsen was not listed in the navi in my car and I had to get directions from a Lawson. The sign showing the turn off to get there from Route 20 is very poorly lit also. If you want to come by train the locally owned Miki Railway will get you fairly close. The Miki Railway was sold off to the local government when JR was privatized some years back might not run as often as you might think so plan ahead. If you can make the drive, or if you want to check out Miki, or if you want to ride a locally run JR spur line, then you've found a great place to go to.

Access: By car or a 5 minute walk from Nishihoda Station (西這田駅) on the Miki Railway.

Price: adult weekdays: ¥785 holidays: ¥890

Baths: jet baths, cold water, sleeping baths, salt sauna, dry sauna, high temperature bath, foot bath, shower, large rotenbro with TV and brown, clay rich water.

Holiday: N/A

Hours: 10:00-24:00

Rating: 8/10

#7 白鶴温泉 Hakutsuru Onsen

2007-06-10T19:30:00.001+09:00

白鶴温泉

Hakutsuru Onsen

大阪市東成区東小橋３−１４−３２
Osaka, Hakuturu station area
Map

Onsen webpage (Home pages also features a lot of local information, onsen history, and onsen related stuff. Sadly all in Japanese)
Spa Michiken

Classification: Sento

Review: A lovely neighborhood sento with a strong local and family feel. When I walked into the changing room I saw a group of 5 boys playing a Pokemon trading card game on the couch and I knew this was a wonderful place. They went in to the baths when I did and I enjoyed hearing them laugh and play as I took my bath. The design is quite typical of many sento with the baths in the center places to wash along the sides, and the sauna and jet baths along the back wall. There was also a lovely mosaic on the back wall. The sento prides it's self on its "herb mist sauna" which is like a normal mist sauna but they add fragrance to the water. The fragrance changes but I am not sure on what schedule. Their homepage seems to have a lot Osaka city and Onsen related information, including some fun stories from the onsen. One story tells of a Chinese-American high school student who begged to wear her bathing suit in the onsen but the staff--rightly in my opinion--didn't let her. Once my Japanese gets better I'll try to read and translate some of their stories.

Access: Short walk from JR, Kintetsu, or Osaka subway Tsuruhashi Station (鶴橋)

Price: adult: ¥360

Baths: jet baths, herb mist sauna, electric bath, shower

Holiday: every Friday

Hours: 15:00-24:00

Rating: 5/10

#6 みるめ温泉 Mirume Osnsen

2007-06-10T18:41:00.001+09:00

みるめ温泉

Mirume Onsen

神戸市灘区岩屋北町2-2-5
Kobe, Nada-ku
Map

Onsen webpage 1
Onsen webpage 2
Onsen Hopper

Classification: Sento

Review: In a beautiful residential area of Kobe next to the Hanshin line Mirume Onsen is a lovely experience for anyone, not because any of its baths stand out, although the electric bath is well designed, but because of its lovely atmosphere. The staff and customers were very welcoming and sweet. After bathing in the changing room I had a little conversation with two elderly men who commented that it was odd to see foreigners and young people at the onsen. Unlike most sentos the front will give you a locker key when you give them your ticket.

Access: Short walk from Hanshin Iwaya station (岩屋)

Price: adult: ¥340, sauna: ¥350

Baths: jet baths, unfiltered bath, sauna, electric bath, cold bath

Holiday: N/A

Hours: 13:00-10:00 (the next day)

Rating: 6/10

#5 二宮温泉 Nimiya Onsen

2007-06-10T18:18:00.001+09:00

二宮温泉

Nimiya Onsen

神戸市中央区二宮町4-2-18
Kobe, Sannomiya
Map

Onsen webpage
Onsen Hopper

Classification: Sento

Review: One of the most useful onsen to know if you want to clean up before or after a night out in Sannomiya. Nimiya Onsen is at the end of a shotengai (shopping arcade) northeast of Sannomiya station. This popular sento is quite popular. The staff is friendly and welcoming. Three things stand out at this onsen: it's normal bath is quite hot, so hot that I when I got in I was a bit surprised, normal Japanese bath water is 41.1°C this place must be 43°, the spinning jet bath, and the wonderful iron rich rotenbro. I was also quite surprised to see many signs posted in Korean along with Japanese, I am not sure if the owners are Korean or there are many Koreans who live near by. I've been there 3 times however and never heard anyone speaking Korean however. I've also never seen anyone use the sauna, most likely because if the cost.

Price: adult: ¥340, sauna: ¥380

Baths: Rotenbro, jet baths, salt sauna, electric bath, cold bath, spray shower

Holiday: N/A

Hours: 14:00-10:00 (the next day)

Rating: 5/10

#4 有馬富士温泉花山乃湯 Arimafuji Onsen Hanayama no Yu

2007-06-04T11:12:00.001+09:00

有馬富士温泉　花山乃湯

Arimafuji Onsen Hanayama no Yu

兵庫県三田市尼寺835-1
Sanda, Hyogo
Map

Onsen Homepage

Classification: Supersento

Review: Out far in the hills behind Sanda and away from the city Hanayama no Yu is a pleasant little surprise, with a golf driving range attached. What could be more relaxing but hitting some balls then taking a bath. I went there in March on a pleasant day that hinted at spring and was able to soak up some much needed sun in the rotenbro. The staff was very pleasant even helping me as I made a mistake using the ticket vending machine. Everyone there seemed very happy and cheerful too, If it wasn't a 20-30 minute bus ride from my apartment I'd go there more often. The day I went there was even a small local farmers market out front where I bought some very yummy mikan.

Baths: rotenbro, waterfall showers, jet bath, sauna

Price: ¥600

Service: conditioner shampoo, body soap, hair dryers

Holiday: every third Thursday of the month

Hours: 10:00-23:00

Rating: 6/10

#3 龍の湯 Raga no Yu

2007-06-04T00:12:00.001+09:00

龍の湯

Raga no Yu

兵庫県神戸市兵庫区下沢通8-2-18
Kobe, Hyogo-ku
Map

Onsen Hopper (Japanese)
Onsen Paradise

Classification: Sento

Review: The onsen with the funny name. The reading of the kanji used in this onsen's name is so rare they have furigana for it on the sign. Raga no Yu also has a few wonderful baths worth checking out, along with some funny design quirks. The placement of the electric panels in a electric bath effects where and how strong it will get your body. I guess this is different for different people with different muscle pain. For me I like a panel that will get my lower back straight on. Raga no Yu's does that just perfect. The rotenbro is large and quite comfortable also. Besides the name, Raga no Yu's other odd thing is the long row of lay down jet baths along the back wall. There are way more of these then ever needed. I've been there twice and rarely seen anyone use them also. The jets are quite old and too week for my taste.

While I always enjoy my time there I always get the feeling that I'm being watched more than usual. Be it from the young boys or the middle aged workers. My second time there I did however see a old man take about twenty minutes to shave sitting on the tiles and not using a mirror. I don't know why that stuck in my head but it did.

Raga no Yu also has an attached coin laundry.

Baths: electric, rotenbro, cold water, jet, sauna

Price: Adult: ¥340, Sauna: ¥200

Access: Next to the Kobe Metro Kamisawa station (上沢）on the Seishin-Yamate Line (西神山手線) exit #2

Holiday: N/A

Hours: 14:00-10:00 (the next day)

Rating: 5/10

#2 森温泉 Mori Onsen

2007-06-03T22:37:00.001+09:00

森温泉

Mori Onsen

神戸市東灘区森南町1丁目15−4
Kobe, Higashinada-ku
Map

Onsen Webpage

Classification: Sento

Review: This newly remodeled onsen is small but enjoyable. It is very close to the station making it an ideal stop. The staff is friendly and they have decorated the lobby area in the same manner. The bathing area is a bit cramped but well designed. As it was just remodeled the jet baths are strong. The electric bath is also well designed, if not a bit awkward. The shining point of this onsen is its large well landscaped rotenbro. If you want to go to a small sento, but you dislike the old baths found at most sento this would be good place to try it out. They also offer a rose pedal bath on special days, check their website for more information.

Baths: sauna, denki ofuro, rotenbro, jet bath

Price: Adult: ¥380, sauna: ¥120

Access: A short walk from JR Konanyamate Station (甲南山手)

Holiday: First and third Tuesday of the month

Hours: 14:00-00:30

Rating: 5/10

#1 ゆうゆうらんど紀の国 Yuyurando Kinokuni

2007-06-03T21:45:00.001+09:00

ゆうゆうらんど紀の国

Yuyurando Kinokuni

神戸市長田区野田町8-5-12
Kobe, Nagata-ku
Map

Onsen webpage
Onsen Hopper

Classification: Sento

Review: This simple family friendly in Kobe's Nagata ward retains the neighborhood feel. Part of the yuasobi group of sento they offer a basic, yet relaxing service. The front staff were welcoming and nice to me. Upon getting there and undressing I found that no buckets were available. After looking around for a while a father who was there with his children offered me one. The rotenbro is medicated with different herbs and is quite relaxing. There is also a nice powerful esthetic jet bath outside. The design is well thought out and worth a try if you are in the neighborhood. It is best accessed by Kobe city bus leaving from JR Kobe station. A short 5-10 minute walk from the 大橋９ bus stop on Route 2.

Price: adult: ¥340, sauna: ¥110

Baths: Rotenbro, jet baths, sauna, electric bath

Holiday: N/A

Hours: 14:00-25:00

Rating: 5/10

Welcome!

2007-06-03T15:11:00.000+09:00

I'm glad you've found Kansai Onsen Review. I am working hard to make this a useful resource to first time bathers and fanatics. Please feel free to contact me with any hints, tips or suggestions. To get started I'm going to begin by posting some reviews but soon I will have some additional information on onsen, their history, how to use them and more!

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Yupika - Ono, Hyogo - Updated

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Why no updates?

#52 灘温泉 水道筋店 Nada Onsen Suidosuji

#14-2 花山温泉 Hanayama Onsen (Second Look)

#4-2 Arimafuji Onsen Hanayama no Yu 有馬富士温泉花山乃湯 Second Look

#51 Yu~Bath Sakai Hamadera ユ〜バス 堺浜寺店

#50 Tokiwa Onsen トキワ温泉

#49 Ogo Onsen 大箇温泉

#48 Enmei-yu 延命湯

#47 Ebisu-yu 恵美寿湯

#13-2 Futaba Onsen 双葉温泉

#46 Kyogoku-yu - 京極湯

#45 Kua Mukogawa - クア武庫川

#44 Heso no Yu - へその湯

#43 HAT Nagisa no Yu - HATなぎさの湯

#42 Rokko Otomezuka Onsen - 六甲おとめ塚温泉

#41 Fudo-yu 不動湯

#40 Happu no yu

#39 Fukuro no Yu ふくろうの湯

#38

#37 Ashiya Onsen あしや温泉

#36 Chimuspa Kobe / チムジルバンスパ神戸

#35 Kanoko Onsen

#34 道頓堀温泉 Dotonbori Onsen

#33 森の湯 Mori no Yu

#32 湊潮湯 Minatoshio-yu

#31 柳湯 Yanagi-yu

Gensen Rotenbro for Summer @ Nada Onsen

#30 Maya Onsen まや温泉

#29 福寿温泉 Fukujyu Onsen

#28 有馬湯 Arima-yu

Pardon the lack of updates...

#27 つぼ湯 Tsuboyu

#26 浜田温泉 Hamada Onsen

#25 朝日温泉 Asahi Onsen

#24 極楽湯尼崎店 Gokuraku-yu Amagasaki

#23 平和温泉 Heiwa Onsen

#22 豊中温泉 Toyonaka Onsen

#21 水木湯 Mizuki-yu

#20 極楽湯大和橿原店 Gokuraku-yu Yamato Kashihara

#19 田辺温泉 Tanabe Onsen *CLOSED* *廃業*

*CLOSED* *廃業*

田辺温泉

Tanabe Onsen

#18 泉温泉 Izumi Onsen

泉温泉

Izumi Onsen

#17 灘温泉 六甲道店 Nada Onsen Rokomichi

灘温泉 六甲道店

Nada Onsen Rokomichi

#16 日之出温泉 Hinode Onsen

日之出温泉

Hinode Onsen

#15 かもきみの郷 Kamokimi no Sato

かもきみの郷

Kamokimi no Sato

#14 花山温泉 Hanayama Onsen

花山温泉

Hanayama Onsen

About my reviews: Ratings

#13 双葉温泉 Futaba Onsen

双葉温泉

Futaba Onsen

What is an onsen?

#12 神田温泉 Kanda Onsen

神田温泉

Kanda Onsen

#11 志宜野 華厳温泉 Shikino Kengon Onsen

志宜野 華厳温泉

#52 灘温泉　水道筋店　Nada Onsen Suidosuji

#4-2 Arimafuji Onsen Hanayama no Yu 有馬富士温泉花山乃湯　Second Look

#51 Yu~Bath Sakai Hamadera ユ〜バス　堺浜寺店

#32　湊潮湯 Minatoshio-yu

#25 朝日温泉　Asahi Onsen

#19 田辺温泉 Tanabe Onsen CLOSED 廃業

CLOSED 廃業

#18　泉温泉 Izumi Onsen

#17 灘温泉　六甲道店 Nada Onsen Rokomichi

灘温泉　六甲道店

#11 志宜野華厳温泉 Shikino Kengon Onsen

志宜野華厳温泉

#4 有馬富士温泉花山乃湯 Arimafuji Onsen Hanayama no Yu

有馬富士温泉　花山乃湯