During a week-long trip to the Kansai region (Osaka/Kyoto) in December 2021, we used the [Kansai Wide Area Excursion Pass](https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai_wide_excursion/) to take a 3-day/2-night side trip to Himeiji Castle and Kinosaki Onsen. See Getting There at the end of the post for more details on this pass that is open to foreign residents and SOFA status members living in Japan. We are currently living in Japan, borders for tourism are not yet open. I hope this trip report is helpful for others currently in Japan or future planning.
**Overview:** If you’re an onsen lover Kinosaki Onsen is a great little town with 7 tattoo-friendly public onsen you can visit. The ryokan we stayed at, Koyado En, also had a private onsen you can use with your partner/family. This region is also the home of the cattle that are raised to make certified Kobe beef so it is truly the home of this specialty and we had an amazing multi-course beef dinner at the restaurant attached to our inn. On the way to Kinosaki, we stopped off at Himeiji Castle too which was awesome to see. I’ve visited a number of castles in Japan and this was by far my favorite!
– [Visit Kinosaki Tourism Site (English)](https://visitkinosaki.com/)
– [GaijinPot: Kinosaki Onsen](https://travel.gaijinpot.com/kinosaki-onsen/)
**Day 1: Kyoto ➡️ Himeiji ➡️ Kinosaki Onsen**
We were already in Kyoto, so the day before we left we visited the JR West Travel Service Center in Kyoto Station to exchange our voucher for our Kansai Wide Area Excursion Pass and get seat assignments for our planned route. We had originally planned to go straight from Kyoto to Kinosaki and stop off at Himeiji on our way back (day 3 of pass) but it was forecasted to 100% be raining on Day 3. So we opted to go to Himeiji on Day 1 as it was sunny, beautiful weather. It was a bit of a detour and with the pass we could only take limited express trains from Kyoto as you can’t use the Shinkansen unless departing from Shin-Osaka with Kansai Wide Area Excursion Pass. If you are a tourist and have the full country JR Pass, this wouldn’t be an issue and you could take the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Himeiji which is faster.
Our train departed Kyoto Station at 8:50 AM on the JR Super Hakuho Ltd. Express train arriving at Himeiji at 10:21 AM. We arrived to Kyoto Station about 8:10 to give us time to buy snacks/coffee to bring on the train with us for breakfast. We then headed to our departure platform and assigned seats. There is a luggage storage rack above the seats that fits backpacks or carry-on bags but no storage for larger suitcases. If you have a large suitcase you’ll have to store it where your feet go.
After arriving at Himeiji Station, we stored our backpacks in a [coin locker](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2274.html#storage) and stopped by the [Himeiji City Info Center](https://goo.gl/maps/d7BwED2zn8wYPum78) to pick up a free map and get my [souvenir stamp](https://voyapon.com/notebook-stamp-hobby/) in the small blank notebook I carry in my purse. Souvenir stamps are different than [Goshuin/Shrine Seals.](https://japancheapo.com/entertainment/japan-stamp-books-goshuincho/) Souvenir stamps are free ink pads/stamps that you can find at tourist info centers, tourist sites, train stations, and more. They are free and a fun thing to collect as you have to be on the watch to spot them when you’re out and about.
It was then a pleasant walk down the street to the castle. You really cannot miss it, as you’ll spot it straight ahead. I’ve been to a number of castles in Japan and this was *by far* my favorite. We only visited the castle and then had a quick fast food lunch by the station. If you have more time you should visit both the castle and the garden as the combined ticket is a good value. It was early December for us so we opted out of the garden.
– [Inside Kyoto: Himeiji Day Trip](https://www.insidekyoto.com/himeji-day-trip-itinerary)
– [Matcha: Himeiji Day Trip](https://matcha-jp.com/en/7625)
We arrived back to the station at about 1:10 PM to collect our luggage and buy some drinks/snacks for our train ride to Kinosaki that departed at 1:35 PM on the JR Hamakaze Limited Exp. train arriving Kinosaki at 3:08 PM.
*Lodging:* We spent two nights at [Koyado Enn](https://goo.gl/maps/FaDcVuA4pU2DN6WA8) which was just a 5 minute walk from Kinosaki Station. Our room at Koyado En was spacious with an in-room sink and toilet. No in-room shower bath but that’s ok as there are 2 private onsen bathtubs you can freely use all day and night. A great option for those who may be too shy to use the public baths or who’d like to relax with their partner or family together. The private onsen do not need a reservation. Just see if the sign on the door says vacant and if it does you are free to use it. Just lock the door behind you and relax away. Breakfast is served at the cafe downstairs and was really good and prepared with all fresh ingredients. As part of your room reservation you’ll get a free pass to use all 7 of the public onsen baths and can pick up an onsen passport from the front desk. They also let you choose a yukata you can wear walking around town. The inn also rents bikes and can arrange a bike tour too – great if someone in your group isn’t into onsen-ing. We loved our stay here and recommend it highly to other visitors to Kinosaki.
After checking in and dropping our backpacks in the room, we [wandered around the town a bit](http://visitkinosaki.com/about-kinosaki/strolling-the-town-in-yukata/) and bought some [local craft beer from the konbini (convenience store)](https://visitkinosaki.com/local-specialties/).
For dinner that night, we made a reservation at the restaurant attached to our inn, [Irori Dinig Mikuni.](https://goo.gl/maps/THYjfmQ7Q6ko8qyb7) It serves [Tajima beef](http://visitkinosaki.com/dining/tajima-beef-irori-dining-mikuni/)which is actually Kobe beef. Kobe beef comes from cattle raised in the Tajima region (Northern Hyogo), as this is one of the requirements for Kobe beef as written by the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association. Since Kobe beef is wagyu beef from the Tajima strain of black cattle, Kinosaki is the homeplace of this treasured beef. It was definitely a splurge at about $100 per person but included 3 types of beef appetizers, bone broth soup, beef salad, beef yakiniku, rice, and crème brûlée for dessert. All made with top quality Tajima beef.
After dinner, we relaxed in our room and enjoyed the private onsen on the first floor of the inn.
**Day 2: Exploring Kinosaki Town:**
After having the included breakfast at the [downstairs cafe at Koyado Enn,](https://goo.gl/maps/5ubc2WWmNdXABAFY9) we walked to the [Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway](https://goo.gl/maps/fq19rJNqsxGrkhqo6) to take in the view above the town. The highlight of our morning though was a visit to the [Onsenji Temple](https://visitkinosaki.com/things-to-do/onsen-ji-temple/) halfway down the ropeway. You can also just walk here too if you don’t take the ropeway. Definitely pay to go inside the temple and if there’s no one at the little desk just ring the bell. We were the only visitors who went inside and the attendant gave us a guided tour to see everything up close! She only spoke Japanese, but gave us a sheet in English describing what we were seeing. It was a special experience and not to be missed!
We walked back into town and split up as I wanted to try as many of the [7 Public Onsen](http://visitkinosaki.com/about-kinosaki/the-7-mystic-onsen/) as I could! In the time we were there, I made it to 5 out of the 7 and each was unique and special in some way. My partner doesn’t love onsen as much as I do so he wandered around the town and relaxed at the hotel.
We met back up for coffee at [Drip Drop Coffee Supply](https://goo.gl/maps/3G3jahAwqE5A12Mz5) and then wandered the streets together as it got dark and visited a [retro game arcade](https://goo.gl/maps/7oRrH2V95Po4icRT6) and [a shop attached to a ryokan that sells cute little stork daruma and gifts.](https://goo.gl/maps/uBh1yXuPEy9oHnjHA) For dinner, we feasted on [snow crab (Matsuna-gani)](https://visitkinosaki.com/local-specialties/) at a little restaurant called [Bon](https://goo.gl/maps/N9tMNkCMquMGQe9t6) whose owner spoke English.
Since we walked everywhere today, we didn’t make use of the second day of our JR Kansai Wide Area Excursion Pass but if you wanted to, you could easily do a side trip from Kinosaki. The [Visit Kinosaki website](http://visitkinosaki.com/in-the-area/) has a helpful overview of areas near Kinosaki you could add in to your visit and most of them are accessible by JR train.
**Day 3: Kinosaki ➡️ Osaka** Before breakfast, I headed out to visit one last public onsen before we checked out of Koyado Enn. After checking out, we headed down to the station and got drinks/snacks at the konbini to eat on the train and wandered through some of the souvenir shops. We departed on the 11:33 AM Kounotori Ltd. Express arriving Shin-Osaka at 2:23 PM and then took the subway to Namba to checkin to the [Cross Hotel Osaka.](https://goo.gl/maps/srGKvJESJ71t2yND6)
Logistically, it would have been bettter to stop off at Himeiji Castle today on our way back to Osaka but it was a rainy cold day and the weather on Day 1 of our pass was sunny and beautiful so we switched up our plans. Definitely check the updated weather forecast before getting seat assignments for your rail pass to make the most of the sunny days even if logistically it’s a bit of a detour. If visiting Himeiji on Day 3, take the Ltd Exp to Himeiji and then you can use the Shinkansen to travel back to Shin-Osaka. You could even stop off in [Kobe](https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/kansai/hyogo/kobe-and-around/) for dinner or to explore it’s Chinatown.
We really enjoyed our relaxing 2 night stay in Kinosaki. While you could do this as just a day trip, I’d highly recommend spending at least one night in Kinosaki to really enjoy the town. 🙂
**Getting There:** If you are a tourist, you could use the full [JR Pass](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361.html) or any of the other regional [JR West Passes](https://japancheapo.com/travel/jr-west-pass/) to travel around the [Kansai region.](https://www.japan-guide.com/list/e1105.html) But, if you are a foreign resident of Japan or have SOFA status, the only JR West pass you can currently use is the [JR West Kansai Wide Area Excursion Pass. ](https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai_wide_excursion/) The Kansai Wide Area Excursion Pass is 10,000 JPY for adults or 5,000 JPY for kids for 3 consecutive days of unlimited travel on JR lines *within* the Kansai region. Note: You have to already be in the Kansai region as it can’t be used for travel from Tokyo to Kyoto/Osaka.
You buy it online then get a voucher that you bring to the JR West Travel Service Center to exchange for the actual train pass. If you know your planned route, the staff at the service center can issue you seat assignments when you pick up your pass. You’ll insert the pass at the ticket gates and pick up after walking through. Don’t lose your pass as it cannot be replaced if lost/stolen. Treat it like 10,000 JPY (~$100 USD) cash and put back in your wallet after each use!
The regular price for these ltd. express train trips to travel from Kyoto ➡️ Himeiji ➡️ Kinosaki ➡️ Osaka would have been 15,310 JPY each, but with the pass it was just 10,000 JPY each. You’ll need to carefully consider whether the pass will pay off or not given your plans. The pass doesn’t pay off if you’re just going between Osaka/Kyoto/Nara but *may* be beneficial for [farther flung trips](https://japancheapo.com/entertainment/day-trips-from-osaka-japan/) where you want to take the faster limited express trains or even the Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka. You could even use the pass to take a ride on the [Hello Kitty Shinkansen](https://japancheapo.com/travel/hello-kitty-shinkansen/) between Shin-Osaka and Kobe, Himeiji, or Okayama. But you could also buy cheaper one-way tickets on regular trains (not limited express or Shinkansen) or take a highway bus too. So, decide what works best for your budget and itinerary.
– [JR West Kansai Wide Area Pass for Foreign Residents](https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/jr-west-kansai-wide-area-excursion-pass-is-now-available-to-foreign-residents-in-japan-111721)
– [JR West Kansai Wide Area Excursion Pass](https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai_wide_excursion/)
– [JapanGuide: Getting To Kinosaki Onsen](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3526.html)
Edit: Formatting
5 comments
Thank you for the info!! Thats awesome!
Your writeups allow me to experience Japan again vicariously through you while the border is closed. Never stop posting them please
>If you are a tourist and have the full country JR Pass, this wouldn’t be an issue and you could take the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Himeiji which is faster.
While this is true for Kyoto, if you are in Osaka, the difference with the rapid train might not even be that big. The reason being that you are likely not staying around Shin-Osaka, so getting to the shinkansen station will take more time, so while technically the ride could save you 30 minutes, in reality it might just save 15 when you count your starting point, so if you are to save money to use one of the regional pass, it can still make a lot of sense (like the 1 days Kansai Area Pass is only 2400 yen).
>Souvenir stamps are different than Goshuin/Shrine Seals. Souvenir stamps are free ink pads/stamps that you can find at tourist info centers, tourist sites, train stations, and more. They are free and a fun thing to collect as you have to be on the watch to spot them when you’re out and about.
You know about stamp rally ? It’s a bit silly but I like it a lot to just go around and collect stamps. If you live in Kansai, there is one I’ve seen two years in a row in Kyoto, once in March and once in May. It was done by Keihan and you had to walk around Fushimi Sake district, like between Choshojima and Takeda station (so yeah with the detour to get the stamps, can be a good 5 km walk). At they end they gifted a sake cup, so was cool. Just check in the flyers rack at a Keihan train station from time to time, it might pop up. Actually almost all train company do them, so just regularly check at the station of different company and you are likely to find some (at least in regular non-covid times). I can give you more info about the one with the sake cup, I still have the flyer.
>After checking in and dropping our backpacks in the room, we wandered around the town a bit and bought some local craft beer from the konbini (convenience store).
I kind of did the same, instead of buying it at the konbini, I went to the restaurant of the beer company ([Gabigabu](http://www.gubigabu.com/en/)) and got their sampling set, I just went there for beer as I had my meel at the ryokan. That was a good way to relax between two onsen.
>It serves Tajima beef which is actually Kobe beef.
Not exactly. While it is true that Kobe beef is also using Tajima cattle, it would be produced south of the prefectures, roughly in the old Harima Province. On the other hand, Tajima beef is also Tajima cattle, but from the Tajima Province that is located in Northern Hyogo. So while they might be similar and using the same type of cattle, they are not technically the same (at least, they do not use the same branding). But it is true that both are closely related.
Tattoo friendly onsan? Cool, saving this for reference. Can anybody comment on how strict are the tattoo bans in a typical onsen?
Absolutely none, or size and design dependent? We are planning a future trip and onsen is on the list. One of our daughter has a small inconspicuous tattoo. Wondering if we are now limited to tattoo friendly establishments only.
Great write up! I’ve hardly spent any time in the Kansai region, much less on the north coast of it! But now I think I want to more.