was a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Kinosaki District,

Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...

, Japan.

Merger

On April 1, 2005, Kinosaki, along with the towns of Hidaka and Takeno (all from Kinosaki District), and the towns of Izushi and

Tantō A is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords ( ''nihonto'') that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ...

(both from Izushi District), were merged into the expanded city of Toyooka and they no longer exist as independent

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

. , the Kinosaki district of Toyooka had an estimated population of 3,778.

Tourism

Kinosaki is a resort area, with ''

onsen In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...

'' (Japanese hot springs). The Onsen town has a history of 1,300 years. In 1913, the writer

Shiga Naoya was a Japanese writer active during the Taishō and Shōwa periods of Japan, whose work was distinguished by its lucid, straightforward style and strong autobiographical overtones. Early life Shiga was born in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, ...

came to Kinosaki and stayed there for three weeks. Kinosaki provided the inspiration for his short story, "Kinosaki ni te" or "In Kinosaki". Kinosaki Aruki

Onsen Resort

There are seven public onsen bath houses in Kinosaki Onsen: * Kouno-yu * Mandara-yu * Goshono-yu * Ichino-yu * Yanagi-yu * Jizou-yu * Satono-yu Tourists staying in many of the ryokans (Japanese traditional inns) in Kinosaki can receive a free pass to all seven. It is common for tourists staying in Kinosaki Onsen to walk around in

yukata A is an unlined cotton summer kimono, worn in casual settings such as summer festivals and to nearby bathhouses. Originally worn as bathrobes, their modern use is much broader, and are a common sight in Japan during summer. Though are tradition ...

, this saves them having to change into their own clothes every time they use an onsen. A

ropeway Ropeway may refer to: Cable transport * Cableway, or cable transport, a broad class of transport modes that have cables * Aerial lift, a means of cable transport in which cabins, cars, gondolas, or open chairs are hauled above the ground by mean ...

at the far end of the street transports visitors to the top of Mt. Taishi, which has views of the town and coastline, as well as a temple appropriately named Onsenji.

Museums

In addition to the onsens, tourists can visit the where they can participate in a straw craft-making workshop, the to learn about the writers of Kinosaki Onsen, as well as many shops and cafes. Some of the area's specialties in these shops and restaurants include

snow crab ''Chionoecetes'' is a genus of crabs that live in the northern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The genus ''Chionoecetes'' currently contains seven distinct species. Other names for crabs in this genus include "queen crab" (in Canada) and " spider ...

, Tajima beef, and onsen-boiled eggs. Kinosaki Straw Craft Museum

Transportation

Railway

The

Sanin Main Line The is a railway line in western Japan, which connects Kyoto and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It is the major railway line of the San'in region, approximately paralleling the Japan Sea, crossing Kyot ...

provides a JR rail connection to

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

, and direct trains to

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

are available via

Fukuchiyama 250px, Fukuchiyama Castle 250px, Fukuchiyama city center is a city in northern Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 76,037 in 36412 households and a population density of 140 persons per km². The total area of ...

. Direct Express trains take about 2.5 hours from Osaka to Toyooka. A JR Pass (more specifically, a Kansai WIDE Area Pass) can be purchased to travel from Osaka or Kyoto to Kinosaki. *

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

San'in Main Line The is a railway line in western Japan, which connects Kyoto and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It is the major railway line of the San'in region, approximately paralleling the Japan Sea, crossing Kyot ...

** Ebara - Kokufu - Toyooka - Gembudō - Kinosaki-Onsen - Takeno *

Kyoto Tango Railway The , or , is a railway system in Kyoto Prefecture and Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan operated by Willer Trains Inc. headquartered in Miyazu, Kyoto. Company The operating company Willer Trains Inc. is a subsidiary of Willer Alliance Inc. Willer Train ...

Miyazu Line The is a railway line of the Kyoto Tango Railway in Kyoto Prefecture and Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Trains on the line are operated by Willer Trains Inc. as part of its Kyoto Tango Railway system. The and the are the aliases assigned by Wille ...

** Toyooka - Kōnotori-no-sato

Highways

Japan National Route 178 National Route 178 is a national highway of Japan connecting Maizuru, Kyoto and Iwami, Tottori is a town located in Iwami District, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. Iwami lies entirely within the San'in Kaigan Geopark. Geography Located in east ...

Japan National Route 312 National Route 312 is a national highway of Japan connecting Miyazu, Kyoto and Himeji, Hyōgo 260px, Himeji City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in ...

* Japan National Route 426 *

Japan National Route 482 National Route 482 is a national highway of Japan connecting between Miyazu, Kyoto and Yonago, Tottori is a city in western Tottori Prefecture, Japan, facing the Sea of Japan and making up part of the boundary of Lake Nakaumi. It is adjac ...

* Japan National Route 483

Airway

The

Tajima Airport , also known as is an airport southwestAIS Japan
of

serves Toyooka and runs two direct flights a day to

Osaka Itami Airport , often referred to as is the primary regional airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. Classified as a first class airport, it is the airport closest to Kyoto, southwest of Kyoto Station. ...

. File:Kinosaki Onsen cherry blossoms.jpg, Kinosaki Onsen cherry blossoms File:Inside Goshono-yu Kinosaki Onsen.jpg, Inside Goshono-yu Kinosaki Onsen File:kinosaki_onsen.jpg, Kinosaki Hot Spring, postcard circa 1910 File:Kinosaki Onsen summer fireworks.jpg, Kinosaki Onsen summer fireworks

References

External links

*
Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinosaki, Hyogo Dissolved municipalities of Hyōgo Prefecture Spa towns in Japan Hot springs of Hyōgo Prefecture Toyooka, Hyōgo