Hi Fodorites!

I am a newbie poster and looooong-time lurker of this forum, especially progol kja CaliNurse crellston hawaiiantraveler amongst others. You guys are amazing in your sensibility, curiosity and generosity!

My partner Susan and I are going to Japan on a ~8-11 day onsen trip. Flying into Tokyo, flying out of Osaka. Here is my working itinerary:

Night 1 - Tokyo
Night 2 - Tokyo
Night 3 - Okuhida (thanks progol )
Night 4 - Okuhida
Night 5 - Kanazawa
Night 6 - Kanazawa
Night 7 - Kyoto
Night 8 - Kinosaki
Night 9 - Kinosaki
Night 10 - Kinosaki
Night 11 - Osaka

Thoughts on this breakdown? Pretty set on the itinerary based on what I have researched and geographic sequencing, but can move nights around. We will be traveling by public transport only (and sending luggage ahead). I should say that I have been to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka before, and this trip is all about onsen specifically with other adventures in supporting roles. We hope to stay in ryokan and minshuku/machiya as much as possible, <$250/night.

Thank you all so much!

sarahwallace0699

Thank you for your kind words. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed my travels but I wonder if perhaps there is a place that might be more accessible. Much as I loved the onsen ryokan in the Okuhida region (Yarimikan), it’s not an easy trip from Tokyo by public transportation. We took 2 buses from Matsumoto but there’s no train service nearby and I see something like 5+ hours from Tokyo by public transport. While I’m no expert on Japan, having had all of 1 trip there, I’d recommend considering one of the Kaga towns, which is just outside of Kanazawa. We stayed in Yamanaka and really enjoyed it a lot, though it’s much more modest. The place we stayed in had very small onsen baths though there is a public one in town. And I saw that there were other, higher end places in Yamanaka. There are also several other towns that make up Kaga Onsen.

And there are other onsen towns, though I can’t speak to having had any other experience. I just can’t see spending all that time traveling from Tokyo to visit the Okuhida onsen region.

What gracious words! Thank you, and welcome to Fodor's.

I'm not sure I can offer any constructive ideas for your plan, as onsen were not a high priority for me. I did enjoy one outdoors on the roof of my hotel in Kanazawa; I think there are several hotels in that city with similar options.

I greatly enjoyed Kanazawa. I thought Kenrokuen quite beautiful and I enjoyed roaming the city's traditional districts. In addition, there are some wonderful museums there. I also truly enjoyed a tea ceremony at lovely Gyokusen-en; if interested, be sure to reserve in advance. If these experiences are of interest to you, you might want to add a day to your time in Kanazawa.

Enjoy your trip and thanks again!

Thank you for your kind comments Sarah. I am not sure I can offer much help with you itinerary as , of the places you list, I have only been to Tokyo and Kyoto. My only experiences of "onsen" have been in Ryokans in Kyoto and Takayama. Loved Sumiyoshi ryokan in Takayama but the one in Kyoto, though nice, was a little underwhelming.

As I said , I don't know the places you mention but it does seem to be a bit rushed with a lot of travel even in Japan which must have one of the best train systems in the world.

Juat to be clear on terms: onsen = hot springs, ryokan = Japansese inn, and onsen ryokan = Japanese inn with an onsen bath.

Where there is an onsen you will find ryokan and other lodging and likely a public bath. Onsen ryokan typically have their baths open to the public during certain hours.

I am an onsen fan and have visited at least 15, Three nights in Kinosaki is one too many. Okuhida (and Hirayu Onsen) is a bit far off the route (can explain more on this).

I will edit your itinerary to make it more of an onsen trip, keeping your stops but making day trips. Each of the day trips sh/could, instead, be a one- or two-night stay.

Night 1 - Tokyo
Night 2 - Tokyo (day trip to Hakone)
Night 3 - Tokyo (day trip to Kusatsu Onsen, long travel time)
Night 4 - Kanazawa
Night 5 - Kanazawa (day trip to Unazuki Onsen and Kurobe Gorge)
Night 6 - Kanazawa (day trip to Kaga Onsen)
Night 7 - Osaka
Night 8 - Osaka (day trip to Arima Onsen)
Night 9 - Kinosaki
Night 10 - Kinosaki
Night 11 - Osaka (Spa World)

Better would be to make a two-night stop at Kusatsu Onsen. The yubatake is amazing to see in person and there is a very nice public onsent bath in addition to what you might have at your lodging, I agree with the title of the japan-guide webpage that says Kusatsu Onsen is one of Japan’s best hot spring resorts, see:
Kusatsu Onsen Travel Guide - What to do around the Kusatsu Hot Springs (japan-guide.com)

Unazuki Onsen for one night is okay, a second night better, esp. if you want to explore the gorge and not just ride the train.
Kurobe Gorge Travel Guide - What to do in the Kurobe Kyokoku (japan-guide.com)

I have not yet visited Kaga Onsen or Arima Onsen.

APA Hotel Kanazawa Chuo has nice indoor and rooftop baths but am not sure that the water actually comes from a hot spring (which only matters if you believe that the minerals in onsen water offer health benefits).

Okuhida fits better on an itinerary that includes Takayama. Okuhida could be a stop or a day trip from Takayama. I believe there is a highway bus from Shinjuku to Takayama that would make a stop at Hirayu Onsen. From there it is a short bus trip to Okuhida. From Okuhida then buses to Takayamna and change to a bus for Ksnazawa (which would go through Shirakawago). Takayama is worth at least 2 nights and 1 in Shirakawago would be well spent. But those buses from Tokyo --- Kanazawa won't be nearly as comfortable as riding trains.

I should mention, I have tattoos. The reason I picked 3 days in Kinosaki was because of that. If you all have any guidance on the tattoo situation, it would expand my aperture greatly!

You might consider posting on japan-guide's forum: https://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quedisplay.html
I planned my time in Japan before discovering Fodor's, and found them very helpful.

(Not that Fodorites won't be helpful! Just that IME, there were many more posters on japan-guide and at the time, one was apparently a full time staffer.)

You picked Kinosaki Onsen because you have tattoos? I can't imagine any reason that makes Kinosaki better for people with tattoos. I think it is the opposite. It is an onsen town with an attractive main street with a canal in the middle. There are several public onsen baths near to each other and you can get an onsen pass to visit them. That is a significant reason for going to Kinosaki, to take that onsen 'tour'. You don't have to do that, of course, but if you wanted a place where you can spend some time bopping around a few baths then Kinosaki is a very good choice. But, I would expect 100% that all of those baths have the typical negative attitude towards tattoos.

You can find baths for private use (solo, couple, family) at virtually all onsen towns in Japan. That would be the choice for a mixed-gender couple who wanted to bathe together, a family in private, or people with tattoos.
(FAIK, the public baths at Kinosaki may have family baths, but that was not my impression.)

Some onsen ryokan have small bath areas and guests take turns using them. You reserve a time slot and then have exclusive use.

Kusatsu Onsen has multiple choices for private use baths. The japan-guide page describes Shirohatanoyu as having baths for 2-4 people. I thought that Gozanoyu had that option, but the page only mentioned private tatami rooms.

I did accidentally get a private bath at Kusatsu Onsen at a spot (hotel,IIRC) just outside of town. Somehow I missed the time window(s) available to non-guests and my only option was to get a private bath. It was not cheap but that was back when the dollar yen rate was around 109 and today it is closer to 149.

You will read that people use bandages to cover tattoos but that would not work well for people with extensive tattoos.

Sarah, I assume that you’ve done your research and already know that all the public baths in Kinosaki allow guests with tattoos. Most ryokan there include a pass where you are able to go to I believe seven sento along with the room rate.

I notice you will spend a few days in Tokyo. Kairyo-yu, a 100 year old sento, kind of equidistant between Shibuya and Ebisu allows tattoos.

>> all the public baths in Kinosaki allow guests with tattoos

Sento in Japan that allow tattoos exist but the vast majority unfortunately do not. Though it doesn’t impact the Japanese too much, foreign travelers from places where tattoos are common can find it difficult.

That was the case for my son who has a full sleeve and his girlfriend who has at least a half dozen smaller ones. They really enjoyed Kinosaki, visiting most of the bath houses while there and walking through the town.

I only visited a few since I used the sento in our ryokan both morning and evening. My favorite was Goshonoyu with its outdoor bath. It was great watching the steam rise looking out to the trees and mountain on a very chilly November day. The water there is really hot. Japanese bathers went right in, as for me I had to slowly ease down into the water inch by inch. It was great when I finally managed to submerge lol.

I think that solves the mystery I had about Kinosaki Onsen. I did notice that there was a large number of Western tourists on the street. By large number I mean there were a few, several, Westerners besides me. I figured that must be because the town is easy enough for foreign tourists to get to from Kyoto and Osaka. Only 2.5 hours from Kyoto makes it a possible day trip.

I specifically remember seeing a young (age 25-35) Western couple who were obviously visiting multiple onsen. I remember thinking that they were not the peope that you typically see at an onsen. But, it turns out that Kinosaki is not a typical onsen.

OK, so my long (and rude) silence was a consequence of our decision to move Japan to late June/July 2025 and go to France instead. But now, I am back! Here is my draft itinerary for Japan (with a less intense focus on onsen):

Late June-ish (depending on awards flights) into early July. S and I are going to be joined by our friend D, who has some mobility issues, but nothing dealbreaking.

Day 1: SFO to Osaka
Day 1-6: Kyoto - contemplating Ryokan Sanga or Machiya Maya (with two bedrooms and a standalone bathtub with a view)
Day 6-9: Kaga Onsen (Probably Yamanaka, following in Progol's footsteps, but TBD. We really want to be in the center of things and hop from public onsen to public onsen. Also, we have figured out the tattoo bandage solution, so are not as concerned.
Day 9-11: Takayama - Sumiyoshi Ryokan (thought about Kanazawa but would rather be somewhere simpler and smaller)
Day 11-13: Tokyo - Asakusa
Day 14: Tokyo to SFO

Hoping to make several day trips from Kyoto to Nara and???
Can we hop around from Yamanaka and visit other onsen towns in Kaga?
Is it worth splitting Takayama and Kanazawa?
Anything I am missing on this route?
Asakusa hotels or inns of choice?
Why are flights to Osaka so much more expensive than flights into Narita or Haneda? Any workarounds? It may not matter because of miles, but just curious.

We will definitely be on public transport. I have been to Japan before, but only to Tokyo and Kyoto.

Thank you all in advance!!

Himeji, Uji, Osaka, Ohara, Ikaruga....

I thought so! They are quite diffrerent, IMO.

Of course! But you can't see everything....

<< Day 6-9: Kaga Onsen (Probably Yamanaka, following in Progol's footsteps, but TBD. We really want to be in the center of things and hop from public onsen to public onsen. Also, we have figured out the tattoo bandage solution, so are not as concerned.>>

Much as I’m flattered that you want to follow in my footsteps, this isn’t the type of place where you can go from onsen to onsen. Kaga onsen is comprised of 5 separate towns and Yamanaka is one of them. It does have a public onsen (we didn’t go) and, while the hotel we stayed in had their own onsen, they weren’t the dreamiest of onsens. And it’s not really a place for onsen-hopping. There is a public bus system which runs through the towns but it runs infrequently. I had hoped to explore more of this region but it was too difficult to coordinate with the the bus. You really need a car here if you want to explore the area. We enjoyed the town of Yamanaka and walking along the gorge but that’s not what you’re looking for.

The award in our trip for dreamy Onsen on last year’s trip goes to Yarimikan, in the Okuhida region. While Yarimikan isn’t so easily walkable to other onsen locations (it’s up a hill and on its own) I believe there are sections of Okuhida where you could visit more onsens if you wanted. But you’d need to do more research on this.

Although I haven’t been to Kinosaki onsen, I think this would be the place for you to go, where the experience is all about experiencing the different onsens. I had initially planned to go there but revised my itinerary and Kinosaki didn’t work with the new plan..

>> hop from public onsen to public onsen
There are "public" onsen (baths), meaning (to me at least) a facility which is open to the public during operating hours. That is, it is their business, and you can go in at any time.

There are also private onsen baths - for guests staying in an onsen ryokan for example. Many have certain hours where the bath is open to the general public.

I do believe you were referring to both by "public onsen" but wanted to be clear.

>> Can we hop around from Yamanaka and visit other onsen towns in Kaga?
You can do that, transportation and general public access times permitting. But the idea of an "onsen town" is that you can walk between baths. Kinosaki is like that where you can get a ticket that gives access to several baths and you can walk between them wearing a yukata and geta. I think that is what you want: multiple baths in one town rather than visiting baths in multiple towns.

You have Day 6-9, so two full days. Bopping around the baths in an onsen town can be a 1-day activity or spread out over two days.

>> Is it worth splitting Takayama and Kanazawa?
Not really, given that you only have Day 9-11 which means only one full day. That is really a minimum stay in either place.

You could take a night (or two) from Kaga Onsen. From Kaga I think you would (could) take a bus to Takayama via Shirakawago. e.g. after two Kaga nights you could take much of Day 8 to stop at S-go for several hours and spend the night in Takayama (or, better, in Shirakawago).

>> some mobility issues, but nothing dealbreaking.
meaning no trouble getting in/out of a swimming pool or bathtub without handrails. goodish balance. can use a handheld shower while standing.

Thanks for the clarity, mrwnrfl.

I'm leaning more toward Kinosaki now, since it seems more conducive to "onsen-hopping" than the Kaga towns. My hesitation is due to the fact that it's rather a journey from Kinosaki to Takayama, and we'd like to minimize our bus/train travel time. Wondering if 3 nights in Kinosaki and then the long journey up to Tokyo via Kyoto may be the way to go, forgoing Takayama and environs. With seven public baths, I can easily envision us keeping busy for 2.5 days, alongside other activities like hiking.

Any ryokan or hotel recommendations in Kinosaki in the $300/night for 2 ppl range (inclusive of breakfast)?