Hi, I’ll be taking a trip to Japan in April. I am going to Kanazawa, Kyoto and Tokyo.
I’d like to fit an Onsen town in for 1 night that has a culture of evening yukata wearing and bath hopping. I have already been to Hakone, and I’d like something different.
I have seen Kinosaki and Kusatsu onsen pop up, but the travel times feel a bit intimidating.
My two questions are: 1. Has anyone been to one of these on a similar itinerary, and if so, how long did it take you to get there? 2. Are there more nearby Onsen towns with a similar vibe?
Any advice is helpful. Thank you!
This summer, I went from Kanazawa to Gero-onsen. Lovely little onsen town. Took me about 3 hours to get there (via Toyama and Takayama). Took me even longer, to get to my next destination, which was Kofu. But in the end, it was totally worth it.
Wherever you want to go, my general advice is not to let even a longer travel time of 3-4 hours put you off. It might seem like wasted time, but what does it matter if you ultimately just want to go somewhere to relax, anyways? Think of it as "the journey is the destination" thing and simply enjoy the trip.
Haven't been either to Kinosaki or Kusatsu so far. But I have them on my screen for years. Could have gone there if I wanted to, but I just didn'T put them into my itineary.
Well-said, thank you! I think this mindset to enjoy the journey and relax is something I almost forgot in the excitement of planning for our trip.
Yes I went from Kanazawa to kinosaki. It was amazing kinosaki is sooo beautiful:) I think it took me 5 hours.
Glad you enjoyed it! Where did you head for your next stop?
I’m not too sure where to fit it into my itinerary given the travel times
I went to Osaka :) the thing is to get from Kanazawa to kinosaki, you almost need to go trough Kyoto or Osaka. Or you could also go along the coast it just takes much longer.
I haven’t been yet, but there are onsen ryokan/inns near Kanazawa too. If you just want a relaxing ryokan/inn stay you could add on a night or two in Kanazawa.
Lots of places in Kaga Onsen, about 45 minutes from Kanazawa. Not sure if you can go Onsen hopping though.
Kinosaki was absolutely charming and incredible, but I’d do 2 nights for sure. Everyone in town wears yukata and sandals and hops between the 6 onsen. It’s awesome! Biking to the ocean is a blast, the ropeway, or just enjoying the beauty throughout town.
2.5 hour direct train from Kyoto. So put it at the end of your Kyoto time, then just go back to Kyoto and take a train to Tokyo 2 hours. The train ride to/from Kinosaki is gorgeous and it feels quick / not a drag!