This hot spring boasts a 1300-year history and appears in Sei Shonagon’s Pillow Book (circa 1000). Together with Dogo Onsen and Shirahama Onsen, Arima Onsen is known as one of the “Three Oldest Hot Springs in Japan.
In the Muromachi period (1336-1573), it was called one of the “Three Famous Hot Springs” along with Kusatsu Onsen and Gero Onsen, and since the Edo period (1603-1868), it has been regarded as one of the “Three Famous Springs of Japan” (the three best hot springs in Japan).
Hotels and inns are clustered at the foot of Momijidani, and an elegant hot spring resort area with old-fashioned lattice doors has been built along a narrow winding slope.
Arima’s hot spring has two types of hot springs: “Kinsen,” which has vermilion water with a rusty iron color, and “Ginsen,” which is a clear hot spring, with a maximum source temperature of 98°C, which is extremely high.
Kinsen is colorless and transparent at the outlet, but as soon as it comes into contact with air, it oxidizes and turns reddish-brown, resulting in a murky reddish-brown hot spring.
The composition of silver springs differs slightly depending on the source, with some containing carbonic acid (bicarbonate springs) and others radioactive springs containing high levels of radium.
The synergistic effects of the gold and silver spring water are said to be effective against gastrointestinal disorders, women’s diseases, neuralgia, and “all diseases.
Bus:
30 minutes from Sannomiya Station → “Arima Onsen” bus stop
Railroad:
35 minutes from Sannomiya to Tanigami by Hokushin Express → “Arima Onsen Station” on Kobe Electric Railway Arima Line