Photo by そらみみ, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
🇯🇵 Japan · Hyogo
♨ Temperature
99°C
⛰ Altitude
380 m
⚗ pH
6.2
💧 TDS
98000 mg/L
🌊 Flow rate
55 L/s
📅 Established
630 AD
✓ Verified on 2026-07-22
Arima Onsen is Japan's oldest thermal resort, with documented use dating to 630 AD when Emperor Jomei visited and ordered the development of bathhouses. Set in the forested Rokko mountains above Kobe, Arima is uniquely famous for two entirely different spring types: Kinsen (Gold Spring), a dark reddish-brown iron and salt water so concentrated it stains the bathing pools and skin; and Ginsen (Silver Spring), a clear, mildly radioactive radium and carbonate water. The contrast between these two spring types — each with distinct therapeutic properties and visual drama — makes Arima unlike any other onsen in Japan. The historic town, preserved with Edo-period merchant houses and temple gardens, is just 30 minutes from Kobe's cruise terminal.
| Chloride (NaCl) | 68000 mg/L |
| Iron | 5200 mg/L |
| Bicarbonate | 8400 mg/L |
| Radium | 0.0012 mg/L |
| Calcium | 980 mg/L |
Arima Onsen's documented history begins in 630 AD with Emperor Jomei's imperial visit — making it one of the earliest recorded thermal resorts in Asia. The Buddhist monk Gyoki reconstructed the baths in the 8th century and dedicated them to healing the poor. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the great 16th-century unifier of Japan, visited Arima nine times and is said to have brought the tea master Sen no Rikyū here, influencing the integration of tea culture and thermal bathing that characterises Arima to this day.
Arima is one of Japan's 'Nihon Sanko' (Three Ancient Springs), holding supreme prestige in the national onsen hierarchy alongside Kusatsu and Gero. The concept of the dual springs — golden and silver — has deep symbolic resonance in Japanese aesthetic and spiritual culture, representing the interplay of earth metals and purity. The town preserves a living tradition of sake brewing, kobe beef cuisine, and traditional crafts alongside its onsen culture, creating a uniquely layered cultural experience.
Arima's springs are protected under Kobe City's thermal resource management ordinances, which limit daily extraction volume and require monitoring of spring pressure and mineral composition. The forested Rokko mountain catchment area is protected as a natural park, preventing development that would affect aquifer recharge. Arima has committed to carbon-neutral heating operations by 2030, using the thermal water's own heat exchange capacity.
Phone+81 78-904-0708
Websitewww.arima-onsen.com/
AddressArima-cho, Kita-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 651-1401, Japan