Popular hot spring towns near Osaka
This second post of the onsen (hot spring) series will be on onsen towns in the Kansai region~ 1. Kinosaki Onsen（城崎温泉） Kinosaki Onsen is located at the northern end of Hyogo prefecture（兵庫県）, which is not exactly near Osaka/Kobe city, but many visitors to the Kansai region still make their way there for the fun of going around the traditional hot spring town in yukata (summer kimono) and trying the various public baths. The town is also picturesque with willow trees lining both sides of a river. Most visitors stay here for one night, not simply due to the rather long journey from the city, but also because the ryokan (Japanese inns) here offer delectable local specialties such as crab (seasonal) and Tajima beef. Moreover, most ryokan provide passes to visit the 7 public baths for free. For those who do not stay here for the night, the pass would cost 1200 yen. As Kinosaki Onsen is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan, visitors can consider comb...