Kinosaki, Hyōgo

Kinosaki (城崎町) was a town in Kinosaki District, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.

Merger
On April 1, 2005, Kinosaki, along with the towns of Hidaka and Takeno (all from Kinosaki District), and the towns of Izushi and Tantō (both from Izushi District), were merged into the expanded city of Toyooka and they no longer exist as independent municipalities.

, the Kinosaki district of Toyooka had an estimated population of 3,778.

Tourism
Kinosaki is a resort area, with onsen (Japanese hot springs). The Onsen town has a history of 1,300 years. In 1913, the writer Shiga Naoya came to Kinosaki and stayed there for three weeks. Kinosaki provided the inspiration for his short story, "Kinosaki ni te" or "In Kinosaki".

Onsen Resort
There are seven public onsen bath houses in Kinosaki Onsen:


 * Kouno-yu
 * Mandara-yu
 * Goshono-yu
 * Ichino-yu
 * Yanagi-yu
 * Jizou-yu
 * Satono-yu

Tourists staying in many of the ryokans (Japanese traditional inns) in Kinosaki can receive a free pass to all seven. It is common for tourists staying in Kinosaki Onsen to walk around in yukata, this saves them having to change into their own clothes every time they use an onsen. A ropeway at the far end of the street transports visitors to the top of Mt. Taishi, which has views of the town and coastline, as well as a temple appropriately named Onsenji.

Museums
In addition to the onsens, tourists can visit the where they can participate in a straw craft-making workshop, the  to learn about the writers of Kinosaki Onsen, as well as many shops and cafes. Some of the area's specialties in these shops and restaurants include snow crab, Tajima beef, and onsen-boiled eggs.

Railway
The Sanin Main Line provides a JR rail connection to Kyoto, and direct trains to Osaka are available via Fukuchiyama. Direct Express trains take about 2.5 hours from Osaka to Toyooka. A JR Pass (more specifically, a Kansai WIDE Area Pass) can be purchased to travel from Osaka or Kyoto to Kinosaki.


 * JR West - San'in Main Line
 * Ebara - Kokufu - Toyooka - Gembudō - Kinosaki-Onsen - Takeno
 * Kyoto Tango Railway - Miyazu Line
 * Toyooka - Kōnotori-no-sato

Highways

 * Japan National Route 178
 * Japan National Route 312
 * Japan National Route 426
 * Japan National Route 482
 * Japan National Route 483

Airway
The Tajima Airport serves Toyooka and runs two direct flights a day to Osaka Itami Airport.