You have decided to go to Japan and have set your travel dates.
You want to see many famous places and gems off the beaten path, but you only have 8 days and will lose one of those days with travel.
How are you going to get in everything you want to do?
Like many people, you want to see Tokyo as well as Kyoto because you don’t want to miss both the modern and traditional culture that Japan is known for. You also want a legit experience at a Japanese hot spring area.
Enter ChatGPT
Fortunately, you have gotten more proficient at writing AI prompts that help you get the information you are looking for. You could ask for a 7-day itinerary that includes the best modern and traditional places in Japan within your designated budget. Then, you’ll likely get something like:
- Spend 2-3 days in Tokyo visiting Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo Skytree, Shibuya Scramble, and the Imperial Palace. (see this post for ​more ideas while in Tokyo​)
- Spend 1-2 days in Hakone staying overnight at a traditional Ryokan with a hot spring.
- Spend 2-3 days in Kyoto visiting Kiyomizudera Temple, Kinkakuji Golden Pagoda, the Gion District, and the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.
What I Would Change with this Itinerary
Even though Hakone is a nice place to stay over on your way to Kyoto from Tokyo, I want to introduce a different option to you. The reason is because my son worked at a ryokan in Hakone a few summers ago and told me how spread out it is in Hakone, which made it more difficult and inconvenient to get around.
Instead of Hakone, consider spending a day in Arima Onsen Village. It is close to Kyoto and offers a variety of hot spring experiences within a smaller area that is completely walkable.
Our Visit to Arima Onsen Village
1 – Hot Springs
Although Kyoto is a place everyone should see and experience, it isn’t a town known for its hot springs. This is why I recommend a 1-day visit to Arima Onsen when you are in Kyoto or Osaka.
Arima Onsen is a historic hot spring village located in the northeast part of Kobe City (Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe are all in the same “Kansai” region).
Arima Onsen is one of Japan’s oldest and most renowned hot springs, known for its high-quality waters and traditional atmosphere. The village offers a blend of sightseeing, local cuisine, unique souvenirs, and top quality water for soaking.
The hot springs at Arima Onsen have a rich and mythological history. The village features two main types of springs: kinsen (gold spring) and ginsen (silver spring). Kinsen is iron-rich and turns reddish-brown upon oxidation, while ginsen is carbonated and clear. During our visit, we enjoyed these waters at the public baths Kin no Yu and Gin no Yu, as well as the free foot baths outside along the street.
2 – Shops and Souvenirs
Walking along the streets in Arima Onsen Village was really interesting since there are so many unique souvenir shops.
Maneki-neko is the popular business symbol of the cat statue waving customers into their shops. Well, there was even a shop with many “Maneki-neko” goods. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much my friend, Bobbi, would enjoy visiting this place.
Other popular souvenirs from Arima Onsen include carbonated rice crackers, fragrant incenses, and traditional crafts like Arima doll brushes. Shops like Mitsumori Honten and Arima Tansanriki offer a variety of unique items.
3 – Local Delicacies
Since Kobe is known for its high quality Japanese beef, you can be sure to find Kobe beef in Arima Onsen Village. There is a variety of nice sit-down restaurants and walk-up food stands.
Popular places include:
- Takenaka Meat Shop: Famous for Kobe beef skewers and croquettes.
- Arimaan: Offers pork buns filled with wild boar meat and sansho pepper.
- Arima Gelateria Stagione: Renowned for its award-winning gelato.
- Yunohana Honpo Taikodori: Known for hand-baked carbonated rice crackers.
It was a nice surprise to be offered a sample carbonated rice cracker hot off the teppan.
If you like craft beer, you should try one of the local craft beers at Arima Onsen. It wasn’t a day for beer for me, but I had to try the Arima Cider Teppo Water. It’s a cold and refreshing non-alcoholic lemon/lime fizzy drink made from the carbonated hot spring waters.
Would ChatGPT Recommend It?
Even though places like Arima Onsen Village may not be suggested in an itinerary for your next Japan visit, I would recommend a day there over a day in Hakone. That is not to say that Hakone is not worth the visit because there are some unique experiences to be had in Hakone as well (maybe the topic of a future post). However, Arima is much more manageable since it’s a small walkable village and conveniently located close to Kyoto and Osaka in Kobe. I think you shouldn’t miss the unique experience to be found in Arima Onsen Village.
Join us on our walk around Arima Onsen Village in this video.