Kinosaki Onsen

Kinosaki's arrangement is deliberate and old: the inns keep their own baths small and modest, and the seven public bathhouses along the canal are treated as the town's shared facility, with a pass included in an inn stay that admits guests to all of them. The effect is that the street is the bath - guests walk between the seven in yukata and geta, the wooden clogs clattering on the stone, hair wet, stopping for beer or crab croquettes on the way, and the sound of geta at night is what people remember. Willows line the canal and small arched bridges cross it. Each bathhouse has a different character and a different reputation, and several have outdoor pools. The town's winter business is Matsuba crab, landed at nearby ports from November, and inns build their menus round it. Kinosaki has been a spa since the eighth century.

What you actually see

• Seven shared bathhouses - the town's baths rather than the inns', open on a pass.
• Yukata and geta - guests walking between baths in robes and wooden clogs.
• A willow canal - small arched bridges and lit banks after dark.
• Winter crab - Matsuba crab landed nearby from November and served at the inns.

When to go

November to March for crab and steam; all year for the baths. Two days.

Honest expectations

Crab season inn prices are high and book out months ahead. Bathhouses close on rotating weekdays - check which. Tattoos are restricted at some baths. Day visitors pay per bath or for a limited pass.

Nearby

Izushi is south; the Sea of Japan coast and Genbudo caves are north.