Kinosaki, Hyōgo

Kinosaki (城崎町, Kinosaki-chō) 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), was merged into the expanded city of Toyooka and no longer exists as an independent municipality.

As of 1 October 2010^[update], the Kinosaki district of Toyooka had an estimated population of 3,778.^[1]

Onsen resort

Kinosaki is a resort area, with onsen (Japanese hot springs). The Onsen town has a history of 1,300 years.^[2]. 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".^{[citation needed]}

There are seven public onsen bath houses in Kinosaki Onsen. 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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

The Sanin Main Line provides a JR rail connection to Kyoto and Osaka. Direct limited express trains take about 2.5 hours from Osaka to Toyooka.^{[citation needed]}