Arima Onsen
Encyclopedia
is an onsen
, or hot springs
in Kita-ku, Kobe
, Japan
. This Onsen is still a hidden treasure of modern Kobe, behind Mount Rokko
. It attracts many Japanese who want tranquility with beautiful natural surroundings and yet easy access from the busy cities in Kansai
metropolitan area including Osaka
.
's oldest, with Dogo Onsen
in Ehime Prefecture
and Shirahama Onsen in Wakayama Prefecture
. Many documents since the 8th century AD mention this onsen.
According to these documents, among the many visitors to Arima Onsen are Gyoki
(行基), a charismatic Buddhist monk in the 7th century, and Ninsai (仁西), another monk in the 12th century. Ninsai was said to greatly admire Arima Onsen and helped develop it. Hideyoshi Toyotomi visited this onsen several times in the 16th century.
Onsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
, or hot springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
in Kita-ku, Kobe
Kita-ku, Kobe
is one of 9 wards of Kobe City in Japan. It has an area of 241.84 km², and a population of 226,402 . Kita in Japanese means North. Kita-ku is the biggest ward which occupies the northeastern part of the city. Arima Onsen is located in Kita-ku....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. This Onsen is still a hidden treasure of modern Kobe, behind Mount Rokko
Mount Rokko
is a name of a group of mountains in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. This mountain is one of Hyōgo 50 mountains, Kinki 100 mountains, and also one of the 300 famous mountains in Japan.- Outline :...
. It attracts many Japanese who want tranquility with beautiful natural surroundings and yet easy access from the busy cities in Kansai
Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
metropolitan area including Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
.
History
This onsen is the one of JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's oldest, with Dogo Onsen
Dogo Onsen
is a hot spring in the city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan.-History:Dōgo Onsen is one of the oldest onsen hot springs in Japan, with a history stretching back over 1,000 years. The springs are mentioned in the Man'yōshū is a hot spring in the city of Matsuyama,...
in Ehime Prefecture
Ehime Prefecture
is a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. The capital is Matsuyama.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime prefecture was known as Iyo Province...
and Shirahama Onsen in Wakayama Prefecture
Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Wakayama.- History :Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.- 1953 Wakayama Prefecture flood disaster :...
. Many documents since the 8th century AD mention this onsen.
According to these documents, among the many visitors to Arima Onsen are Gyoki
Gyoki
was a Japanese Buddhist priest of the Nara period, born in Ōtori county, Kawachi Province , to family of Korean Baekje descent. Gyōki became a monk at Asuka-dera temple in Nara at the age of 15, and studied under master Dōshō as one of his first pupils. Gyōki studied Yogacara , a core doctrine of...
(行基), a charismatic Buddhist monk in the 7th century, and Ninsai (仁西), another monk in the 12th century. Ninsai was said to greatly admire Arima Onsen and helped develop it. Hideyoshi Toyotomi visited this onsen several times in the 16th century.