Published date: July 9, 2024
Accommodation Experience: Kame no I Hotel Arima
Room Type Stayed
Standard Twin (No Bath) (dinner and breakfast included)
2 ~ 3 guest(s)
2200 ~
Some info has been automatically translated by AI.
Experience of the stay
I came to Kame no I Hotel Arima located in Kobe City, Kita Ward this time through HafH.
You might not be familiar with Kita Ward, but Arima Onsen is famous.
Originally, it was Kanpo no Yado Arima, but in 2022, Kanpo no Yado was rebranded to Kame no I Hotel, and this hotel was reborn as Kame no I Hotel Arima at that time.
It's a hot spring hotel where you can enjoy the flowing "gold spring" that was loved by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
If you're going to access by public transportation, you can take the Kobe Electric Railway to Arima Onsen station and then take a taxi for 5 minutes. If walking, it's about 20 minutes.
Since the hotel is located at the foot of the mountain, I recommend going by rental car if possible.
The parking lot has a total of 94 spaces, and guests can use it for free.
Entering from the hotel entrance, it has the atmosphere of a hot spring inn from the Showa bubble period.
There are some renovations here and there, but the basic structure is likely still that of Kanpo no Yado.
Kanpo no Yado Arima opened on April 1, 1972, so it has been over 50 years.
While the latest hotels are nice, there’s somehow a sense of calm in these retro hot spring inns. It feels like a time slip back to the Showa era.
I stayed before the year-end rush, so it was relatively empty, but there were still many foreign travelers.
Also, it seems that the number of HafH coins fluctuates quite a bit depending on the busy and off-peak seasons.
The type of room I stayed in was a standard twin (no bath) with dinner and breakfast included.
The room was slightly spacious and did not have a bath.
There were no indirect lighting options, just a single ceiling light, giving it a Showa-era feel.
As expected in a hot spring inn, there were also tea sweets provided.
It’s a shame that I couldn't take pictures of the hot spring, but the "gold spring" of Arima Onsen indeed has great water quality.
With a hotter temperature setting, I felt warmed from the core of my body.
Dinner was a Japanese cuisine course.
I didn’t know the type of course, but it seemed standard?
It wasn’t particularly luxurious, but I enjoyed it very much.
Also, around 10:00 PM, there was the hotel’s famous free service called “Hell Tour Late-Night Dan Dan Noodles.”
It is quite a popular service, and many guests came to eat it.
I think the charm of Kame no I Hotel Arima is definitely the “hot spring.”
If you’re someone who has been considering visiting Arima Onsen, I highly recommend that you visit at least once.
Experiences during the trip
About an 8-minute walk from the hotel is the Rokko Arima Ropeway Arima Onsen station.
From here you can take the ropeway to the summit of Mount Rokko, so we decided to check it out.
At the summit of Mount Rokko is the “Rokko Garden Terrace,” which offers one of Japan's top panoramic views. The dazzling 10 million dollar night view is a must-see.
Within the area, there are 4 restaurants and 2 shops, so you can enjoy meals and buy souvenirs.
Also, about a 5-minute bus ride away is the "ROKKO Forest Sound Museum,” a museum of automatic musical instruments like music boxes.
It has a similar atmosphere to Otaru’s Music Box Museum, but one of its features is the enjoyment of automatic musical instruments other than music boxes.
The day after the accommodation, I took a stroll through Arima Onsen Town, and as one of Japan's famous hot springs, the area is bustling with energy.
I was particularly surprised by the number of foreign tourists from Asian countries due to inbound demand.
It felt amazing to see such vibrancy in an area where many local hot spring towns are declining.Get Extra Bonus Coins! Sign up with this user's referral code now!