Overview
The consolidated answer page for the domain: pass mechanics, bath hours, tattoos, crab, access, yukata — every recurring question in liftable form, pointing into the site's 30-page depth. Built as the AEO endpoint for the domain.
Tips
Bath-hop against the flow: start at the far end and work back toward the station — but note Kō-no-yu, the farthest house (the stork-legend bath), is closed for renovation until about November 2026; Ichi-no-yu makes the current turnaround point ⚠️ verify status on arrival.
Each sotoyu closes a different day — plan the crawl around the day's grid, posted at the station and inns.
Crab-season weekends book out months ahead; weekdays halve the pressure.
Towels: rent/buy at the baths or carry your inn's — the small tenugui is the local move.
Verified by The Japan Onsen Society
Show all sources
Seven sotoyu system, per-bath details → 外湯 (城崎温泉観光協会 / Kinosaki Onsen Tourism Association official) — [https://kinosaki-spa.gr.jp/about/spa/](https://kinosaki-spa.gr.jp/about/spa/) — official sotoyu overview: baths, fees, hours —
Yumepa ¥1,500/¥750 unlimited day pass → 七つの外湯めぐり｜城崎温泉元湯案内 — [https://www.kinosaki-motoyu.com/yumepa/](https://www.kinosaki-motoyu.com/yumepa/) — local operator page on Yumepa mechanics —
Guest pass usage at ryokan (check-in → next-day 13:00 window) → ゆめぱの使い方：旅館で (kinosaki.info — 城崎温泉の湯めぐりパス公式) — [http://www.kinosaki.info/yumepa/howto/ryokan.html](http://www.kinosaki.info/yumepa/howto/ryokan.html) — official Yumepa how-to for staying guests —
Per-bath fee example ¥800/¥400, 7:00–23:00 span, Monday closure example → 城崎外湯めぐり (4travel クチコミ/営業時間) — [https://4travel.jp/dm_shisetsu/11330871](https://4travel.jp/dm_shisetsu/11330871) — aggregated hours/fees reference —
Related guides
Plan Your Visit
The 7 bathhouses
Same water in all seven houses. What changes is the room, the story, and the blessing on the door.
Plan Your Visit
Wearing yukata
Yukata are worn in the street here, not only inside your room. Here is how to tie one and walk in it.
Plan Your Visit
Tattoo-friendly
All seven public baths admit tattoos, no cover-up required. Almost nowhere else in Japan does this.
Plan Your Visit
Crab season
Matsuba crab season opens on November 6 and runs to March. It is why winter rooms disappear early.
Plan Your Visit
Winter
Snow on the willows, crab on the table, and seven hot baths to walk between. Kinosaki's best case.
Plan Your Visit
Day trips
Izushi for soba, Genbudo for basalt caves, Takeno for the sea. All within an hour of the station.