Kitsu Onsen Ryokan Kinpeirou

Kitsu Onsen, on the Sea of Japan coast in the Yuhigaura area of Amino-cho, Kyotango City, is said to be the oldest hot spring in Kyoto Prefecture and is also known as Shirasagi (White Heron) Onsen. Legend holds that it was discovered in 743 AD by the eminent monk Gyoki, who saw a wounded white heron healing itself in the spring. Ryokan Kinpeirou is a long-established inn in this historic hot spring town with over 140 years of history, celebrated as a crab inn famous for its winter matsuba snow crab cuisine.

The water is an alkaline simple spring with a source temperature of about 41 degrees Celsius. Boasting an abundant flow of 1,400 liters per minute, Kinpeirou offers 100% free-flowing (kakenagashi) spring water in its private baths. The soft, colorless, transparent water is said to be effective for neuralgia, joint pain, and fatigue recovery.

Conveniently located about a one-minute walk from Yuhigaura-Kitsuonsen Station on the Kyoto Tango Railway Miyazu-Toyooka Line, the inn offers calm Japanese-style rooms and seafood from the Sea of Japan. Stays center on plans featuring crab cuisine, with check-in at 15:00 and check-out at 10:00. It can be enjoyed year-round, from matsuba crab in winter to swimming at Yuhigaura Beach in summer.