Day trip from Kyoto: Himenji and Arima-onsen (hot springs) ?

Hi - Looking for feedback or advice about a potential day trip. I%26#39;m thinking about getting up really early in Kyoto and going straight to Himenji (90min on JR special rapid). I read that there is a 2.5 hr english-speaking tour around the grounds.

Then I want to go to some real hot springs. So far, the closest I found is the Arima-Onsen, which is 30-40min outside of Kobe I think. I figure spending 2-3hours around the springs and then heading back to Kyoto for some dinner.

Has anyone been around these parts and can tell me if this is a feasible day excursion? Do you have any suggestions about the best way to get between Himenji -%26gt; Arima-Onsen Springs -%26gt; Kyoto?

Or perhaps your know of a better/closer hot springs in the area? All feedback is welcome!

Day trip from Kyoto: Himenji and Arima-onsen (hot springs) ?

If you%26#39;re not staying overnight, then do Arima. Kinosaki is really a place to go, stay in a nice ryokan, eat good food, drink some beer, and wander the baths in the early evening (there are multiple baths in the town that you can visit).

Some suggestions. In Himeji try to see more than just the castle: Kokoen is a nice garden next to the castle (there%26#39;s a combo ticket with the castle entrance) and Mt. Shosha is about a half hour away by bus (need at least an hour, maybe two, to wander the temple grounds).

After you do Arima you could do dinner in in the onsen where you take your bath; it%26#39;s a great experience to soak away your troubles, and then stuff yourself. Also, in Arima you can take the cable car up Mt. Rokko, if you have time.

If it%26#39;s still daylight when you leave Arima, I suggest taking the train to Sanda station and then from Sanda to Osaka. It is a pretty scenic route and unless you have something specific to do with your time it%26#39;s a pleasant ride. Make sure you take an express train, not a local.

Good luck!

John W.

Day trip from Kyoto: Himenji and Arima-onsen (hot springs) ?

Thanks John W - Is this all doing in just a day trip? I don%26#39;t have a very good sense of how long the traveling between Kyoto-Himeji-Arima-Kyoto will be (including finding the stations, waiting for train, , transfers, etc).

%26gt;%26gt; Thanks John W - Is this all doing in just a day trip? I don%26#39;t have a very good sense of how long the traveling between Kyoto-Himeji-Arima-Kyoto will be (including finding the stations, waiting for train, , transfers, etc). %26lt;%26lt;

A lot depends on what you do in Himeji; if you do Mt. Shosha then you can probably be on a 2 pm train to Arima (at the latest). That trip takes an hour or so. That gives you a couple of hours to walk around Arima (maybe take the cable car), go to an onsen (really only need a half hour or so), and then eat a good dinner.

If you don%26#39;t do Mt. Shosha, then you could do lunch in Arima, walk around, and then head back to Kyoto by around 2 or 3 pm. That trip takes about an hour and a half.

If you%26#39;re into hiking, you can do that in Arima as well.

Use www.hypedia.com (click English in the top left) to see the train times. I like these links for the Kobe area and Arima:

www.arima-onsen.com/eng/index.html

http://feel-kobe.jp/english/index.html

Good luck!

John W.