Travel from Osaka to Kobe - To Arima Onsen Hot Springs Journey

 

First Blog Post: On the way to Japan Tokyo -Day 1

Second  Blog Post : On the way to Japan - visiting Fuji-san 

Third Blog Post: Tour to Mount Hakone and Ashi Lake

Fourth Blog Post: Tokyo Skytree and Model train shop 

Fifth Blog Post: Food in Japan and Kyoto grandmother's small cafe 

Sixth Blog Post: Kyoto temple trips - Kiyomizu - dera or The pure water monastery 

Seventh Blog Post:  Kyoto Temple Pilgrimage - Temple of the Thousand Buddhas, Bamboo Forest, Zen Temple, Golden Temple, and Shinto Shrine.

Eighth blog post: Last day in kyoto and Deers of Nara 

Ninth blog post: A train lover's best day 

Tenth Blog Post: From Kyoto to Osaka by bullet train, then back to Kyoto by tourist train

Eleventh blog post: After exploring Osaka , dinner at Mr. Jack's unusual restaurant

The next day in Osaka was entirely planned by me. We were going from the city of Osaka to the Kobe prefecture for two reasons. From this point on, this article might be difficult for vegetarians to read.

  

The first time I ate Kobe beef was in Moscow in 2016. A new Japanese restaurant had opened near our old hostel. I ordered a Wagyu steak from the menu. The steak was round, placed in the center of the plate, and garnished beautifully. When I told the chef it had a different flavor from the steaks in London, he said it was Kobe beef.

About Kobe Beef

Wagyu beef is a type of beef found throughout Japan. Wagyu simply means "Japanese cow." This meat is expensive but delicious. It has a beautiful marbling (the white fatty layers inside the meat that look like marble), a special flavor, and is buttery soft and very tender. Wagyu beef is also produced in other countries, including the U.S.

However, Kobe beef, which is a type of Wagyu that comes from the Kobe region, is a top-quality Wagyu meat from cows raised exclusively in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. It is a specific strain called Tajima-Gyu. Similar to how Champagne can only be produced in the Champagne region of France, Kobe beef can only be produced in Kobe.

Not everyone can produce Kobe beef. The cow must be of the Tajima lineage, have a grade of A4/A5, and the marbling must be over six. If these conditions aren't met, they don't get the certificate to sell it. Going to Kobe itself to eat Kobe beef is a special treat.  

Arima Onsen Hot Springs

The second reason for the trip was to visit Arima Onsen. Onsen are spa-like bathhouses built around natural hot springs. Arima Onsen is located in the Kita-ku ward of Kobe City. It was mentioned in a book written by Sei Shōnagon, a court lady from 990 AD, and is noted in the Japanese historical writings of Nihon Shoki from the 8th century. It is also said that the waters of these hot springs have healing properties and were used during the time of Emperor Emmu in 794.

There are two types of spring water here. Kinsen (Gold Spring)  water is a golden or brownish color due to its high iron content. It is said to make the skin soft and healthy.Ginsen (Silver Spring) water contains radium and carbonates. It is said to relieve muscle and joint pain.

The day started with a beautiful train journey from Osaka. I've posted four YouTube videos (from one to four) about this trip. This is the Arima Railway Scenic Route, which goes through the Mount Rokkō mountain range.

Because this was a local train, I was able to stand behind the driver and film from the front part of the carraige. Next to me was a man in a train uniform, wearing a huge smile from ear to ear. When we reached our final stop at the Sannomiya-Arimaguchi station, he told me to keep filming while he directed the passengers off the train and cross the railway line. He explained that he works for the train company, specifically to help tourists who board the train. The person you see in this video handling the crowd is that Japanese railway employee.

  I included some train pictures from the journey in the slide show. Like my other articles, this one also features some of Japan's beautiful trains. The second part of the slideshow shows the inside of the Arima Onsen hot springs. When we arrived at the station, a bus from the onsen was there to pick us up. The name of this particular onsen is Taiko-no-yu.
Since it was a weekday, most of the visitors were retired older people. Some were even there with their grandchildren. As we were waiting in line, a Japanese woman tapped my wife, Ines, on the shoulder. She had two vouchers and offered them to us. Normally, an entrance ticket costs around ¥3,500 (about £17), but thanks to her generosity, we were able to get in for half the price. We paid at the end of our visit.   

After buying our tickets, we were given two kimonos to wear and two lockers to store all of our clothes. We could only retrieve our items at the very end of our visit. We first went to the hot springs to bathe.

Now, there are two rules here. First, unlike in England, which has a sort of Victorian morality, you can't wear clothes like bikinis or shorts into the baths. You have to go in like Desmond Morris's "The Naked Ape." That was fine by me, as it's the same in places like Russia and Germany, which I've been to before. The men's and women's baths are separate.

The next rule is that no tattoos are allowed, not even small ones. If you're seen with a tattoo, you'll be kicked out. The reason for this is that to be a part of the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia, you have to have a snake tattoo on your back or chest. Since they can't forbid only the Yakuza, they've banned anyone with a tattoo.

 

So I got into the water with radium and carbonates that you can see in the picture. It was hot, maybe around 60 to 70 degrees Celsius. There were four or five Japanese men in the bath. After a little while, I felt like I was being boiled alive, so I got out. Then I got into the golden-colored water, which was right there. Oh my goodness, that water was about 80 degrees Celsius! I jumped right out. The Japanese men laughed. One of them told me to go to the upper level, explaining that the water there was cooler because it was outside. 

When I went upstairs, I saw small wooden tubs all around, each big enough for one person. In the center, there was a slightly larger pool with rocks. I got into that one. The water was only about 50 degrees Celsius. Since there was a bit of a breeze outside, it was fine. The Japanese man next to me started talking to me, asking where I was from etc. It turned out he was a train driver on a beautiful route, the Hanshin Main Line, which also goes along the sea. He told me he was retiring that month. I said, "That's great! You'll be free and can travel the world." The man laughed. He said that with his salary, he'd already taken his wife on holidays all over the American continent, Europe, and Australia. He said that was enough, and he couldn't stay at home because it was his wife's "territory." I asked if that was a bit traditional, and mentioned that our wives work. "Oh, my wife is a teacher," he said. "The school is near the house." He told me he'd already found a job and would have to take a small accounting course. Amazing that is. he still wants to work.

When I'd had enough of being "boiled," I said goodbye to my new friend and went downstairs to find my wife. Another tourist couple was there. I told them to tell anyone who wasn't Asian to come up. They laughed heartily. Just then, my wife came out, and we went to the sauna, which is a room where you can lie down on the floor. Men and women can be in this room together. There was only one spot open. Inside, there was another room that was even hotter. At that moment, the couple who gave us the vouchers was there. They told us they were leaving and that we could have their spots. There were three or four other couples there. We lay down and fell asleep. The truth is, after being in the hot springs, you feel so relaxed that you just fall asleep.

Afterward, we went to the massage area. Here, too, men and women were in separate rooms. It was a type of Ayurvedic massage.

Then it was time for lunch. The place was mostly full of people our age, probably because it was a workday. But it was truly a wonderfully relaxing life.

 

We ordered two Kobe beef meals, served with soup and rice.  First, they brought out prawns, a noodle salad, and a small set of nigiri. 

Then, they brought out the Kobe beef. You can see how the fat marbling looks like a map. Each side of the beef has a unique line pattern.

   

They gave us a small stove to cook the beef ourselves. You turn it on, add some sauce, like yakinku or miso paste, to the water, and then cook the beef to your liking. It's true—the beef really does melt in your mouth. This is the stove they gave us. You can find the same setup in Korean and Cambodian restaurants. 

After eating, we paid the bill and headed back the same way we came. I was so sleepy I wished we could've just stayed there to sleep. I later found out that there's a hotel right there where you can spend the night.

Anyway, we made our way back to Osaka, and I filmed that journey, too. This isn't the end of our trip to Japan, though. We had one last food tour planned after this. You're probably tired of hearing my Japanese stories by now. Please read it and let me know what you think.. 

Ajith-24/08/2025     

For my daughter

I wrote his for my younger daughter's birthday.

In quiet corners, 

where books reside,

 A brilliant mind, 

with nothing to hide. 

Puzzles solved with elegant grace, 

A thoughtful smile upon your face.

The law's complex, 

the numbers gleam, 

You chase your double-degree dream. 

With beauty, brains, and a gentle heart, 

You've played your most important part.

As your last year begins to close,

 A future full of promise grows. 

So stay a while, and read and dream, 

The world awaits your powerful stream.

Happy birthday to you, my dear. I love you so much. !

13/08/2025 

After exploring Osaka , dinner at Mr. Jack's unusual restaurant

First Blog Post: On the way to Japan Tokyo -Day 1

Second  Blog Post : On the way to Japan - visiting Fuji-san 

Third Blog Post: Tour to Mount Hakone and Ashi Lake

Fourth Blog Post: Tokyo Skytree and Model train shop 

Fifth Blog Post: Food in Japan and Kyoto grandmother's small cafe 

Sixth Blog Post: Kyoto temple trips - Kiyomizu - dera or The pure water monastery 

Seventh Blog Post:  Kyoto Temple Pilgrimage - Temple of the Thousand Buddhas, Bamboo Forest, Zen Temple, Golden Temple, and Shinto Shrine.

Eighth blog post: Last day in kyoto and Deers of Nara 

Ninth blog post: A train lover's best day 

Tenth Blog Post: From Kyoto to Osaka by bullet train, then back to Kyoto by tourist train

Came to Osaka, left, came back, ate something, and then fell asleep without even remembering what it was. I'll put the pictures I took of Osaka city that day on this slide. There's also a big shopping mall right above the Osaka Station. We were staying at a hotel near the river. Some of the pictures were taken there.

*************************

 

In the city of Osaka, a beautiful river flows between many large buildings. This is the Yodo River, which empties into Osaka Bay. Some of the buildings here look like a bunch of matchboxes standing on end.

On the morning of May 25th, we met our tour guide. He was an Irishman who, like many others we'd met, had married a Japanese woman and settled down in Japan. It was raining heavily, so we were stuck in the castle park. During the wait, the guide started telling us the old story about how Japanese people work themselves to death, with very strict rules at their workplaces.

By then, I had already done my research, so I told him directly that Japanese people commit suicide mostly due to loneliness or when they lose their jobs, not because they don't want to work. They are very willing to work. This Irish guide seemed to run a couple of tours in the morning but was otherwise living off his Japanese wife's earnings and didn't do much for the rest of the day. I don't know whther they have social welfare here, but England and Europe does. 

  The Osaka Castle palace is truly beautiful. Large rocks were brought in to build the walls. These big, flat-cut rocks make up the walls. Since it was built in 1583, it's not that old. There's a small pond and a beautifully maintained garden with flowers.

From the castle park, we went to a Shinto shrine. The way people worship there is a bit unusual. First, you have to wash your hands and feet with water from a basin, which I remember had a tap. After that, you offer money by throwing coins, then ring a bell. Finally, you bow your head twice, clap your hands twice, and then put your hands together to say your prayer. 

In Osaka, there's a Korean sector called Ikuno Korea Town. It's completely like a ghetto, made up of small houses and shops all packed together. In one of the pictures, you can see drainage pipes on the roof. There are also roads and a train line running above the shops. I felt that London's Chinatown was more spacious than this Korean ghetto. However, if you want to eat Korean street food, it's a great place to go.  

I'm posting this picture separately because I've seen restaurants where they take fish directly from a tank to cook and serve. In Russia, they also sell live fish from tanks at the market for people to eat. Here, however, they sell small, live octopus, and will even prepare them for you on the spot.

  

Another thing I saw was the huge crowds at the game shops. Apparently, people play there from morning until night. Some of these games are a form of gambling. In Japan, you can't win money directly from gambling because it's forbidden. However, you can win certain tokens. There are two other shops near these game centers where you can exchange the tokens you win for an item. If you don't want the item, you can go to a third shop and exchange it for cash, which isn't illegal.

On the way, we also visited the tallest building in Osaka, called Abeno Harukas. It's about 300 meters tall. Looking down from there, the train lines look beautiful, almost like a model train set. There's a video of it on YouTube; you can check out the link at the bottom of the article. 

Our tour ended in the vicinity of a shopping center, on a crowded bridge in the middle of the river. In the distance, we could see a yellow Ferris wheel next to a shop called Don Quijote. This entire area is known as Dotonbori. It must have been around 1 p.m. at the time, and the crowds were incredible. It took us over an hour to walk back to our hotel from there, not because of the distance, but because of all the people. 

We had some tea and relaxed for a while until the evening. We had made a mental note of a place we wanted to try. They serve a dish called Tako Tamago, which is a quail egg stuffed inside a whole baby octopus head, and another dish called Takoyaki, which is various types of fried octopus. Since this restaurant specializes in these items, we decided to go there.

It was around 8:35 p.m. I saw what looked like one person acting as both the waiter and the chef. When we asked if there were two of them, they said they were closed now. I pointed out a few tourists eating inside and said, "There are only two of us, we won't eat much, and we'll leave quickly." But they still refused. We came back outside, and Ines pointed to the sign, saying it looked like they were supposed to close at 8:30. I said, "But the others are still sitting there, and they're still making food for them." I had read that some Japanese restaurants have small signs that say, "No entry if you don't speak Japanese.

So we started walking again. We found another nice little restaurant, and I went in saying "Konnichiwa." Ines followed behind me. The Japanese chef inside didn't seem to notice her. He just pointed his finger at me.

The Japanese chef, whose English wasn't very good, said, "You drink? No drink, no come."

"Yes, yes, I drink," I replied, and walked in. Ines followed behind me.

The chef then asked me, "She drink, no drink?"

I quickly said, "Yes!"

"Okay, sit, sit," he said, pointing to two tall stools. It was set up like the previous place, with stools arranged around a bar. 

       

We sat down, exchanging smiles with the two or three other people there.

The chef then explained the ordering process: "Okay, you go website order. One starter, one drink." (He meant we had to go to the website to order, and that one appetizer and one drink were mandatory per person.)

Ines told me she only wanted to order water and couldn't eat much.   

The chef heard everything. "No, no, no! Water? You go!" he said sternly.

Just then, an American tourist sitting on a stool next to us spoke up. "You guys have to drink here. He doesn't like it when people don't drink. I thought you were the one who didn't drink," he said, pointing at me.

Ines responded, "He'll drink anywhere. I just don't drink when I'm tired." The couple was from Texas.

I asked the man, "Why did you think I wouldn't drink?" He winked toward the chef and said, "He'll tell you himself." The couple then gave us a list of the food they'd eaten and left.

Fearing that Ines would get up and leave, I quickly ordered two sakes and two starters.

Ines got up. "I want to watch him cook," she said, and moved to sit on the stool where the American couple had been sitting. Normally, no one would challenge something she does like that.

Then, the chef spoke up. "No sit there. No sit there. No change, no change!" he said, his English sounding like someone who had just arrived in an English-speaking country.

Ines explained, "I moved there because I want to watch you cook." From that seat, you had a much better view of the cooking area. But the chef sternly replied, "No, you don't need to watch. Go back to the chair you were sitting in!

I was dying of laughter. No one ever talks to Ines like that. Just ten minutes earlier, I had been told there was no room for us at the other restaurant. The chef is barely visible in that picture above.

I asked for a cucumber salad, and it came with a fantastic sauce. It wasn't from a bottle; the chef made it on the spot. The top picture shows the front of the restaurant, and the bottom one is my cucumber salad. Ines ordered the edamame.

 

A young man who  was sitting on the other side spoke English well. He explained the menu. For my meal, I had tuna, which they call maguro here. I'd had the dish before, so I knew I wanted to order it. For Ines, I got gyoza.

In the meantime, the chef and I became great friends, especially after I finished my sake. He told me to call him "Mr. Jack" because that was the name he went by. While this was happening, Ines was like a heron, craning her neck to see what he was cooking. Eventually, Mr. Jack felt bad.

"Okay, you go there," he said, gesturing for Ines to move to a stool at the end of the bar. I moved to sit next to her, and then I finally understood why he hadn't wanted her to move earlier. There was a number on each stool. When we placed our order on the website, we had to enter our seat number, which would then show up on his iPad and a small monitor above. This is how he kept track of orders and prepared the final bill. It was a simple, efficient system that didn't require a waiter. A small Japanese or Taiwanese girl was helping out, as the place was extremely busy. Mr. Jack told me the upstairs was also packed with customers. I realized he must be quite famous in the area.

The tuna dish I ordered, shown in the picture below, is called takaki. This isn't sushi or sashimi; it's not completely raw. The chef beautifully seared the outside of the fish slices, leaving the inside a perfect pink—like a steak cooked between medium-rare and medium. It's truly an art form, and you can't get it that perfect without a lot of practice. He gave me his own special sauce to go with it.

For the gyoza, Mr. Jack gave us a different sauce. This is how he elevates the flavor of his food; he cooks with great care and precision. At one point, Ines noticed he made a mistake with a dish and immediately threw it into the trash.

Just then, a woman with a Spanish accent popped her head in and asked if there was room for two. Mr. Jack said no. She pointed to where Ines and I had just been sitting, where there were two empty seats, but Mr. Jack still refused. The woman started to plead with him. Ines was about to say something, but I stopped her. "This is his restaurant," I said. "He gets to decide who comes in. Maybe he knows who's going to appreciate his food and who's just looking for a place to sit." In the end, he didn't let them in.. 

A little while later, two young beautiful chinese looking women with big smiles came in and asked if there was room. He immediately let them in. I told Ines, "He's not a racist; he's just an eccentric person who's particular about who drinks."

Two Chinese women sat next to us. They had come to see a J-pop concert. One was a student living there, and the other had come from China just for the show. They ordered two massive German-sized beers and a large main course. Seeing this, I thought, "These are the real meals!" I used to think the videos of Chinese girls eating endlessly on Instagram and TikTok were fake, but these two were just like that.

I also noticed that many Chinese people visit Japan as tourists and students and are big spenders. People from Taiwan, Thailand, and the Philippines, however, mostly come to work.  

When the Chinese girls ordered their main courses, Mr. Jack turned to me and said, "Hey, you guys didn't order a main meal!" We looked at the menu—it was full of large ramen soups and big rice dishes that we knew we couldn't finish. With some help from the Chinese girls, I explained to Mr. Jack that we eat less at night. He started laughing loudly and said,

 "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have let you in!" 

It was clear he liked us, though.

After that, he told me why he'd asked if we drank. He said, "Indian people like you come in here and only ask for water!" I just laughed.

Ines then said, "You don't need to tell him to drink. He drinks anyway." I replied, "I was born in Sri Lanka but live in London. Many people in Sri Lanka drink a little bit as a kind of medicine with their meals, so it's safe to let them in." As I said this, Ines ordered a Suntory beer, and Mr. Jack's smile grew even wider.

I told Jack that he was more of an artist than a cook. "No, no, me no artist," he said. "I am cook and owner." I ordered another sake and two prawns, which were large, like tiger prawns, and called kuruma-ebi. He served them beautifully with two slices of lotus root on the side.

  We honestly felt like we should have ordered two full meals, even if we couldn't eat it all. But Jack didn't seem to mind. He even gave us a running commentary on the things he was cooking. Ines wrote it down, though I have no idea where her notes are now.

For dessert, I ordered a sesame ball dish. It had rice inside and was served with a jam-like sauce made from some kind of berry. It was delicious. The combination of the creamy sesame, the rice, and the jam was perfect. It would actually be a great breakfast. Plus, these types of things fill you up quickly.   

 We left the restaurant feeling very happy after paying the bill. Jack thanked us and waved before getting back to work. Ines said he was a real pain, but that she liked him. I told her I like people who are direct and say what they think, because they're easy to understand.

This experience strongly reinforced my belief that the Japanese are not as racist as some might think. They simply have a certain way of doing things, and you have to understand it. I have two more articles to write, and I'll need to expand on this topic in one of them.

In a comment on a previous article, someone suggested that my German wife, Ines, was with me, so I might not have felt the full effect of any racism. But the answer to that is right here in this experience: there was no such thing. I felt that Japanese people are very direct and say what they mean to your face.

These are the videos from Osaka.

You may have a different ideas. Pease comment if it is.

Ajith 10/08/2025