Higashinada Ward - 東灘区

Kofuku Onsen

Japanese Name: 幸福温泉Prefecture: HyogoCity: Kobe - HigashinadaAddress: 兵庫県神戸市東灘区青木５丁目１５－１０Type: SentoPrice: Hyogo Prefecture Public Bathhouse Association price or cheaper (sauna, if available, may be extra)Holiday: FridayHours: 14:00-22:30ReviewKofuku Onsen feels like it should have gym attached to it. It has a very utilitarian ascetic, perhaps do to the lighting. Interesting bath design. Not much to say about this somewhat cavernous sento.
Review Update December 2019:You would not know this was a sento unless you could read the signs. It looks more like the entrance to an apartment building with a coin laundry next to it.
I had not been back to this sento for 13 years or so. It think I went there for the first and only time since now when I was just starting this hobby. What I did remember correctly was how this bath was aesthetically like a gym. Very bare of decoration. Utilitarian besides a tile painting of a European landscape. The other thing I remember was how clean the water felt. That was even more so on this return trip. Amazing good water. You wanted to drink it from the showers. (Note: Do not do that not sure if it is potable.) The baths are aligned in a tiered waterfall style. The smallest electric bath at the top being directly fed from a fountain, then a shallow medium sized bath and finally the largest bath that was nicely deep and had a good pressure to it. The last bath had a lovely waterfall drain that are common in some sento. Besides the main tiered baths, there were some jet baths indoors, an outdoor bath with very limited view, some showers and a cold water bath. The cold water bath was not too cold just naturally cool. Great to swap between the pokapoka deep bath and the cold water. There is also a sauna, accessible from the changing room, that I did not enter.
I asked the owner who confirmed that it was ground water filling the baths. This place left me feeling better than some natural hot spring baths that have documentation. Yes the spring is not hot and the baths are heated but the water felt soft and I still feel soft. This area of Japan is known for its sake brewers who use the famous groundwater to make world renown nihonshu. It is also a great water to bathe in as proven by this bath. Very highly recommended.
Visit: December 2019

Mori Onsen

Japanese Name: 森温泉Prefecture: HyogoCity: Kobe - HigashinadaAddress: 兵庫県神戸市東灘区森南町１−１５−４Access: 5 min walk from JR Konan-yamateType: SentoWebpage: http://morionsen.life.coocan.jp/Price: Hyogo Prefecture Public Bathhouse Association price or cheaper (sauna, if available, may be extra)Holiday: 1st, 3rd, 5th TuesdayHours: 14:00-24:30 (7:00-10:30)ReviewMori Onsen is small but enjoyable and very close to the station. The staff is friendly emphasizing the family, neighborhood feel to the sento. A serviceable sitting area is equipped with a large TV that is most likely showing the Hanshin Tigers and in the entrance is a terrarium filled with beetles. Mori Onsen. The bathing area is a bit cramped but well designed so that even when packed, as this sento typically is, you do not feel it. The changing room can be difficult at times, however. The jet and electric baths are strong. The shining point of this sento is its large well landscaped rotenburo that has treated normal city water. There is no natural hot spring well here.
If you want to try a small, neighborhood sento, but you dislike the old baths found at most sento this would be good place to try it out. They also offer a rose pedal bath on special days for the women, check their website for more information.
Update - November 2019: I took my daughter and her friend there and they were able to use the bath on their own. Good for kids

Tokiwa-Yu

Japanese Name: ときわ湯Prefecture: HyogoCity: Kobe - HigashinadaAddress: 神戸市東灘区御影本町８-９-１９Access: 5min walk from Hanshin MikageType: Sento Price: Hyogo Prefecture Public Bathhouse Association price or cheaper (sauna, if available, may be extra)Holiday: SaturdayHours: 16:00-23:00ReviewThe original Tokiwa-Yu was destroyed in the Great Hanshin Earthquake and was rebuilt to give the people of the area, many of whom did not have running water yet, a place to have a bath. The building is still, 15 years after at the time I write this, a very temporary structure with thin walls and not much space inside. It's a great experience and worth going to see some of this living history. A reminder of that horrible day in January, 1995.
Here’s my review from the December 2012 issue of Kansai Scene:Toikiwa-Yu was rebuilt in the aftermath of the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. The earthquake damaged many sentos in the Kobe area, many of which never reopened. Around Hanshin Mikage station the damage was severe and the original Tokiwa-yu was damaged beyond repair. With the encouragement of the neighborhood Tokiwa-yu quickly reopened a using a temporary prefabricated building. The building was small but served the recovering neighborhood well and is still a working sento today. There are no special baths here or natural hot spring water, but in a place like this those things are not necessary.
Review Update February 2020: Amazing sento rebuilt very soon after the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. It is basically in the same condition as it was in 1995. This is a temporary building that has become permanent. There is one bath along the back wall with a deep and shallow section with 4 washing basins along each wall for 8 in total. The pipes are exposed for the showers and it will take a while for them to put out hot water, just leave them going for a bit. Lastly, a tall square kakeyu basin stands in the middle of the washing area. That is it--no sauna, no jets, no outdoor bath. What you get here is history and an amazing translucent green roof that is made of that plastic sheeting. It must sound amazing in this space when it rains.
I need to go back to experience that.
Visit: February 2020

Uhara no Yu

Japanese Name: うはらの湯Prefecture: HyogoCity: Higashinada WardAddress: 兵庫県神戸市東灘区住吉東町４丁目１−３Closest Station: JR Sumiyoshi Station / JR住吉駅Category: Supersento w/ natural hot springWebpage: https://www.uharanoyu.com/Price: ¥1100 (Weekends & Holidays: ¥1200)Holiday: NoneHours: 6:00-23:00Review:A brand new supersento built in 2019 with a hot spring. Located in a part of Kobe that is lacking many bathing options makes this bath a welcome addition. The location also explains the price. Despite being high, the value offered by the selection of baths and relaxation areas makes it worth it. The hot spring is very noticeable and offered in various temperatures from warm to extra hot. There are outdoor electric baths here, something you do not see that often. Finishing it off with a quality cold water bath makes Uhara no Yu a top example of what a supersento should be. Of course they also offer the ganbanyoku relaxation rooms, massage services, and restaurant like most other supersento. Highly recommended.Visit Date: July 2019 *Hot Spring Data*Spring Type: Chloride spring - 塩化物泉Well Name: Aino Onsen - 愛野温泉

Closed Dai-ni Hinode-Yu

Japanese Name: 第二日の出湯Prefecture: HyogoCity: Kobe - HigashinadaAddress: 兵庫県神戸市東灘区本庄町２丁目１１−１６Type: SentoWebpage: http://esento.web.fc2.com/dai2_hinodeyu/
ReviewDaini Hinode-Yu is a small simple sento in Eastern Kobe just south of Route 2. The changing room and front desk are all very simple and have a community center feel. The baths are clean and basic sento fare. Less crowded than the near by Mori Onsen and not as pretty.
I believe that the name is Daini (Second) because the original bathhouse was destroyed in the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake.
Sadly closed. The website is still up. Worth a click. Bummer.

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