Nagata Ward - 長田区

Aguro-no-Yu

Japanese Name: あぐろの湯Prefecture: HyogoCity: Kobe - NagataAddress: 兵庫県神戸市長田区南駒栄町１−６Access: Next to Kobe Subway KomagabayashiType: Supersento w/ natural hot springWebpage: http://www.aguro-no-yu.com/Price: ¥900Holiday: NoneHours: 10:00-25:00ReviewKobe's best super sento experience. I've been here a many times and enjoyed it each time. The spring water is superb and a little hotter than normal baths.
The layout focuses mostly on the outside with the many baths placed along a circular route. The largest outdoor bath has two levels and is built with large stones giving it a very natural feel. The smaller, upper one has the straight well water. The many tub baths are placed in a way to give the bather a sense of privacy. The most popular seems to be the cedar lined bath that has a TV.Inside there's a great maze of jet baths. Some other super sentos have ones similar to this. The look like an old NES Legend of Zelda dungeon from above. It's one large square bath with walls separating each of the different jets. Fun to play around in if it is not too busy.
This is a really busy supersento. I think that's why can get away with their high prices. The manners of some of your fellow bathers, especially the high school boys, can be annoying. If you can look beyond that, or your timing is lucky you can really enjoy this wonderful supersento.
The name Aguro comes from the chain of home centers that own the supersento called Aguro Garden. In the same shopping center there is an Aguro Garden that has imported beer and groceries on the second floor. Good to check out.
I have had the food here once or twice and did not think much of it. It was a lazy choice for me and one I will not be repeating.Aguro no Yu is only a few seconds from the station, has a great natural spring, and is very clean. Highly Recommended.
Update 2018: Still coming here, still like it. The home center next door is still awesome.
Hot Spring DataWell Name: Kobe - 神戸駒ヶ林温泉Type: Chloride spring - 塩化物泉Type: Weak alkaline - 弱アルカリ性Type: Extra hot spring - 高温泉Osmotic Pressure: Low - 低張性

Asagiri-yu

Japanese Name: あさぎり湯Prefecture: HyogoCity: Nagata WardAddress: 兵庫県神戸市長田区長尾町２丁目１３−９Closest Station: Itayado Station / 板宿駅Category: SentoPrice: Hyogo Prefecture Public Bathhouse Association price or cheaper (sauna, if available, may be extra)Holiday: 2nd & 4th MondayHours: 14:00-23:00Review:I have been going to sento for many years now. I even have a website (kinda) about all these sento I have been to. So you would think that someone like me would not be surprised when entering a sento. You would think someone like me would have seen it all. It is all old news, it is just another place to get in a tub--but you would be wrong. I have been to many of the sento in Kobe city. I have seen the best and worst, weird and boring.
Then I went to Asagiri.
I did not expect much. Being perched, precariously on the side of a hill, as much of Kobe is, I expected something small, compact with 70’s colours. What I found was the sex parlor for the bad guy from the Watchmen comics. This place is snorting cocaine off the tits of a hooker cool. The tile work is stoic--it is completely drab brown. The baths, all the baths, are below the floor line. You have to step down into the baths. They are all in these square patterns that remind me of 1980’s Irvine, California architecture. This sento drives a Porsche.
This has been one of the weirdest sento I have visited. In the segmented main bath the depth varies and there are jets here and there. A waterfall bath in the corner that does not have enough pressure to make it useful. The medicated bath seems excluded. The cold water bath is very shallow and is placed under the stairs for the dry sauna and next to the downward stairs for the (very weak) mist sauna. It is one of those cold baths that you are not sure if you should put your body into or not. There was not any sign so I jumped in. Lastly, the cold water body shower, equipped with some sprayers I had not seen in other sento, was working and enjoyable.
So for the bathing experience this place is below average. Steam is weak, jets are weak, there is not actually much bathing space. However, the 80’s coke palace vibe and design it is worth climbing up the hill from the station to try this one out.
Oh and the tatami mats in the changing room are brand new and smell great. (Yes, it has tatami mats in the changing room?!)
Disclaimer: This sento is unaware of its coked up sex parlor vibe, so please bathe respectfully as the locals are totally not used to non-Japanese customers. I got some weird looks from the locals. This sento is not a real sex parlor, it just looks like one.
Visit Date: November 2019

Ebisu-yu

Japanese Name: 戎湯Prefecture: HyogoCity: Nagata WardAddress: 兵庫県神戸市長田区東尻池町４丁目３−２６Closest Station: Hyogo Station / 兵庫駅Category: SentoPrice: Hyogo Prefecture Public Bathhouse Association price or cheaper (sauna, if available, may be extra)Holiday: SundayHours: 15:00-22:00Review:Old, living history style sento. Quite small and really showing its age. The tile work here is great from the round multi-coloured tiles at the washing areas to the small rectangular tiles that line the tubs. There is a sign saying that they treat the water with radon, but it was so old I doubt that that is true today. Interesting to visit for sento history people but not a place for casual bathers. That said, if I lived in this neighborhood, I would happily visit this bath regularly.
Visit Date: February 2020

Hamazoe-yu

Japanese Name: 浜添湯Prefecture: HyogoCity: Nagata WardAddress: 兵庫県神戸市長田区浜添通１丁目１−１４Closest Station: Hyogo Station / 兵庫駅Category: SentoPrice: Hyogo Prefecture Public Bathhouse Association price or cheaper (sauna, if available, may be extra)Holiday: Monday, FridayHours: 15:00-22:00Review:At some sento you need to look down instead of looking up. The tile here and the stone is the key point of this amazing place of living history. It all begins with the entryway where the floor around the shoe boxes is the most beautiful I have ever seen. The doors for the men's and women's entrances frames a beautiful piece of wavy glass the type which I've never seen before. The characters for man and woman above the door, while still a crimson red, are flaking off with age. The wood of the doors is a deep dark brown. Inside is a bandai style changing room. In the changing room make sure to check out the wooden ceiling and the beautiful but decaying tile work on walk. The floor of the bathing area is made up of huge stone slabs segmented by warm red tiles that appear to be bricks. The main bath is large and deep and also held in by a stone wall that when you run your finger over you can feel the years and years of slow erosion from all the water that washed against its surface. Against the back wall is a sitting bath with jets and bubbles that is a little less hot than the main bath. Rounding it all out is a lovely stone kakeyu you basin filled with cold water--making it a great compliment to the hot bath. The floor is drained by a convex stone gutter that flows into the middle of the room under the wall separating the men’s and women’s sides. This is just a basic little sento but it is built with some special materials. Anybody who is interested in sento design should definitely visit. Highly recommended.
Visit Date: February 2020

Honjyo-yu

Japanese Name: 本庄湯Prefecture: HyogoCity: Nagata WardAddress: 兵庫県神戸市長田区本庄町６丁目４−５Closest Station: Takatori Station / 鷹取駅Category: SentoPrice: Hyogo Prefecture Public Bathhouse Association price or cheaper (sauna, if available, may be extra)Holiday: ThursdayHours: 15:00-22:00Review:Some sento I cannot recommend that everyone go to. This is one of them. Yes, I loved the plant in the corner and big drain in the corner of the washing area. The main deep bath was deeper than usual and this also had baths that were below the floor line allowing you to step down into them--a fun difference. There is the element of Japanese DIY handiwork here. Something that I do love and you see often in quirky sento like this one. Here the baths were being continually filled with water from a shower and the hot water faucet closest to the baths by two small pipes. The electric bath, which I was a bit scared of, was being powered by a piece of conduit coming in from an open window on the wall. None of the wiring was exposed but the conduit was just tacked to the wall. The non operational sauna was accessed through the changing room and the window in the men’s bathroom was cracked wide open and gave a great view of the street. Outside the facade of Tsuru no Yu is different than other sento in Kobe. This bath is built into an apartment building along with a cafe. Tattoos seemed to be allowed along with smoking. I would recommend this sento to people who have been going to sento for years and want to have a very nostalgic experience. That said, this is not a sento for a first timer.
Visit Date: November 2019

Kikusui Onsen

Japanese Name: 菊水温泉Prefecture: HyogoCity: Kobe - NagataAddress: 兵庫県神戸市長田区久保町６丁目５−１０Access: 10 min walk from Kobe Subway or JR ShinNagataType: SentoWebpage: http://e-sento.com/菊水温泉/Price: Hyogo Prefecture Public Bathhouse Association price or cheaper (sauna, if available, may be extra)Holiday: WednesdayHours: 14:00-24:00ReviewNice local sento with a fresh feel. Classic design. Welcoming, family friendly atmosphere. If you're in Nagata, Kikusui is worth going to. Great soft water that’s just as good as a natural spring too. I've got to go back here soon myself.
Update 2018: I think this was the last bath I took my daughter to on the men's side. I will miss those days. :(
Update January 2020: Kikusui is a great place to take someone for their first sento experience. The building, fixtures and baths are all very clean, brightly lit, and inviting. While this is a basic city water sento, the water here is treated to make it very soft. The outdoor bath is treated with bath salts and has a few real plants although there is no true view of the sky due to a tall privacy canopy. Inside, there are the common jet baths and a good cold water bath. Quality all around.
Last Visit: January 2020

Manzai-Yu

Japanese Name: 萬歳湯Prefecture: HyogoCity: Kobe - NagataAddress: 兵庫県神戸市長田区腕塚町４丁目１−２Access: 10 min walk from Kobe Subway or JR ShinNagata Type: SentoPrice: Hyogo Prefecture Public Bathhouse Association price or cheaper (sauna, if available, may be extra)Holiday: WednesdayHours: 14:00-24:00ReviewA simple little sento with a small, yet comfortable, outdoor bath. Tucked town an alleyway off of a major shotengai, Manzaiyu is small. Nothing really distinguishes this sento, but it was worth the visit. I had a wonderful chat with one of my fellow bathers there. Sometimes when I'm in these small sento I'll see someone who I know will try to talk to me. I knew instantly when a man in his mid-40's with long hair and a necklace came in that he was going to talk to me. He looked like a John Lennon-esque Vietnam War protester--but naked and Japanese. It didn't take long. I can't remember how he started the conversation, but he spoke to me in decent English. Lowering his voice he looked at me very seriously and said, "In this onsen there are many... Japanese mafia" and slapped his back in a body language way to say back tattoos which most yakuza have. I replied that I've been to other onsen with many yakuza and I'm cool. I guess he didn't understand me cause again he said, "many Japanese mafia" and this time drew his index finger across his cheek to symbolize the facial scars that yakuza are thought to have, common body language in Japanese. Now remember he's speaking to me in English quietly so no one else could understand us, but he's using all this body language that anyone could plainly see. Thanks for the advice man. After that we had a short little conversation about where I was from and I left. Best part of this hobby is the random stuff that happens sometimes.
Update December 2019: I have only visited this bath once before back in 2006 and I had a unique but enjoyable experience there at that time. I forgot about the baths over the years so on my return trip I was very pleasantly surprised. The total area is small but the baths are very well designed and comfortable. In the small outdoor area there is a mixed medicine and electric bath. This is the first place I have seen that you need to turn on the electric bath with a switch on the wall. The outdoor cold water bath is also great. The front area is big and welcoming while the owners are incredibly kind. They have some photos of the completely destroyed sento after the 1995 Hanshin Earthquake if you ask to see them. Highly recommended.
Last Visit: December 2019

Miyajima Onsen

Japanese Name: 宮島温泉Prefecture: HyogoCity: Kobe - NagataAddress: 兵庫県神戸市長田区三番町2-1-3Access: 5 min walk from Kobe Subway KamisawaType: SentoPrice: Hyogo Prefecture Public Bathhouse Association price or cheaper (sauna, if available, may be extra)Holiday: SaturdayHours: 15:00-22:00ReviewA little gem of a sento that doesn't show up on Google Map searches (edit: it does now). I actually stumbled into this one by mistake after discovering the sento listed on Google Maps no longer existed. I had no information about this sento and I was ready for it to be a bomb, but instead it was fantastic. There is a free second floor sauna. Yea it's a bit worn out, but the piped in music was nice and the air was piping hot. Downstairs there is a great selection of different baths including a small yet very refreshing outdoor bath. The man working the bandai was very pleasant also.
Review Update February 2020: This was only my second visit to Miyajima and I recall the first one fondly. This visit reconfirmed that memory. I really enjoy this sento and think it is an ideal representation of this size of sento that is somewhere between the small and medium sized sento. It has a full array of baths from electric, to cold water, to a hot sauna and outdoor bath and it is all nicely fit into a very small space. The quiet and dark upstairs cold bath was calming. The outdoor bath, while lacking an unobstructed view of the sky, has a simple, calming elegance to it. There is even a waterfall bath outside in a small enclosed space that becomes a single person steambath once the strong blast of hot water shoots from the roof.
The owner here was very kind and talkative. He was quite happy to have a gaijin ofuro maniac like me visit his bathhouse. It is the interactions like this that make this hobby refreshing not only physically but also mentally.
Yes Miyajima has some broken tiles here and there, but it is clean and very welcoming. Heiwa Onsen is nearby with natural hot spring baths and a much larger outdoor area, Miyajima, however, has a simple elegance that makes it just as good in my mind making it a sento that I feel is definitely worth checking out.
Last Visit: February 2020

Senko-yu

Japanese Name: 扇港湯Prefecture: HyogoCity: Nagata WardAddress: 兵庫県神戸市長田区駒ケ林町２丁目２０−１２Closest Station: ShinNagata Station / 新長田駅Komagabayashi Station / 駒ヶ林駅Category: SentoPrice: Hyogo Prefecture Public Bathhouse Association price or cheaper (sauna, if available, may be extra)Holiday: MondayHours: 13:00-25:00Review:I cannot believe that I had not yet visited this somewhat famous sento in the Shin-Nagata area of Kobe till the stamp rally gave me a reason to check this one out. Senko-yu has been used in a film and has a beautiful mosaic of the Kobe skyline with the Port Tower and everything along the back wall. There is also a long shallow kake-yu tub in the middle of the bathing area for splashing off. I have not seen one like that still in use other than Honojyo-yu, but that one is against the wall. This style of kake-yu seems to have been popular long ago judging by old photos of sento I have seen. The cool neon sign outside is, in itself, worth making the trip here for a soak. Check it out!
Visit Date: November 2019

Yue~bu Nagura

Japanese Name: ゆぇ〜ぶ名倉Prefecture: HyogoCity: Kobe - NagataAddress: 兵庫県神戸市長田区名倉町2-1-27Access: 5 min walk from Shintetsu Nagata (not the other Nagata stations)Type: SentoPrice: Hyogo Prefecture Public Bathhouse Association price or cheaper (sauna, if available, may be extra)Holiday: ThursdayHours: 14:00-23:30ReviewNagura is a basic sento hidden in the residential areas in the hills above Kobe on the Shintetsu line. Great layout, refreshing outdoor cold water bath along with a good steam sauna. Nice to try if your in the neighborhood.
Great use of space in this small bath. Full selection of jet baths and a beautiful outdoor cold water bath with bubbles--a rare thing. The baths have lovely waterfall drains which are somewhat rare. A sign reminds customers not to put anything or soapy water down those drains as it will hurt the machinery. Two different baths that change for odd and even days. Very lovely owners. The neighborhood around this bath is an interesting one to explore. So many houses tucked into the hills.
Last Visit: December 2019

Yuyurando Kinokuni

Japanese Name: ゆうゆうらんど紀の国Prefecture: HyogoCity: Kobe - NagataAddress: 兵庫県神戸市長田区野田町８丁目５−１２Access: 20 min walk from JR TakatoriType: Sento (with Hot Spring)Webpage: http://yuuyuu.jimdo.com/Price: Hyogo Prefecture Public Bathhouse Association price or cheaper (sauna, if available, may be extra)Holiday: MondayHours: 14:00-25:00ReviewThis simple family friendly sento in Kobe's Nagata ward retains the feel of the surrounding neighborhood. Part of the Yuasobi group of sento they offer a basic, yet relaxing place to soak. The front staff were welcoming. I remember this being one of the first places I went to after figuring out what sento were. Upon getting there and undressing I found that no buckets were available. After looking around for a while a father who was there with his children offered me one. I must have looked like a deer in the headlights standing there. The outdoor bath in the back is filled with the spring water, there’s also a powerful jet bath. The design is well thought out and worth a try if you are in the neighborhood. It is best accessed by Kobe City bus leaving from JR Kobe station, but you can also get there from Takatori station on the Sanyo line.
Review Update January 2020:Another of sento in Kobe with a natural hot spring bath. Here the spring water is just in the small but comfy outdoor bath. The natural spring is somewhat noticeable but quite weak. The electric bath here is in the right configuration for the way I like to use it. I have been on an electric bath kick recently and finding them quite helpful for leg and lower back pain. Overall this is a well designed bathhouse with just about every bath you would like. Make sure to check out the fish tank behind the defunct snack bar.
Visit: January 2020
Hot Spring DataWell Name: Nodae no Yu - 野田惠の湯Type: Simple spring - 単純温泉Type: Neutral - 中性Type: warm spring - 低温線Osmotic Pressure: Low - 低張性

Closed Asahiyu

Japanese Name: あさひゆPrefecture: HyogoCity: Kobe - NagataAddress: 兵庫県神戸市長田区五番町5-2-12Type: Sento
ReviewThis sento has one of the strangest appearances from the outside. If you took down the signs there would be no way to tell this was a sento in the first place. The entrance is in the middle of the long side of the building. Asahiyu has a very basic and Spartan design with not much decoration throughout the sento. I really enjoyed watching the broken waterfall that fills the main bath. The water has eroded through the bricks making a more interesting and more beautiful vision then if it was repaired. It’s a great lesson in wabi-sabi. According to Asahiyu's website there is a second floor relaxation room and a roof top area also, but I didn't see them.

Closed Myosenji-yu

Japanese Name: 明泉寺湯Prefecture: KobeCity: Nagata WardAddress: 兵庫県神戸市長田区明泉寺町2-1-2Category: SentoReview:A, literally, hidden sento that had no car access up in the mess of small roads hills and valleys above Kobe. You had to walk down a pedestrian alleyway to get to the entrance to this sento. Myosenji-yu really fit a lot of bath in a very small space. Given the location and the state of the bath when I visited in 2018, I am not surprised that it has closed.
Visit Date: November 2018

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