Sennari Hanakanzashi Kinosaki

Sennari Hanakanzashi in Kinosaki Onsen, Hyogo prefecture, draws chloride-rich thermal waters in an onsen town where the seasonal pilgrimage of yukata-clad bathers between seven public bathhouses has maintained an unchanged ritual since the monk Dōchi prayed for flood victims here for 1,000 days in the 720s. The Hanakanzashi ryokan represents the mid-tier of Kinosaki's distinguished accommodation spectrum — between the grand Nishimuraya flagship and more modest inns — offering traditional kaiseki meals featuring Tajima beef (the genetic ancestor of Kobe beef) and PHP crab (the PHP designation meaning 'PHP produced on the Sea of Japan coast') alongside private mineral baths with the town's famous chloride spring. Kinosaki's recently opened Kinosaki Literary House, celebrating the literary connection to Shiga Naoya, Shiga Kiyoshi, and other writers who convalesced in the town, adds a new cultural dimension to Japan's most romantically traditional onsen village.