Arima Onsen, Kyoto and Uji on a solo trip (part 1)

I always wanted to go on a solo trip, but somehow fell back on the comfort of having someone to travel with me as an excuse for not travelling alone. It took my friend, who has done so many solo trips, and my other half, who didn't have money to travel with me, to inspire me to travel alone this time.



My trip to the Kansai region was totally accidental. I always loved Japan, so going anywhere else wasn't an option. I wanted the cheapest flight, and it happened to be on AirAsia to Kansai. Also it's great that both my to and return flights happen in the wee hours. This means I won't waste any time in Japan.

Unfortunately, on the day of departure to Kansai Airport, Air Asia threw a bomb. The flight would be delayed for four hours. This means i would be stuck in transit at KLIA airport for 7 hours. I didn't get much sleep as there was all this construction going on. And I only reached Kansai Airport at noon.

Travel essentials

First things first, I picked up my pocket wifi set from the post office. I ordered/rented this from GAC and it provides 24 hours of free and fast WIFI to my phone. The device is really small and nifty, and can last 10-12 hours per charge. Best of all, if you are travelling with people, it provides WIFI to multiple devices.

Of course I also had my GoPro camera, which has a fish eye lens, and time lapse capability, and my nifty phone camera, which I used to take some panoramic and 360 degree shots. I also had a selfie stick, and my Lumio to provide extra light when walking around in the dark.

Of course, to enhance the pictures, I have the Perfectly Clear app, which works great.

Who needs a DSLR. Grin.

I bought the ICOCA and Haruka return trip pass for 4000 yen.This allows me to travel on the Haruka (express) train to various regions, and back. The pass also comes with a 1500yen stored value (ICOCA) card that allows you to travel on almost any train or bus in the Kansai region.

There's another pass I was considering, which offered a better deal for my itinerary - the Kansai Thru Pass.  However, the trouble with that is that I can't take JR trains. And believe me, there are lots of JR trains. I don't want to spend too much time making so many transfers just to save a little money.

Another nifty app to get if you have WIFI/3G connection is the Japan Trains app. I relied a lot on this, which tells you exactly what train to take and which platform it departs from. Together with Google maps and GPS, they make a great combo.

Arima Onsen (Kobe region)

This was my first stop, which would have been a real bitch to get to if not for the Japan Trains app. Getting to Sannomiya (Kobe) was easy. You could either take a bus (1950yen) or the Haruka train with one transfer. After this, you need to transfer to the subway and make many many one stop transfers.

Arima Onsen is said to be the oldest onsen in Japan. I went there because it was one of the nearest to get to from Kansai Airport. There was also Wakayama Onsen, which is nearer, but the Arima town seems to offer a more nostalgic feel, with its signature onsen wafers, toy museum and food.

Carbonated onsen water

A spring water river? It's cold water though

Not that I got to try much of that of course. I arrived only at 4pm and didn't have much time to enjoy the town. I really wanted to visit the toy museum, which is said to consist of many traditional Japanese toys.

Tocen Goshoboh

I picked the historic Tocen Goshoboh ryokan, which was apparently frequented by many writers and artistic types in the past. I love the tranquil and serene interiors and also the lovely wood structures, which are reminiscent of a romantic feudal past. I'm thinking samurai, princesses and nobles.

A cup of welcome tea and a printed note with a description of the ryokan

I am ashamed to say that I was so tired that I forgot to take this piece with me when I checked out the next morning. More on that later.

Entrance to my room. It's huge!

My room was really lovely. I love the neat clean tatami mats, and there was also a huge flat screen TV that somehow did not detract from the serenity of the room. And the smell of a freshly cleaned, ryokan room with a history is wonderful.

The futons are kept in the cupboard here

This is how the futon is laid out in the evening. My room attendant (who can speak English. Yipee), pushed the chair and tables aside, and set the futon bed up. It's nice and comfy.

It's my first time at a real onsen, and the water is brown (Kinsen), although they call it gold water. It has iron deposits and is supposed to be good for skin ailments muscle pain. The water wasn't really as hot as expected in the evening. It was more lukewarm to me in the evening, however, it was much warmer in the morning. There was also a jacuzzi pool in the women's bath area and soaking in in was lovely. It's a pity they don't have a Ginsen (silver) bath in Tocen Goshoboh. The silver bath is also a feature of Arima Onsen and the water contains radium and carbonate.

One unique feature of Tocen Goshoboh's onsen is that men and women can sit next to each other with a low partion separating the two (male/female) baths. You can also stare out and look at the trees and the facade of the ryokan while sitting in the bath.


Check out my video of the bath and room service. That's Asako, my room attendant. She looks really young, and she told me she finished school last year, and travelled solo in India for a month!

I really loved the room at Goshoboh. I went out and splurged on the Tajima beef kaiseki dinner (10,500yen) and breakfast (about 3000yen), and they were both wonderful. Each morsel seems meticulously prepared and melts in your mouth. It was the first time I had yuba too, and the silken texture is just orgasmic. In fact, the taste and texture of every piece in every dish seems to be complementary to other pieces. There were little condiments too, as they wanted to bring out the natural flavours of the food. They only provided a little salt for seasoning some of the foods. Definitely the best kaiseki I had.

I had the chance to try Uni (sea urchin) at Daiwa sushi at tsukiji market in Tokyo. Even though the omakase was spectacular....I really did not like the Uni,  which was gooey and had a pungent smell and tasted a little like seafood that was going bad. Fortunately,  I was given another chance to try it again at Goshoboh, and this time,  the experience was spectacular. ..it was like eating a delicate and rich piece of egg yolk..and I savoured every bit of it. I'm glad I decided to give it another chance,  or I would have written off uni forever.

Asako on the right

The biggest clam I have ever seen, and it's delicious too

I had to soak the fish slices in the soup to cook it. I think part of the experience of having to cook your own food adds to the enjoyment of savouring the food.

Delicious toufu and tajima beef 

I was so full after a few dishes, that I could barely muster the strength to stomach the last few dishes and dessert.

This is breakfast, it's huge eh?

Tofu in hot water. Once you take it out, you have to pour sauce from that small teapot on it

It was a little stuffy in the room, and I only discovered the windows could be opened the morning after :/

Those in the moderate and deluxe rooms could enjoy free tea and alcohol and cakes in the library just before dinner. This wasn't spectacular, but hey, it's free.

The pretty library with a really old piano that can't be used.

My room foyer, the toilet's on the left

My next stop is Kyoto, where I booked a dorm room in Piece Hostel and the budget ryokan Uemura. How does this fare after a night of luxury? Find out in Part 2 :)