Home > HYOGO 兵庫県 > Toyooka 豊岡市

Last additions - Toyooka 豊岡市
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Airline with a plane donning an Oriental White Stork motif.Dec 25, 2018
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Oriental White Stork manhole in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture.Dec 25, 2018
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Oriental White Stork manhole in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture.Dec 25, 2018
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Confection shaped like stork eggs.Dec 25, 2018
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Gift shops in this building next to the parking lot.Dec 25, 2018
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Park's website: http://www.stork.u-hyogo.ac.jp/en/Dec 25, 2018
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Large biotope used as a stork sanctuary and research facility.Dec 25, 2018
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About the biotope.Dec 25, 2018
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Nesting platform.Dec 25, 2018
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Part of the park is a large biotope used as a stork sanctuary and research facility. Only part of it is open to the public.Dec 25, 2018
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Even insects.Dec 25, 2018
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Aquariums with fish.Dec 25, 2018
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Screening room.Dec 25, 2018
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Exhibits.Dec 25, 2018
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The hanafuda card with the "crane" is actually an Oriental white stork. It actually looks like a cross between the two birds...Dec 25, 2018
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Back inside the Oriental White Stork Culture Center. On the left is the European white stork with a red bill, on the right is the Oriental white stork with a black bill. Very similar.Dec 25, 2018
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Oriental white stork nests are large, about 2 meters diameter, made of tree branches and straw.Dec 25, 2018
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Two Oriental white storks on a nesting platform. Each nesting platform has a video camera monitoring it 24/7 especially during the egg-laying and hatching season in spring.The park is likely crowded during this time until the babies leave the nest in June/July.Dec 25, 2018
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Landing on a nesting platform.Dec 25, 2018
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Oriental white stork eating a fish.Dec 25, 2018
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Storks swallow the fish whole.Dec 25, 2018
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Crows also drop by.Dec 25, 2018
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Grey herons also drop by, but they are always fighting each other.Dec 25, 2018
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Feeding time for the storks also attracts unwanted birds like black kites. They swoop in and steal a fish, then don't come back.Dec 25, 2018
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White stork landing in the paddy during feeding time.Dec 25, 2018
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They make a loud clacking noise with their bills.Dec 25, 2018
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I didn't expect to see the storks flying around, so I was thrilled when a few of them flew overhead while I was in the park. They flew in during feeding time.Dec 25, 2018
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From 2005, the park started releasing Oriental white storks into the wild in Toyooka, which was a great celebration. The birds then started to breed and reproduce in the wild.They've been releasing only a few birds (fewer than 5) almost every year.Dec 25, 2018
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As of Oct. 2018, Japan has over 140 Oriental white storks in the wild. They are also successfully breeding in Tokushima, Shimane, and Kyoto Prefectures. It's still an endangered species, with only slightly over 2,000 of them in the Far East.Dec 25, 2018
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In 1985, six wild Oriental white stork chicks from the USSR (Khabarovsk) were acquired to be raised in Toyooka. From 1989, the birds from Russia started to breed successfully in captivity in Toyooka every year.
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Toyooka was where the last living Oriental white stork in Japan died in 1986. Pesticides in rice paddies (where they feed) and other environmental problems caused their demise.Dec 25, 2018
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Once found all over Japan, the Oriental white stork ("kounotori" in Japanese) became extinct in the wild in Japan in 1971 despite preservation efforts since 1955.Dec 25, 2018
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The Oriental white stork is a big, beautiful bird often mistaken as the Japanese crane. Wingspan is 2 meters.Dec 25, 2018
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The storks are carnivores, feeding on fish, frogs, snakes, rabbits, mice, etc. Dec 25, 2018
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The Oriental white stork has black and white wings and a black bill.Dec 25, 2018
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Around 9:30 am to 10 am, they feed the storks. This is the best time to visit the park. And the best chances of seeing storks flying around.Dec 25, 2018
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They are throwing small dead fish into the paddies. Dec 25, 2018
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About the Oriental white stork open cage.Dec 25, 2018
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So if you go to Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork, you can see real Oriental white storks.Dec 25, 2018
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Toyooka Oriental White Stork Culture Center's open cage for Oriental white storks. There are about nine storks in the open cage. Their wings have been clipped to they cannot fly. Dec 25, 2018
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Toyooka Oriental White Stork Culture Center's open cage for Oriental white storks. It includes paddies used for feeding. The cage is "open" because it only hasa fence and no roof.Dec 25, 2018
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Inside the Oriental White Stork Culture Center. Walk through this building to the other side of the building to see the open cage.Dec 25, 2018
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On the left is the Toyooka Kounotori Bunkakan or Oriental White Stork Culture Center.Dec 25, 2018
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On the right is the park's administrative building.Dec 25, 2018
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The building in the middle is the University of Hyogo Graduate School of Regional Resource Management.Dec 25, 2018
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Basic map of Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork. Only one building on the left is open to the public.Dec 25, 2018
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Gate to Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork. Open: 9:00 am–5:00 pm, closed Mondays (open if a national holiday and closed the next day instead), December 28th–January 4th.Dec 25, 2018
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White stork mail box at Oriental White Stork Park in Toyooka, Hyogo.Dec 25, 2018
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Kounotori can also mean "bird bringing happiness." Sculpture related to the bird of happiness. Makes people happy especially when the stork delivers your baby.Dec 25, 2018
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Rice paddy has a high nesting platform. The nest still intact.Dec 25, 2018
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Spider web.Dec 25, 2018
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Huge rice paddy within Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork.Dec 25, 2018
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Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork has a few buildings amid large rice paddies and mountains.Dec 25, 2018
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Love Toyooka's bag bus.Dec 25, 2018
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The bus going to Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork Park is designed like a bag to promote Toyooka as a bag-producing city.Dec 25, 2018
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From JR Toyooka Station, there are buses that go to Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork Park. However, they run only once or twice an hour. Bus schedule under the purple column.Dec 25, 2018
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Oriental white stork decoration at JR Toyooka Station. To see real, living Oriental white storks, you have to visit the Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork Park.Dec 25, 2018
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Vending machine with Oriental white stork design motif at JR Toyooka Station.Dec 25, 2018
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Directional sign at JR Toyooka Station.Dec 25, 2018
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When you arrive JR Toyooka Station, you will soon notice that the Oriental white stork ("kounotori" in Japanese) is the symbol of the city. Even the roof looks like a soaring bird. Dec 25, 2018
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Kinosaki Onsen manhole in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture.Dec 25, 2018
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Otani River and willow trees.Dec 25, 2018
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Warning sign for drivers for small children. (It means to go slow.)Dec 25, 2018
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Bus stop shelter near Kou-no-Yu in Kinosaki Onsen, Toyooka, Hyogo.Dec 25, 2018
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Kou-no-Yu's outdoor bath in a garden-like setting. 鴻の湯Dec 25, 2018
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Locker and dressing room for men. 鴻の湯Dec 25, 2018
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Entrance to the men's bath and rest area. 鴻の湯Dec 25, 2018
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Entrance lobby of Kou-no-Yu. Shoe lockers on the left, and entrance to the women's bath on the right. 鴻の湯Dec 25, 2018
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About Kou-no-Yu. 鴻の湯Dec 25, 2018
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Kou-no-Yu is open 7:00 am–11:00 pm, closed on Tue. Oriental white stork statues next to Kou-no-Yu.Dec 25, 2018
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The seventh public bath I saw. I entered this one called Kou-no-Yu named after the Oriental white stork. Kinosaki Onsen's oldest hot spring where an Oriental white stork was bathing in the hot spring to heal wounds. That's how the onsen started.Dec 25, 2018
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Otagaki Shiro is also famous for building Kurobe Dam completed in 1963 in Toyama Prefecture to supply electric power to the Kansai Region. He also proposed building Japan's first nuclear power plant at Mihama, Fukui Prefecture completed in 1970.太田垣士郎翁資料館Dec 25, 2018
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At the bottom station of the ropeway is a small museum dedicated to Otagaki Shiro (1894–1964) who proposed the Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway that opened in May 1963. He was a native of Kinosaki and the first president of Kansai Electric Power Company.太田垣士郎翁資料館Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple and the ropeway station.Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple's bell dates back to the early Edo Period.Dec 25, 2018
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Kinosaki Art Museum near Onsenji. Mostly Buddhist art. Small admission charged. Open 9 am–4:30 pm, closed second and fourth Thu. of the month when the ropeway is not operating. 城崎美術館Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple's Tahoto pagoda.Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple's Tahoto pagoda.Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple's Tahoto pagoda dates back to 1768. It houses a Buddha statue. 金剛界大日如来Dec 25, 2018
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First floor of Onsenji Temple's Tahoto pagoda.Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple's Tahoto pagoda. 多宝塔Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple's Tahoto pagodaDec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple's Tahoto pagoda. 多宝塔 Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple's Tahoto pagoda at the top of the stairs.Dec 25, 2018
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About Onsenji Temple.Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple's prayer tablet with Kannon on it.Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple's Hondo main hall.Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple's Hondo main hall.Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple's Hondo main hall. National Important Cultural Property. Photography is not allowed inside the temple. temple founder and priest Dochi (道智上人) is also the founder of Kinosaki Onsen hot spring. Dec 25, 2018
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They charge a small admission for a guided tour to see the Kannon statue in the Hondo main hall's altar.Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple. Enter the temple here. Onsenji belongs to the Koyasan Shingon Buddhist sect. It worships an 11-face Kannon statue. Founded in 738 by the priest Dochi, Onsenji Temple is regarded as Kinosaki Onsen's guardian. 温泉寺本坊Dec 25, 2018
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"Onsenji" means "Hot Spring Temple." 温泉寺Dec 25, 2018
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Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway's Onsenji Station.Dec 25, 2018
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Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway's Onsenji Station.Dec 25, 2018
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Not much to see on the summit except for the lookout deck. So we go back down to Onsenji midway. 山頂駅 (大師山山頂駅)Dec 25, 2018
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Onsenji Temple's Oku-no-In temple reconstructed in 2010. 奥の院Dec 25, 2018
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Ring of wisdom. Throw clay dishes to the target. かわらけ投げDec 25, 2018
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Small Jizo statues.Dec 25, 2018
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Golden Jibodai Kannon built in Oct. 2007. 慈母観音像Dec 25, 2018
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Crab monument. For all the crabs that are caught and eaten every year in northern Hyogo. かに塚Dec 25, 2018
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View of Kinosaki Onsen from the lookout deck.Dec 25, 2018
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View of Kinosaki Onsen from the lookout deck.Dec 25, 2018
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Lookout deck on the roof of the ropeway station.Dec 25, 2018
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On the summit of Mt. Daishi is this ropeway station with a cafe inside and lookout deck on the roof.Dec 25, 2018
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Midway is the Onsenji Station.Dec 25, 2018
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Going up Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway which is 676 meters long.Dec 25, 2018
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Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway car. Mostly standing room only. Note that the ropeway is closed on the second anf fourth Thursdays of the month.Dec 25, 2018
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Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway takes only 7 min. to the mountain summit. The ropeway runs three times an hour most of the day from 9:10 am to 5:10 pm.Dec 25, 2018
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Welcome to Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway.Dec 25, 2018
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Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway station.Dec 25, 2018
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Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway goes up to Mt. Daishi.Dec 25, 2018
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Sights near Onsenji Temple.Dec 25, 2018
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Aboit Tajima beef and Kobe beef.Dec 25, 2018
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Also a good snack is the Tajima beef bun.Dec 25, 2018
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After 11 min., the eggs were perfectly soft boiled. A niftly tool cut away the top portion of the egg shell. Sprinkle some salt and yummy!Dec 25, 2018
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You can soft-boil your onsen eggs yourself in hot spring water. Boil the eggs for 11 min.Dec 25, 2018
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The gift shop had onsen eggs for sale. Locally-grown, organic raw eggs. This was popular.Dec 25, 2018
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Hot spring foot bath in Kinosaki Onsen.Dec 25, 2018
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Hot spring foot bath. There are so many free foot baths in Kinosaki Onsen.Dec 25, 2018
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The small shack on the right is a foot bath. In the background is the ropeway station to Onsenji Temple. Dec 25, 2018
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Kinosaki Onsen's hot spring source.Dec 25, 2018
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Kinosaki Onsen's hot spring source. 源泉Dec 25, 2018
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Gift shop and plaza next to the Kinosaki Onsen's hot spring source. 温泉たまご場Dec 25, 2018
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Niomon Gate to Onsenji's Yakushido Hall. 仁王門Dec 25, 2018
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Hiking path to Onsenji Temple, but taking the ropeway is easier and faster.Dec 25, 2018
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Way to Onsenji Temple.Dec 25, 2018
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Walking further toward Onsenji Temple.Dec 25, 2018
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Gokurakuji Temple's main hall was rebuilt in 1921 after a fire in 1912 destroyed the previous hall. 本堂Dec 25, 2018
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Gokurakuji TempleDec 25, 2018
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Gokurakuji Temple's rock garden.Dec 25, 2018
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"Zen"Dec 25, 2018
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Gokurakuji Temple's Sanmon Gate. 山門Dec 25, 2018
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Near Mandarayu is Gokurakuji Temple, a Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple. It worships Amida Nyorai. 本堂Dec 25, 2018
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About the Benzaiten shrine.Dec 25, 2018
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Jizo and Kannon statues along a rock wall.Dec 25, 2018
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Side street has a Benzaiten shrine. Benzaiten is the goddess of water and music.Dec 25, 2018
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On a side street, the Mandala-yu (Mandara-yu) public bath. Open 3:00 pm–11:00 pm, closed Wed. Has close connection with the priest Dochi (道智上人) considered to be the founder of Kinosaki Onsen in the 8th century.Dec 25, 2018
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Ryokan inn.Dec 25, 2018
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Rest area inside Gosho-no-yu (御所の湯).Dec 25, 2018
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Very nice outdoor bath. Large entrance hall or lobby of Gosho-no-yu (御所の湯).Dec 25, 2018
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Entrnce hall of Gosho-no-yu (御所の湯). Men's entrance on the right. The outdoor bath faced a waterfall. Very nice. I got no bath photos because a few naked men were there.Dec 25, 2018
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Gosho-no-yu (御所の湯).Dec 25, 2018
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Gosho-no-yu public bath in Kinosaki Onsen, Toyooka, Hyogo. Looks palatial. (御所の湯).Dec 25, 2018
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Next public bath looks like a Buddhist temple or palace. It's Gosho-no-yu (御所の湯). Dec 25, 2018
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Gosho-no-yu (御所の湯). It means "Imperial Palace Hot Spring." Open 7:00 am–11:00 pm, closed on the first and third Thursdays of the month.Dec 25, 2018
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Kiyamachi Koji shopping complex.Dec 25, 2018
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Walking further along the mian drag.Dec 25, 2018
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Main drag outside Ichinoyu.Dec 25, 2018
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Near Ichinoyu is this fountain for drinkable hot spring water.Dec 25, 2018
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View from the cavern bath.Dec 25, 2018
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Ichinoyu's outdoor bath is in a small cavern.Dec 25, 2018
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Men's indoor bath at Ichinoyu.Dec 25, 2018
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The building is right next to a rock wall.Dec 25, 2018
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Inside Ichinoyu public bath. Men's bath entrance on the left. 一の湯Dec 25, 2018
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Ichinoyu public bath. 一の湯Dec 25, 2018
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Ichinoyu public bath. Went in this one. 一の湯Dec 25, 2018
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Ichinoyu, perhaps the most famous public bath in Kinosaki Onsen. Looks like a kabuki theater. 一の湯Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture.Dec 25, 2018
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Foot bath next to Ichinoyu public bath. 海内第一泉Dec 25, 2018
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Foot bath next to Ichinoyu public bath. 海内第一泉Dec 25, 2018
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Kinosaki Onsen's roadside shrines for Kishimojin goddess and Life-prolonging Jizo for the protection of children. 鬼子母善神Dec 25, 2018
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Otani River has four stone bridges and each one has a name.Dec 25, 2018
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People are encouraged to stroll around Kinosaki Onsen while wearing yukata. You can see more of them in the evening.Dec 25, 2018
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About Yanagi-yu public bath. 柳湯Dec 25, 2018
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It says "Kinosaki Onsen well matches people in yukata."Dec 25, 2018
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Yanagi-yu public bath in Kinosaki Onsen, Toyooka, Hyogo. "Yanagi" means willow tree. The third public bath I've seen (but didn't enter). Open 3:00 pm–11:00 pm, closed. Thu. 柳湯Dec 25, 2018
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The hot spring water came from the bottom of a willow tree for this public bath. Wooden interior.Dec 25, 2018
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The traditional building is Yanagi-yu. 柳湯Dec 25, 2018
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Willow trees along the river at Kinosaki Onsen spa.Dec 25, 2018
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Willow trees along the river at Kinosaki Onsen hot spring. Dec 25, 2018
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Willow trees along the river at Kinosaki Onsen hot spring. 柳の木Dec 25, 2018
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About Jizo-yu. 地蔵湯Dec 25, 2018
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Walking further along the picturesque river.Dec 25, 2018
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Dressing and locker room for men at Jizo-yu.Dec 25, 2018
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Entrance hall of Jizo-yu. Entrance for the men's bath on the left, and women on the right. Jizo-yu also has private baths. 地蔵湯All the public baths are segregated for men and women. A few of the public baths also have private baths that families or couples can rent.Dec 25, 2018
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Guests who stay at a ryokan in Kinosaki Onsen can visit all seven public baths for free. But daytrippers like me have to pay admission for each one, costing ¥600 or ¥700. However, they have a public bath day pass for only ¥1,200 (外湯めぐり券). Use it to enter all seven. Great deal! Definitely one of the best bargains in Japan!Dec 25, 2018
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Jizo statue at Jizo-yu public bath.Dec 25, 2018
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Jizo-yu public bath in Kinosaki Onsen, Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture. Open 7:00 am–11:00 pm, closed Fri. 地蔵湯Dec 25, 2018
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The second public bath I came across is Jizo-yu.Dec 25, 2018
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Even the convenience stores were designed to blend in with the local townscape. Dec 25, 2018
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The main drag of Kinosaki Onsen goes along the Otani River (Otanigawa) lined with pretty willow trees. 大谿川Dec 25, 2018
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Dec 25, 2018
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Walking further along the main drag, some pictureque buildings. Kinosaki Onsen is a compact hot spring town, most things are within walking distance.Dec 25, 2018
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Entrance to Sato-no-Yu Onsen. I didn't go in this one though. さとの湯Dec 25, 2018
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Free foot bath at Sato-no-Yu Onsen さとの湯. Great to relax your feet before getting on the train.Dec 25, 2018
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Sato-no-Yu Onsen さとの湯Dec 25, 2018
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Next to JR Kinosaki Onsen Station is one of the seven celebrated public baths. This one is named Sato-no-Yu Onsen. Chinese-style building that includes a cold bath. Open 1:00 pm–9:00 pm, closed Mon. さとの湯Dec 25, 2018
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Drinkabke hot spring water in front of JR Kinosaki Onsen Station.Dec 25, 2018
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In front of JR Kinosaki Onsen Station.Dec 25, 2018
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Inside JR Kinosaki Onsen Station.Dec 25, 2018
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Next to the station is this collection of donated geta wooden clogs from local inns.Dec 25, 2018
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JR Kinosaki Onsen Station on the JR San'in Line.Dec 25, 2018
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Scenic train ride from Toyooka to Kinosaki Onsen.Dec 25, 2018
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Kinosaki Onsen's main highlight are its seven public hot spring baths (sotoyu 外湯). Some of them look palatial, and they are all distinctly different, the baths, decor, etc.Kinosaki Onsen has a long history of 1,300 years. A favorite hot spring for centuries.Dec 25, 2018
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Toyooka also has Kinosaki Onsen (城崎温泉), a hot spring only 10 min. away by train from Toyooka Station. It's one of the best onsen I've ever visited in Japan.Dec 25, 2018
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Lots of soba restaurants in Izushi. This lunch cost ¥870. You can also order more plates of noodles. The history of Izushi soba goes way back to the early 18th century when the local lord brought it from Nagano (Shinano soba). 出石そばDec 25, 2018
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These five plates are not much for the average stomach. It was a good snack. 出石そばDec 25, 2018
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About the Samurai residence.Dec 25, 2018
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Izushi soba is famous for having cold soba served on five small plates. Dip the noodles in the broth while adding different garnishes like grated yam, onions, and raw egg. 出石そばDec 25, 2018
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Samurai residence.Dec 25, 2018
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Gift shop in Izushi.Dec 25, 2018
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Izushi Town HallDec 25, 2018
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Gift shop in Izushi.Dec 25, 2018
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On Nov. 3, Izushi holds the Oshiro Matsuri to reenact the daimyo procession.Dec 25, 2018
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Going back down through the torii gates.Dec 25, 2018
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Japanese pine tree.Dec 25, 2018
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Shinkoro Clock Tower as seen from Izushi Castle.Dec 25, 2018
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Views of Izushi from Izushi Castle.Dec 25, 2018
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Views of Izushi from Izushi Castle.Dec 25, 2018
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Views of Izushi.Dec 25, 2018
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Atop Izushi Castle's main foundation also gives great views of Izushi.Dec 25, 2018
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Ariko-yama Inari Jinja Shrine atop Izushi Castle's main foundation. 有子山稲荷神社 Dec 25, 2018
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Ariko-yama Inari Jinja Shrine atop Izushi Castle's main foundation. 有子山稲荷神社 Dec 25, 2018
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Ariko-yama Inari Jinja Shrine atop Izushi Castle's main foundation. 有子山稲荷神社 Dec 25, 2018
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Ferns and trees make the place solemn.Dec 25, 2018
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Dec 25, 2018
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