Gourmet Travel in Kinosaki Onsen

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Travel, Blogs, Wellness, Culinary, History & Art
27 Dec 2025
11 mins
Out of Town Blog
Melo Villareal

Author: Melo Villareal

Kinosaki Onsen, a charming hot spring town in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, offers an exceptional culinary experience centered on kaiseki ryori (traditional multi-course Japanese cuisine). The star attraction is fresh Matsuba crab (snow crab) available from November to March, served in various preparations, including steamed, grilled, and in hot pots. Local ryokans (traditional inns) serve elaborate […]

Out of Town Blog

Gourmet Travel in Kinosaki Onsen

Kinosaki Onsen, a charming hot spring town in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, offers an exceptional culinary experience centered on kaiseki ryori (traditional multi-course Japanese cuisine). The star attraction is fresh Matsuba crab (snow crab) available from November to March, served in various preparations, including steamed, grilled, and in hot pots. Local ryokans (traditional inns) serve elaborate dinners featuring Tajima beef, a premium wagyu variety from the region, alongside seasonal delicacies and locally-caught seafood from the Sea of Japan.

Guests typically enjoy these gourmet meals in their yukata robes after soaking in the town’s seven public hot spring baths, creating a perfect blend of culinary indulgence and therapeutic relaxation.

Tajima Beef – Experiencing the World’s Best Beef in Kinosaki Onsen

Burgers, steaks, curry, even potato chips – Tajima Beef appears in countless forms throughout Kinosaki Onsen. Yet it’s a fair question: why do these serene hot springs, framed by willow-lined canals and traditional inns, share their streets with steakhouses, burger joints, and casual eateries serving sizzling cuts of beef? The reason is rooted in a deep local history that might surprise even the most seasoned chefs.

Tajima Beef is produced from Tajima Cattle, one of the most prestigious strains of Japanese Black Cattle (Kuroge Washu). These cattle are raised in the Tajima region of Hyogo Prefecture, where careful breeding, controlled diets, and a stress-free environment contribute to excellent marbling, tenderness, and a rich, almost buttery flavor profile. The area’s clean mountain air, fresh spring water, and moderate climate create ideal conditions for nurturing healthy cattle, resulting in beef that consistently earns top grades.

Kinosaki Onsen sits just a short distance from the Tajima Cattle pastures, so it’s only natural that this historic hot spring resort has become closely tied to Tajima Beef. After soaking in one of Kinosaki’s seven iconic bathhouses, visitors often slip into yukata and wooden geta and wander the streets, drawn by the aroma of beef grilling over open flames or simmering in flavorful curries. Local restaurants proudly spotlight Tajima Beef in a wide range of dishes, from premium steak courses and sukiyaki to burgers, croquettes, and even potato chips infused with its savory essence.

Japanese wagyu has long been celebrated as some of the best beef in the world, and within that category, Tajima Cattle stand out as the elite. In fact, every cut of authentic Kobe Beef must come from Tajima Cattle that meet strict standards for breed, origin, and quality. This means that when you enjoy Tajima Beef in Kinosaki Onsen—whether as a melt-in-your-mouth steak, a juicy burger, or a crisp snack—you’re tasting the very heritage behind Japan’s most renowned beef.

Izushi Sara Soba – The Samurai’s Meal of Choice

A quintessentially Japanese dish, buckwheat soba noodles are celebrated throughout Japan as a delicate, often acquired taste. Their clean, understated flavor and delicate texture are staples of traditional Japanese cuisine, and they are commonly enjoyed either hot in a fragrant broth or chilled and served with a savory dipping sauce.

Izushi, a small samurai castle town located south of Kinosaki Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture, is renowned as a cultural center for this beloved dish. The town is primarily known for its distinctive way of serving soba on many small porcelain plates, a style that has become a symbol of Izushi’s culinary identity.

Soba first arrived in Izushi in 1706, when control of the Izushi domain was handed over to the Sengoku clan. The new feudal lord loved soba noodles so much that he brought his personal soba chefs with him to his post in Izushi. As their skills and flavors spread through the town, soba gradually became inseparable from Izushi’s local culture and traditions.

Stork Natural Rice – Saving Japan’s Oriental White Storks from Extinction

The Oriental White Stork is a large carnivorous wading bird native to East Asia, with historical populations spread across China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. After World War II, however, its traditional feeding grounds—especially irrigated rice fields and wetlands—were dramatically altered by industrial development, agricultural modernization, and the widespread use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These changes reduced the availability of fish, frogs, insects, and other prey, making it increasingly difficult for the storks to find enough food.

By 1971, the last wild Oriental White Stork in Japan had disappeared from the country’s skies, with the final individual recorded here in Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture. In response, Toyooka City and conservation specialists launched a long-term recovery effort that included captive breeding, habitat restoration, and close collaboration with local farmers and communities.

After more than three decades of preparation, Toyooka City successfully reintroduced captive-bred storks into the Japanese wilderness in 2005. Although these wild birds are free to fly wherever they wish across Japan and beyond, many choose to remain in and around Toyooka City, where they find ideal feeding conditions.

This is mainly due to a distinctive rice cultivation method known as “stork-friendly” farming. Developed specifically with the storks’ carnivorous diet and foraging habits in mind, this method maintains shallow, water-filled rice paddies that support a wide variety of aquatic creatures. By reducing chemical use and creating more natural, wetland-like conditions, farmers provide abundant prey for storks while enhancing local biodiversity and improving the overall health of the rural landscape.

Winter’s Gourmet Gem – Snow Crab in Kinosaki Onsen

The Snow Crab, also known locally as Matsuba Crab, is a prized delicacy harvested from the cold, nutrient-rich waters just north of Kinosaki Onsen. Both residents and visitors celebrate this crab for its natural sweetness, delicate aroma, and remarkable versatility in local cuisine. It appears in a wide range of dishes, from simply boiled and served with a dipping sauce to elaborate hot pots, grilled preparations, and elegant kaiseki-style courses.

The admiration for Matsuba Crab begins with its long, slender legs. Averaging about 70 centimeters in length, each leg contains a generous amount of firm yet tender meat, notable for its gentle brininess and clean, sweet flavor that captures the essence of the Sea of Japan. When freshly prepared, the meat has a smooth, almost silky texture and a subtle richness that pairs beautifully with both light seasonings and more robust flavors.

Adventurous diners can also explore “kani miso,” a rich, buttery paste made from the crab’s innards. Often served warm in the shell or incorporated into a soup-like dish, kani miso is prized for its deep umami character and velvety texture. Its intense, savory flavor contrasts with the light sweetness of the leg meat, creating a well-rounded tasting experience that showcases why Snow Crab is considered one of Kinosaki Onsen’s signature winter delicacies.

Sip and Stroll Kinosaki Onsen and Izushi Castle Town

Kinosaki Onsen and its surrounding areas are celebrated not only for their unmatched Tajima Beef and succulent winter Snow Crab, but also for a refined selection of local adult beverages, including craft beer and regional sake.

Together, these culinary pleasures enhance the area’s warm, traditional overnight hospitality, bring to life the stories and legends of local samurai warriors, and subtly reveal the oft-overlooked traces of the region’s once-thriving industrial heritage.

Source: Visit Kinosaki – Danielle Leveille