Karaku

Located a short walk south of Himeji Station, the Castle Hotel's large public bath is open to non-guests. A bath-only admission costs 1,050 yen on weekends and holidays. Compared to a super public bathhouse, the individual facilities feel a little cramped, but the higher prices mean that it's not overly busy, which is a plus. The baths include an indoor bath, hot spring, carbonated spring, tub bath, dry sauna, mist sauna, cold bath, and relaxation chairs. Shampoo, conditioner, body soap, hair dryer, cotton swabs, skin lotion, and other amenities are provided. Unfortunately, there is no open-air bath or outdoor bath, but the subdued lighting, combined with the skillful use of lighting that evokes the morning sun, created a lovely atmosphere. It's a shame that there are only four relaxation chairs in the bathroom. I'm sure it would be much better if there were six zero-gravity chairs... Although I didn't try them, it seems there are also bedrock baths and relaxation rooms available for an additional fee. Parking is free for the first 3 hours, and after that it costs 300 yen per hour.

This is the hot spring inside the Himeji Castle Hotel. This is my third time there. There are two baths: ① Wa-no-yu and ② Kura-no-yu. I prefer ① Wa-no-yu, which has a rock bath, but this time I went to ② Kura-no-yu. If the baths were rotated between morning and evening, you could enjoy two types at once, but this one rotates on the 1st and 16th of each month. There's a rock bath, a tub bath, a carbonated bath, a cold bath, a sauna, and a steam bath. There's also a comic corner on the second floor. Lockers with keys are available at the entrance. It seems that some people use the baths for day trips, so it can get crowded at times.

[Enjoy hot springs and carbonated baths] I often use this hot spring for day trips. Perhaps because the price is a little high, it's usually empty. The locker space is spacious and the facility is well-maintained. Parking is free for the first three hours, but it often fills up in the evenings on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. I think this is because overnight guests also park there. If you use the facility frequently, it's more economical to purchase a multi-ride ticket. There's a shuttle bus that runs between the south side of Himeji Station and the hotel, so it's a good idea to stop by in between sightseeing.

Excellent super onsen just a five-finger walk from Himeji JR station with an indoor & outdoor area! There is a super hot "normal" sauna and also a mist sauna. There is an ice-cold bath and about half a dozen hot baths varying in temperatures. The entrance is 1500 yen and I stayed a solid hour and a half there. There's also a massage parlour and a hairdresser.

The holiday rate was 1,500 yen. I thought I could expect good things for the price, but I was a little disappointed that there weren't many types of baths. It's not that it was bad, but the price was too high. The outdoor bath was broken on the day I went, so I couldn't use it. Even more disappointing...