STAYLOG

Hyogo · Hotel

Nakanobo Zuien

有馬温泉 中の坊 瑞苑

From
¥57,500+
/ 2 guests, 1 night
Stay reports
6
Videos
3
Nakanobo Zuien
Rakuten Travel

Photos: Rakuten Travel

This page contains affiliate links, marked “Ad”. We may earn a commission if you book after following one, at no extra cost to you. We do not rate hotels, and the order links appear in is not affected by any commission.

Overview

About this hotel

A ryokan at Arima Onsen. Arima is said to have begun with twelve lodges built to guard the Buddha of healing, and this house carries on one of them. It is kept as a quiet place and does not accept guests under 13. Check-in is at 14:00 and check-out at 12:00, so a stay can run to 22 hours. Some rooms have an open-air bath fed by the clear radon spring; the finest of them is 138 sqm for up to six, with a twelve-mat Japanese room, a tea room, a twin bedroom and that bath. Guests may also use the baths, the viewing bath on the ninth floor, the lobby lounge and the shop at the sister hotel next door, except on days it is closed. Two minutes on foot from the bus stop.

Who it suits

Built on the assumption that adults have come here to be quiet; with no guests under 13, it is not a choice for a family with children. Check-in at 14:00 and check-out at 12:00 give up to 22 hours, which leaves room to spend the time inside. Beyond its own baths, guests can use the large baths and the top-floor viewing bath at the sister hotel, so there is a second kind of water to try — except on days that hotel is closed. Pillows come in five kinds to choose from, there are two yukata per guest, a choice of one newspaper from six, and breakfast can be swapped for lunch. The sake list is drawn from the Nada breweries 20 minutes away by car, including two bottled for the house. Leave the car at the front entrance and staff will park it; if you park it yourself, the route to the front desk has no steps.

Basic information

Address
808 Arima-cho, Kita-ku, Kobe, Hyogo
Check-in
14:00
Check-out
12:00
Nearest station
Shin-Kobe Station (11.2 km as the crow flies)

兵庫県神戸市北区有馬町808

Features

  • Hot spring
  • Families with children
Features

What this place is like

Checked against the hotel’s own site. Anything we could not confirm is left out — that does not mean it is not there.

Rooms: some with an open-air bath fed by the clear spring

Some rooms have their own open-air bath. The finest is 138 sqm for up to six: a twelve-mat Japanese room, a tea room, a twin bedroom and the bath, with an indoor bath as well as the open-air one fed by the clear radon spring, looking out to the Arima river and the Tanba hills. The beds are Simmons. It is non-smoking. On days when required maintenance is carried out, the bath in the room becomes available from 14:30. Pillows come in five kinds, there are two yukata per guest, and one newspaper is chosen from six. For a birthday, an anniversary or a sixtieth, telling the inn beforehand brings a photograph and a drink.

Source: zuien.jp (checked 30 September 2026)

Baths: the sister hotel’s are open to you too

Guests may use the facilities at the sister hotel, Arima Grand Hotel: the indoor and open-air baths in the spa on the second basement level, the viewing bath on the ninth floor, and also the lobby lounge and the shop. They are not available on days that hotel is closed. In this house itself, some rooms have an open-air bath fed by the clear radon spring.

Source: zuien.jp (checked 30 September 2026)

Dining: ingredients from across Japan, sake from Nada, and breakfast can become lunch

Alongside local produce, ingredients are brought in directly from growers around the country. The sake comes from the Nada breweries, about 20 minutes away by car, and includes two bottled for the house by Sakuramasamune — one of them an unpasteurised cask strength sold nowhere else — along with Fukuju, Hakushika, Kuromatsu Kenbishi, Okutanba and Chikusen. There is separate guidance on food allergies. Breakfast can be swapped for lunch.

Source: zuien.jp (checked 30 September 2026)

Getting there: two minutes from the bus stop

The bus stop is two minutes away on foot, and the inn recommends coming by bus. From Sannomiya it is about 30 minutes by express bus or about 35 by train, and there are express coaches from Osaka, Kyoto and Kansai International Airport as well. A free shuttle runs within Arima. Driving, pull up at the front entrance and staff will take the car to the car park; if you would rather park it yourself, the route from the car park to the front desk has no steps.

Source: zuien.jp (checked 30 September 2026)

Reviews

Ratings

Collected by the booking sites and by Google. We do not rate hotels ourselves.

Rakuten Travel (Japanese guests)4.73/ 5789 reviews(as of 23 September 2026)
Google rating4.5/ 5723 reviewsOpen in Google Maps
  • ★☆☆☆☆Toy Serous17 June 2026

    Foreigners are not recommended to visit. Also, the managerial high profile at the front desk is difficult to give a good evaluation. Due to mistakes in guiding the meal times of the staff who were ignorant of English, I had to run out of the hot spring and go to the restaurant, but he didn't even apologize to me with the ridiculous expression of "communication miss." I don't make mistakes in English communication. The mistakes are made by you who get confused even between 6 and 8.

    Read the full review on Google Maps
  • ★★★★☆Archer10 April 2026

    One of the best onsen I stayed. Great food, great facility / onsen, great service. Very elegant, clean and quiet. Food was also nice. Only downside is that it’s expensive. Considering all the values, it’s still worth it. Would come back again.

    Read the full review on Google Maps
  • ★★★★★Seungho Lee28 March 2026

    The staff went above and beyond to ensure a wonderful experience. The kaiseki meal was exceptional, and the private in-room onsen made the stay even more relaxing and memorable.

    Read the full review on Google Maps

The ratings and reviews were posted to the services named above. They are not our assessment, and we do not rate hotels ourselves. We show the three most recent reviews from Google Maps; read the rest there.

Videos

Room tours and stay videos

These videos are in Japanese. We embed them as published and do not translate them.

More videos1
Stay reports

What guests wrote

2 of these are written in English and listed first. The rest are in Japanese. We link to the originals and do not translate or reproduce them.

FAQ

Before you book

Only questions we could answer from the hotel’s own site.

Can we stay with children?
No. To keep the inn quiet, guests under 13 are not accepted.(source, checked 30 September 2026)
What are the check-in and check-out times?
Check-in at 14:00 and check-out at 12:00, so a stay can run to 22 hours.(source, checked 30 September 2026)
Can I use the baths at the sister hotel?
Yes: the baths and open-air bath on the second basement level, the viewing bath on the ninth floor, the lobby lounge and the shop. Not on days that hotel is closed.(source, checked 30 September 2026)
Is there parking?
Yes. Pull up at the front entrance and staff will park the car; if you park it yourself, the route to the front desk has no steps.(source, checked 30 September 2026)
Compare

Compare booking sites

Rates shown are reference rates in Japanese yen, retrieved from each service as of 23 September 2026. The actual rate depends on your dates, party size and plan. Links marked “Ad” are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission if you book after following one. The order they appear in is not affected by that.

More

Other places written up in English

有馬温泉 中の坊 瑞苑See booking sites
AgodaAdRatesOfficial site

Links marked “Ad” are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The order they appear in is not affected by that.