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Hyogo · City

Toyooka

豊岡市とよおかしToyooka-shi

Hot springs, storks and the San'in coast

Toyooka is the largest city of northern Hyogo on the Sea of Japan, home to the hot-spring town of Kinosaki, the small castle town of Izushi, the Genbudō basalt caves and the successful reintroduction of the Oriental white stork to the wild.

Overview

Toyooka lies in the basin of the Maruyama River, which flows north through the city to the Sea of Japan at Tsuiyama. Since the 2005 merger with Kinosaki, Izushi, Takeno, Hidaka and Tantō, it covers a large part of old Tajima province – from the coast of San'in Kaigan National Park and Geopark to the mountains of the Chūgoku range.

Its best-known district is Kinosaki Onsen, a spa town of willow-lined canals and stone bridges where guests stroll in yukata and geta between seven public bathhouses. Izushi, a former castle town of the Sengoku family, is famous for its sara-soba and its Shinkorō clock tower. Toyooka is also Japan's centre for the Oriental white stork (kōnotori): after the wild population died out in 1971, a breeding programme released storks from 2005, and they now nest in the rice fields around the city, managed with reduced pesticides for them.

Landmarks

  • Kinosaki Onsen

    城崎温泉Kinosaki Onsen

    Spa town with seven public baths – among them Ichi-no-yu, Mandara-yu and Gosho-no-yu – along the Ōtani River.

  • Izushi Castle Town

    出石城下町Izushi jōkamachi

    Grid of merchant streets below the castle ruins, with the Shinkorō clock tower and the Eirakukan kabuki theatre of 1901.

  • Genbudō

    玄武洞Genbudō

    Hexagonal basalt columns formed about 1.6 million years ago, where reversed magnetism in rocks was first noted.

  • Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork

    兵庫県立コウノトリの郷公園Hyōgo Kenritsu Kōnotori no Sato Kōen

    Research and breeding centre where storks can be observed in the surrounding wetlands.

  • Onsen-ji

    温泉寺Onsen-ji

    Temple founded by Dōchi above Kinosaki, reached by ropeway, with an eleven-headed Kannon statue designated an Important Cultural Property.

  • Takeno coast

    竹野海岸Takeno kaigan

    Clear-water beaches and sea caves of the San'in Kaigan coast.

  • Izushi Shrine

    出石神社Izushi Jinja

    First shrine of Tajima province, dedicated to Ame-no-hiboko.

Districts

  • Kinosaki

    城崎Kinosaki

    Canal-side spa town with ryokan, bathhouses and the Kinosaki International Arts Center.

  • Izushi

    出石Izushi

    Castle town known as "Little Kyoto of Tajima", with some fifty soba shops.

  • Central Toyooka

    豊岡Toyooka

    The city centre, home of Japan's bag-making industry with its Kaban Street.

  • Takeno and Tsuiyama

    竹野・津居山Takeno, Tsuiyama

    Coastal villages with beaches and the snow-crab port of Tsuiyama.

  • Kannabe

    神鍋Kannabe

    Volcanic highland in Hidaka with ski slopes and summer outdoor activities.

History

The Maruyama basin was the heart of Tajima, where the Izushi Shrine honours Ame-no-hiboko, a legendary prince from the Korean peninsula. Kinosaki's hot springs have been known since at least the 8th century and were praised in Edo-period guidebooks; the novelist Shiga Naoya's short story "At Kinosaki" (1917) made the town a literary destination. The Kita-Tajima earthquake of 1925 destroyed much of Kinosaki, which was rebuilt with fire-resistant public bathhouses and the townscape seen today. Toyooka was the seat of the short-lived Toyooka Prefecture (1871–1876).

  1. 8th century

    Kinosaki's hot springs are said to be discovered by the monk Dōchi.

  2. 1604

    Koide Yoshihide builds Izushi Castle at the foot of Mount Ariko.

  3. 1706

    The Sengoku family takes over Izushi domain.

  4. 1871–1876

    Toyooka is the seat of Toyooka Prefecture.

  5. 1917

    Shiga Naoya publishes "At Kinosaki".

  6. 1925

    The Kita-Tajima earthquake destroys Kinosaki; the town is rebuilt around its bathhouses.

  7. 1971

    The last wild Oriental white stork in Japan is captured in Toyooka.

  8. 2005

    Merger creates the present city; the first captive-bred storks are released.

  9. 2010

    The San'in Kaigan Geopark joins the Global Geoparks Network.

Culture

Kinosaki has a long literary tradition: Shiga Naoya, Arishima Takeo and other writers stayed here, and quotations from their works are displayed around town. The Kinosaki International Arts Center hosts resident performing-arts companies from Japan and abroad. Izushi's Eirakukan, the oldest surviving playhouse in Kansai, stages kabuki and local performances.

Festivals

  • Kinosaki Danjiri Festival

    城崎だんじり祭りKinosaki Danjiri Matsuri

    Autumn festival in mid-October with clashing danjiri floats in the spa town.

  • Kinosaki Onsen Summer Fireworks

    城崎温泉夢花火Kinosaki Onsen Yume Hanabi

    Summer fireworks over the Ōtani River on many evenings of August.

  • Izushi Oshiro Matsuri

    出石お城まつりIzushi Oshiro Matsuri

    Autumn festival with a daimyo procession in the castle town.

Food

  • Izushi sara-soba

    出石皿そばIzushi sara-soba

    Soba served cold on small Izushi-ware plates, typically five per serving.

  • Tsuiyama crab

    津居山がにTsuiyama-gani

    Branded male snow crab landed at Tsuiyama, the winter draw of Kinosaki's inns.

  • Tajima beef

    但馬牛Tajima-ushi

    The cattle line behind Kobe beef, raised in Tajima.

  • Onsen tamago

    温泉卵onsen tamago

    Eggs slow-cooked in the Motoyu hot spring source in Kinosaki.

  • Stork-friendly rice

    コウノトリ育むお米Kōnotori hagukumu okome

    Rice grown with reduced pesticides to support the storks' feeding grounds.

Getting around

  • JR limited expresses Kinosaki and Kōnotori run to Kinosaki Onsen and Toyooka from Kyoto and Osaka in about two and a half to three hours.
  • The Kyoto Tango Railway links Toyooka with Amanohashidate and Miyazu.
  • Tajima Airport in Toyooka has flights to Itami (Osaka).
  • Local buses run to Izushi (about 30 minutes) and to the stork park; Kinosaki itself is compact and walkable.

Day trips

  • San'in Kaigan National Park

    Sea caves, stacks and beaches along the coast by boat or trail.

  • Amanohashidate

    The sandbar at Miyazu, about 90 minutes by Kyoto Tango Railway.

  • Takeda Castle ruins

    Hilltop stone walls in Asago, the "castle in the sky" above autumn fog.

  • Tottori Sand Dunes

    Japan's best-known dunes, further west along the San'in coast.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalKobeKōbe-shiJapan's cosmopolitan harbour cityCore cityHimejiHimeji-shiThe city of the White Heron Castle

Frequently asked questions

How do the seven bathhouses of Kinosaki work?

Guests of the town's ryokan usually receive a pass for all seven public baths and walk between them in yukata and geta. Day visitors can buy single-entry tickets or a day pass.

When is the best season for Kinosaki?

Winter, from November to March, is the snow-crab season and the town looks especially atmospheric in snow. Spring and autumn are milder and quieter.

Can I see wild storks in Toyooka?

Yes. Storks can often be seen feeding in the rice fields around the city and at the Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork.

How far is Kinosaki from Kyoto?

About two and a half hours by the JR limited express Kinosaki via the San'in Line.

Related

Sources

  1. 1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
  2. 2.豊岡市公式ウェブサイト (opens in a new tab) — 豊岡市
  3. 3.山陰海岸ジオパーク (opens in a new tab) — 山陰海岸ジオパーク推進協議会
  4. 4.兵庫県立コウノトリの郷公園 (opens in a new tab) — 兵庫県立大学

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