Arima Onsen
Written by Sherry
We planned this one deliberately. We were travelling with my parents, and at a certain point you start choosing trips around them rather than around yourself. My family lives in Taichung now, one of the largest cities in Taiwan, and Kobe was an easy choice from there. We stayed in the city for a few days before heading to Arima for one night. Tucked into the mountains just outside Kobe, slow by nature, the kind of place that does not ask you to do very much.
The hotel was a traditional onsen (hot spring) hotel. Tatami floors, low furniture, ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement) in the corner of the room, meals served privately. My parents took to it immediately.
"There is something about that pace that feels familiar to an older generation. Rest as part of the day, not the end of it."
The town is small enough to walk end to end. A strip of shops selling things you want to eat on the spot. Freshly grilled Kobe senbei, onsen manju still warm from the steamer, and fried wagyu hamburgers. All of it was better because it was cold outside and you were eating standing up.
Dinner began with small Japanese starters, tofu, vegetables, and things that arrived beautifully before the main course. Then Kobe beef, prepared simply. Japanese sweets and fruits in colours you do not expect. The meal ended with hot mugicha, roasted barley tea. Warm and unhurried, the right way to sit with people you love.
My mother and I went for one more onsen early the next morning, before checkout. The water was warm, and the hotel was silent, where you could only hear the water flowing. When I came back to the room, nobody was up yet. The hotel coffee machine had not started. I took out the drip bags I had packed before the trip, boiled the water, and brewed by the window.
I stayed there a little longer than I needed to. The coffee was still warm in my hands when it started to snow. My family woke up not long after. We went down for breakfast.
