It was an early start to the day since we wanted to be at the hotel springs when they opened at 5 am. Afterwards we relaxed in the room until mid morning when we walked toward our first destination for the day.

Arima is very close to the port city of Kobe which is why (I assume) this town has some Kobe manhole covers. Most of the covers depict a ropeway. We rode it today.

It takes twenty minutes to get to the top of Mount Rokko from the ropeway station at the mountain base, and as we climbed we noticed that sections of the forest were visibly light grey. This was due to frost, and it was a beautiful sight especially as we pulled into the station on the mountaintop.

Mount Rokko had a variety of attractions, but many of them (such as hikes and obstacle courses) are probably better left for warmer days. It was very cold at the top today, and many surfaces still had a good layer of frost when we arrived.

The views south from the observation platform were superb, and we could see for what seemed like forever in a wide arc.

It’s a little unclear in the photo, but this shows Osaka and Kobe cities down at sea level and the Seto Inland Sea behind them. Both are destinations for us in the near future.

We didn’t stay at the top very long, and the ropeway ride back down was even more spectacular. The attendant gave a nonstop commentary about the sights far below the carriage, but it was all in Japanese.

After lunch, we split up. KLS would do some shopping, and I went to visit a stamp museum! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but wasn’t disappointed.

The museum catalogued the history of postage in Japan with (literal) walls of text accompanied by stamps. Hundreds of stamps were showcased, dating back to the penny black from the 1800s. It was specific to Japan, except for a few exceptions such as this pearl shell ‘postcard’ sent from Australia to England in 2007:

I especially liked the licensed stamp display. Here’s a few examples:

I’d love to buy some of those and use them on postcards! Overall I enjoyed the stamp museum, although I admit it’s unlikely to impress most, and even less likely for those (like me) that can’t read Japanese!

Afterwards I must have been in a museum mood since I visited… this place:

Optimistically, this is the ‘salt & pepper shaker museum’, but in reality I expect it’s a private collection on display above a shop.

This place was even more niche appeal than the stamp museum, and I had a good chuckle over the fact they even had a board describing what salt and pepper shakers even are! I suppose if you know that means you’re very old 🙂

The above photo shows a foot bath which is freely usable on the shopping street, or perhaps would be if it’s not always full to seat capacity! The golden colour of the water isn’t a camera effect: this is one of the two types of water here in the Arima springs, and this ‘golden water’ is said to be good for your skin, as well as exhaustion.

Arima is great. It’s quiet and relaxing, but also has a lovely street with quirky shops and good food. The hot springs are fantastic, and there’s several attractions nearby to also check out if you visit. It was very busy today (a Saturday) with both young and old, and this is clearly more popular amongst Japanese than any of the other four onsen towns I’ve visited. You’d like it here.