The first step towards enjoying 城崎 is to find yourself a 旅館 to stay at. These vary in price depending how many meals are included, but even with a basic stay you can expect to be treated very nicely. We went for a package that included breakfast and dinner - we wanted the full experience. Upon arrival, the staff carried our luggage upstairs and showed us to our room. We sat under the 火燵 (こたつ - kotatsu - a table with a gas heater under it and a big blanket over the top) sipping some tea and listened to how everything would work.
All of the 旅館 in the area have their own 浴衣 (ゆかた - yukata - light cotton robe a bit like a dressing gown or kimono) which identify you as a guest and allow you entry into any of the 温泉 in the area. You also have matching 下駄 (げた - geta - wooden clogs) to wear which definitely take some getting used to! It's really nice walking around with everyone dressed like that - it makes everything feel very traditional.
城崎 has seven 温泉 of very different types to try, and they're all free provided you're in your 浴衣. There are very traditional, older bath houses that just have buckets to wash yourself with and larger, newer ones with detachable shower heads, saunas and spas. Don't forget to wash and rinse thoroughly before you jump into the bath - it's a huge no-no to go in dirty or with soap suds still on you. You can take your face towel into the bath with you but don't put it in the water - put it on the side or fold it up and put it on top of your head.
My favourite had an outdoor bath up on the top floor with the mountains and a waterfall as a backdrop. I hopped in, sunk down out of the cold air and watched the steam whip off the water. 城崎 is apparently very nice any time of the year, but I think winter is when you really appreciate the beauty (and warmth!) of the 温泉.
When we got back to the 旅館, it was time to sample the local specialty - かに (kani - crab). During winter, the 旅館 puts on a crab hot pot with all the trimmings. They set up lacquer place settings on the tatami and you eat in your room.
Aside from the hotpot, there was boiled crab, そば (soba) and incredibly fresh 刺身 (さしみ - sashimi).
Lashings of hot green tea washed it all down before we headed out into the amazing night scenery for more baths. It's a hard life!
In case you haven't had enough food, you're also able to buy a range of hot food and icecreams in amazing flavours (including 桜 - sakura - cherry blossom and 黒ごま - kurogoma - black sesame) and try your hand at making your own 温泉卵 (おんせんたまご - onsen tamago - hot spring egg). You buy your egg and place it in a mesh bag, letting it cook in the waters of the 温泉. It comes out semi-hard boiled and you can eat the gooey bits of the yolk with a little plastic spoon. Thankfully the other 温泉 water isn't quite as hot as this one!
Needless to say, none of these are things you can experience anywhere else. If you do find yourself in Hyogo, make sure you visit 城崎 and kill two uniquely Japanese experiences with one stone - 温泉 and 旅館. While you're at it, getting to sit in your 浴衣, eat gorgeous food and be waited on hand and foot can't hurt either!
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