salt's cation — pairs with chloride to make the water salty.
Chloride Cl⁻
table-salt anion — coats the skin and holds heat in.
Known good for
Warmingcold sensitivity
Cutsminor wounds
Recoveryfatigue, stress
A hypertonic sodium-calcium-magnesium chloride spring. Richly mineralized at 14.34 g/kg total dissolved solids — the bath leaves a salty mineral film on the skin and a long-lingering warmth typical of high-salt chloride waters. Known by its legacy name as earth-chloride / common-salt-type, an 'earth-chloride / common-salt' spring in which calcium and magnesium share the cation load with sodium.
Sora Niwa Terrace Kyoto is a hotel near Shijo Kawaramachi with its own hot spring, called Shijo Kawaramachi Onsen, feeding a rooftop bath on the top floor. Two baths, Yasaka-no-yu (八坂の湯) and Niwa-no-yu (庭の湯), switch between men and women daily, and each has a silky jacuzzi section where micro-bubbles are said to leave skin smooth. From up there you look out over the Higashiyama hills, the Kamo River and the city below. A foot bath sits nearby on the rooftop terrace, open in the evening alongside a welcome drink service. The bath is for hotel guests only, with no day-use option, and its deep section means preschoolers and anyone under 140cm can't use it. Staff ask tattooed guests to check in with them before bathing.
305. Sora Niwa Terrace Kyoto ★★★
A hotel with an onsen in Kyoto. In style, it has a bit of a Japanese vibe, but it is still a modern fusion place. It is in one of the best locations in the city, the liveliest area along the river, near Gion, Maruyama Park, restaurants, a nightlife street, 20 minutes by public transport to Fushimi Inari, 30 minutes on foot to Kiyomizu-dera. For New Year, there was a small special program with events. On the hotel roof there is a great terrace with a foot bath and views of the city’s landmarks as well. The sunrise looks great both from the roof and from the onsen. There were some issues with Trip.com when booking breakfast, so with a late check-in it was only possible to book a special New Year treat for 5,000 yen, which was not worth it. The onsen sets change by gender.
1. Main bath set with a view on the balcony.
1.1. Round carbonated silk bath, water color white, temperature 39. View through a lattice fence.
1.2. Transitional area of the main bath, shallow, clear water. Temperature 42. View through a lattice fence.
1.3. Bath with a view, clear water. Temperature 40. Great view of the city, although it is somewhat limited around the edges and there is a section of the awning under the window that gets in the way of creating an infinity view.
2. Second bath set. Also on the balcony, but there is no view, the outlook is blocked by separate panels. It is worth visiting when the set changes by gender, but it is important to get the first main set when staying at the hotel.
2.1. Round carbonated silk bath, water color white, temperature 39.
2.2. Transitional area of the main bath, shallow, clear water. Temperature 40-41.
2.3. Far bath, clear water. Temperature 40.
For me, this is the best hotel with an onsen in Kyoto, top location, a solid onsen, even if it is fusion, and a great rooftop terrace. The only way to improve it, at a higher price, would be a room in the neighboring Bettei, but the terrace and onsen facilities are shared. I would recommend considering it for a stay.
31.12.2024 01.01.2025
