This sento 5 minutes from Shinkaichi station (Hankyu, Hanshin, Shintetsu and Sanyo all trains all stop there) in Kobe’s old downtown was an absolutely lovely experience. This is a basic bathhouse, the water is just Kobe city water, nothing special about it, but this place proves how the right baths, design, and overall atmosphere can turn any water into a great experience. Small and old, Mizuki-yu doesn’t show signs of wear as other sentos of the same age do. It felt like the baths were a bit hotter than the usual 41 degrees. The one pitfall of this sento was the sauna. While without extra charge, it had an unpleasant smell that made unusable. The grandmother who was sitting at the in the bandai was very kind and engaged in a little chat with me as I was leaving. Her kindness definitely added to the wonderful atmosphere of Mizuki-Yu.

Devember 2019 Update; I had not been back to this sento in quite a while and was surprised to see it packed. It seems that a local company near by has their Vietnamese staff here in Japan on training use the bath here. I have always thought that the sento is a perfect place to learn about Japanese manners and customs and I was very happy to share the bath with all these guys. Not too sure all of the locals liked it, but that is on them. I seemed to remember Mizuki differently than what I experienced this time. It has been quite a while since I last bathed here. There is a good selection of jets and a nice electric bath. The main deep bath was smaller than what I remembered but fine. I forgot how bright and fresh this bath was even in the evening--very clean feeling. Thanks to its location and great baths Mizuki is one to keep in your mind for a quick soak before or after a night out.