Ginzan Onsen is a popular hot spring town hidden among the mountains of Yamagata Prefecture’s Obanazawa City. It is the go-to Yamagata onsen town for the people of the Tohoku region. Built along a ...

Hot springs, known as onsen in Japan, can be found everywhere in the island nation, from coast to coast. Since times of yore, these natural bathing facilities have been extolled for their health and ...

Dōgo Onsen is Ehime Prefecture’s prime tourism draw. The onsen hot spring district, two kilometers from prefectural capital Matsuyama’s center, is filled with old-fashioned ryokan inns and restaurants ...

With more than 2,300 source springs discharging 80,000 liters of water every minute, the city of Beppu in Ōita Prefecture accounts for more than 8% of all the hot springs in Japan. One sight of the ...

Kusatsu Onsen had been on my winter wish list for a while. While Japan is home to many of the world’s snowiest places, I live in Osaka, which typically gets only a few sprinkles of snow each year, if ...

Ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn that offers guests a unique and immersive experience of Japanese culture and hospitality. These establishments have a long history and are known for their warm ...

Nestled in the Eai River valley of northwestern Miyagi Prefecture sits Naruko Onsen, a venerable and prolific hot springs area that is easily accessible while being a bit off the beaten track. Besides ...

Visitors to an animal park in western Japan have enjoyed the sight of its capybara getting some respite from the winter cold ...

Several Japanese cities are increasing the “bathing tax” for overnight visitors to onsen (hot spring) resorts, in an attempt to deal with rising tourism. This tax has been raised in regions including ...