A new high-speed train stop unlocks Kaga, a destination for onsen, nourishing food and traditional crafts, as an easy-to-reach getaway from Japan’s capital. A riverside cafe pops up from spring ...

Sip shochu made from local sweet potatoes, eat sashimi from Kinkowan Bay, hike forest trails, and relax in mineral-rich baths in Kyushu.

Making a creaking sound, the wooden entrance door opens, and Sumie Tamura is standing there with a friendly smile. "Irashaimase" - welcome - she says while bowing gracefully to greet me. Her ...

Cultural immersion is an often-used construct to describe the pleasure of surrounding oneself entirely in the culture of the region one is visiting. In Japan, immersion is often quite literal, thanks ...

Bathing in an “Onsen,” or hot spring, should be on any bucket list for Japan, even if you aren’t a big wellness girlie — although the physical and mental benefits are definitely part of the draw. Each ...

These days, it’s hard not to know what an onsen town is. But back when I visited Japan for the third time in 2019, I had no idea this side of Japan even existed. It was only thanks to Papu’s ...

On a recent concert tour in Japan, I had the chance to visit several thermal baths and to chat with people about the tradition of bathing. I was fascinated by their differences with American spas.

“I want to get into a hot tub filled with warm water,” Satoshi Furukawa, Japanese surgeon and astronaut, said in an interview right after his return from the International Space Station in 2011. I can ...

The Umi Jigoku onsen (hot spring) is one of the stunning onsens you can see at Beppu City. While this onsen is far too hot to take a dip in, Beppu is renowned for its numerous onsens and the purported ...