It was a cold February day in northern Japan, snow piled high outside the onsen locker room windows as I slipped out of my clothes. Nervously, I stepped into the plumes of steam wafting from the next ...

There's nothing quite like coastal Japan—I love waking up to island-dotted bays and gentle sea breezes. In this particular town, though, the landscape is peppered with tendrils of steam and mist that ...

Soak in the three-Michelin-starred baths of Hyotan Onsen. Learn more about the craft of traditional bamboo weaving by taking a class at the Bamboo Cultural Center. Take a thermal sand bath while ...

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 ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. We’ve pieced together a remarkably detailed timeline of ...

TOKYO - Japan's hot spring culture, currently under consideration by a government council for a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage bid, has been defined by an association as a long-standing practice ...