As legend has it, a Buddhist monk by the name of Dochi Shoninwas traveling across Japan about 1,300 years ago, in search of healing waters to help cure the ill, when he stumbled upon the small ...

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 ...

Japan’s famed hot springs, or onsen, are full of invisible tripwires, from nudity to tattoos. A certified onsen sommelier shares advice on how to best enjoy the experience.

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 wrapped my yukata, a cloth kimono, around my naked body, pulling the left side of the fabric over the right, as instructed, and tied the obi sash securely at my waist. The hotel provided these robes ...

TSUCHIYU ONSEN, Japan — For 1,400 years, travelers have come to this town in the foothills of the Azuma Mountains, on the outskirts of Fukushima City, to bathe in the famed healing waters of its hot ...