One of Japan's top luxury hotel firms will open an "onsen" hot spring resort in upstate New York that it says will be the first Japanese-run venture of its kind in the United States. Japanese onsens - ...

Certain kinds of accommodation offer a window into the national soul. Step onto the flagstones of an ancient English inn, into the pine-panelled cosiness of an Alpine rifugio or beyond the gates of an ...

This undated photo provided by Stéphanie Crohin shows traditional baths and murals in Kasuga onsen, or hot spring bath, in Matsuzaka, Mie prefecture, Japan. Japan is proud of its bathing traditions.

Above: An onsen in the newly renovated Nishimuraya Honkan, a ryokan in the town of Kinosaki. The Gora Kadan ryokan in Hakone. Located inside the national park that is home to Mount Fuji, it is less ...

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 ...

The 41-year-old is talking about the town of Ginzan Onsen, a popular winter destination in Japan’s Yamagata Prefecture. For Nakata, the importance of the region goes beyond beauty. He’s brought us ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I specialize in luxury hotels, Latin America and adventure travel. If tropical heat is a top item on your vacation checklist, ...

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 ...

Even if you don’t consider yourself a bath person, or are turned off by the idea of sitting in a tub of your own grime, you still might be charmed by the ritual of visiting a Japanese hot spring, or ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Joni Sweet is a journalist who covers travel, wellness, and adventure. A trip to an onsen is a quintessential part of a trip to ...