About 200 years ago, secluded natural baths were discovered deep in the mountains of Aso, in Kumamoto. During the Edo period (1603–1868), only samurai of the Kumamoto clan were permitted to bathe in ...

Visitors to a hot spring resort in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, have been mesmerized by the magical scenery of lantern-lit ...

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 ...

All across Japan there are places offering onsen baths in natural, geothermal hot spring water. Some are just plain indoor baths where you can go for a nice, simple soak, while others are elaborate ...

Looking out from the green-clad mountainside, the city drifts in and out of view as clouds flow over the landscape. When the city does reveal itself, steam in soft white columns rises from streets and ...