CHIKUSHINO, Fukuoka Prefecture--A long-standing onsen inn here is in hot water after being found to have violated a prefectural ordinance. The Futsukaichi Onsen Daimaru Besso inn only changed the ...

In Japan, bathing is more than just a way to get clean—it’s an ancient tradition elevated to an art form. Long regarded as both a physical and spiritual experience, communal bathing has historically ...

Hot spring water at Takayu Onsen contains high sulfur concentrations, and the pipes there become clogged unless regularly cleaned. Government regulations call on workers in general not to enter ...

We’ve visited and stayed in all of those towns and in Ryokans that have specific hot water springs onsen too. For a hot water pool to be called an onsen, then the water has to contain at least ...

The country is home to 27,000 natural hot spring sources, but a surge in tourism has left some onsen towns running low on water; leaving local officials feeling anything but zen. One of those ...