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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...