Travel Oct 11, 2019
Top 10: A local's guide to the most unique hot springs in Kyushu
by Chris Ott
Panoramas, bubble baths and tingling testicles — The Japan Times' list of 10 of the most unique and rare onsen Kyushu has to offer.
National Oct 3, 2019
With Rugby World Cup in full swing, Beppu hot spring resort still divided over tattooed visitors
Hotels and bathhouses at the famed Beppu Onsen hot-spring resort in Oita Prefecture continue to be divided over whether to accept tattooed visitors. Tattoos are widely accepted in many countries, but in Japan the practice is often associated with yakuza and other crime group members. About ...
Rugby Sep 30, 2019
England's Joe Marler calls out press for violating Japan's bathing protocol
England's Joe Marler put on a clinic in the art of international diplomacy at the Rugby World Cup on Monday, laying down the law on Japan's bathing etiquette. The Harlequins prop rebuked English journalists for "offending Japanese culture" by wearing trunks in an "onsen" — ...
Business Sep 25, 2019
Bain taking bids for Japanese hot spring operator Oedo Onsen Monogatari
Bain Capital is collecting bids for Oedo Onsen Monogatari, operator of about 40 hot spring inns and resorts across Japan, with first-round proposals submitted by investment funds and SoftBank Group Corp., sources have said. The U.S. investor is seeking to sell the Oedo Onsen Monogatari ...
Travel Jul 26, 2019
Kinugawa Onsen: A dilapidated hot spring town in Tokyo's backyard
by Russell Thomas
Kinugawa Onsen may have had its heyday in the 1980s, but this retro hot spring town still has plenty to offer Tokyoites looking for a weekend getaway close to home.
National Jul 7, 2019
Hot-spring resorts debate allowing tattooed tourists ahead of Rugby World Cup
With Japan expecting approximately 400,000 overseas visitors for the 2019 Rugby World Cup set to begin in September, hot-spring resorts across the country are faced with the ever-present issue of how to handle customers who have tattoos. According to a 2015 Japan Tourism Agency survey, ...
National / Crime & Legal May 21, 2019
Japanese director of hot-spring consultancy handed 15-year prison sentence in China for spying
A Japanese man convicted of spying by a Chinese court was sentenced to 15 years in prison Monday, Sino-Japanese sources revealed the same day. The man, in his 50s, was also fined 100,000 yuan (about ¥1.6 million) by the court in Hainan Province for having ...
National Feb 1, 2019
Beppu hot springs may accept tattooed visitors during Japan's Rugby World Cup and beyond
Local hot spring operators see the event as an opportunity to appeal to foreign tourists.
Lifestyle | CHILD'S PLAY Jan 20, 2019
Onsen: A great way to get the kids to take a bath
by Jason Jenkins
To many Japan newbies, the thought of bathing with strangers at a hot spring public bath seems off-putting — especially with kids. Yet for millions of residents, it's an ideal way to warm up and spend time together on a winter afternoon. Here are ...
National Jun 5, 2018
In tattoo-taboo Japan, new website offers helping hand for those with ink
by Kantaro Komiya
In tattoo-taboo Japan, those who are inked-up have received a helping hand — in both English and Japanese — with the launch of a new website that offers information about tattoo-friendly hot springs and other locations nationwide. Launched last week, the Tattoo Friendly website lists ...
People | 20 QUESTIONS May 26, 2018
Rafaela Takeshita: This conservationist certainly doesn't monkey around
by J.J. O'Donoghue
Brazlian primatologist on her research methods, where to soak in a hot spring like a Japanese macaque and ecotourism.
Travel Apr 13, 2018
Decompress from Tokyo in picturesque Ito
by Andrew Curry
An ideal trade-off between city and nature, with its rich history, relative ease of access from Tokyo and abundance of hot springs, Ito is a go-to spot for respite from the hyper-hustle of Tokyo city life.