National May 30, 2020
The famous public bathhouses are enjoying pent-up demand as virus-weary customers indulge.
National May 5, 2020
Hot spring inns invite onsen lovers to go virtual as coronavirus halts tourism
Inns at Arima Onsen are offering a series of virtual reality videos, giving viewers the sense that they are at the famous tourist destination as they immerse themselves in hot water.
National Feb 4, 2020
Olympics and Year of the Rat give starring role to capybaras at Japanese zoos
Sinking into steamy hot springs, the giant rodents of Izu Shaboten Koen flick their ears and close their eyes against the camera clicks of fascinated onlookers, drifting into a hazy midday nap. They might not know it, but the five capybaras are the star attraction ...
Travel Jan 18, 2020
Surrendering to a hot-spring package tour in snowy Yunishigawa
by Stephen Mansfield
Winter is a fine time to visit Yunishigawa. The months from December to the first week of March sees the enchanting Kamakura Festival, when hundreds of kamakura (snow huts) are constructed along the Yunishigawa river, in forest recesses and in the precincts of temples ...
National Dec 9, 2019
More and more onsen (hot-spring baths) have been popping up in urban areas of Osaka Prefecture, reflecting their popularity among foreign visitors hoping to experience Japanese culture and residents looking for places to relax. Both new and existing facilities at hotels and spas are fighting ...
National Oct 16, 2019
Fukushima hot spring resort opens to typhoon victims for free
The Dake Onsen resort in Fukushima Prefecture has opened its hot spring baths to people hit by Typhoon Hagibis free of charge. On Wednesday, Fukushima residents affected by the 19th typhoon of the year visited the facilities in Nihonmatsu from the morning. They included people ...
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, ...