This undated photo provided by Stéphanie Crohin shows traditional baths and murals in Kasuga onsen, or hot spring bath, in Matsuzaka, Mie prefecture, Japan. Japan is proud of its bathing traditions.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I specialize in luxury hotels, Latin America and adventure travel. If tropical heat is a top item on your vacation checklist, ...

Making a creaking sound, the wooden entrance door opens, and Sumie Tamura is standing there with a friendly smile. "Irashaimase" - welcome - she says while bowing gracefully to greet me. Her ...

Japanese culture is part of the attraction for travellers, but at times it can feel like there’s a lot to learn — here’s how to navigate local etiquette.

Plenty of foreign visitors could make use of a journey up to Onsenji. Or at least, the Onsenji of old. This Buddhist temple sits in the pine forest midway up Mount Daishi, overlooking the spa town of ...

Bathing in an “Onsen,” or hot spring, should be on any bucket list for Japan, even if you aren’t a big wellness girlie — although the physical and mental benefits are definitely part of the draw. Each ...

For a brief moment, I feel like a Japanese snow monkey -- those furry, red-faced creatures that descend from the cliffs and forests of Nagano to sit and soak in hot spring water. Flakes fall around me ...

MAEBASHI--The top leaders of prefectures that host the nation’s popular hot spring resorts want the world to recognize and appreciate the soothing mineral waters that Japanese have enjoyed for ...

Japan is the first place I’ve visited where I’ve needed instruction on how to sleep, shower and use the toilet. In this globally connected world, it’s easy for countries to feel a tad culturally ...

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Two things can be true at once — and in Japan they usually are. It’s a land of contradictions and, thanks to this and its reputation ...