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 ...

Japan is famous for sci-fi level innovation: It's the land of bullet trains, robots, and vending machines for everything. But the country's obsession with all things futuristic is paired with ...

When a friend of mine returned from his first trip to Japan, he couldn’t help but rave about the country. From the extraordinary food to the rich history to the hospitable locals, there really weren’t ...

Kyushu is Japan’s third-largest island, and yet hardly anyone I know has been. It’s a total shame, because the region is packed with endless greenery, steamy hot springs, terraced rice fields, and ...

Tucked into the forested hills of Kumamoto Prefecture is Kurokawa Onsen, a small hot spring village that feels like it’s been preserved in time. Compared to more well-known Kyushu onsen towns like ...

Japan’s tourism agency has asked spas to welcome foreign tourists with tattoos, in the hope that a relaxed policy will allow more visitors to enjoy the traditional baths. The unwritten ban on tattooed ...