In Japan, bathing is more than just a way to get clean—it’s an ancient tradition elevated to an art form. Long regarded as both a physical and spiritual experience, communal bathing has historically ...

Naked, tattooed foreigners may soon become a less unusual sight in Japan’s public baths. Tourism officials in Japan are urging onsens (hot springs) to relax rules restricting body art wearers from ...

It was a cold February day in northern Japan, snow piled high outside the onsen locker room windows as I slipped out of my clothes. Nervously, I stepped into the plumes of steam wafting from the next ...

According to Conde Nast Traveler, the country boasts more than 3,000 public baths, or onsens, which have been a central part of Japanese culture since the eighth century. Each is supplied by a thermal ...

With Tokyo Fashion Week coming to a close, there is much to see and do outside of the collections—from the gardens to the shrines and the obligatory (and adorable) stationery store romps. However, few ...

GETTING THERE: The most economical way to get to Kyoto is to fly to Osaka and get a train from there. All Nippon Airways flies from Dulles to Osaka via Tokyo for $1,087, a bit more expensive but a few ...

In Japan, bathing in the nude with strangers is just a regular part of onsen culture. But for many foreign visitors, taking that first plunge can be intimidating.