An onsen is a traditional Japanese hot spring, featuring baths that are fuelled by geothermal activity beneath the Earth's surface. These baths, which can be found all over Japan due to the country's ...

While the crowds continue to gather in Tokyo and Kyoto, now is the right time to venture off the beaten path to rural hot ...

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, ...

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 ...

Japanese hot springs—better known as onsens—are prized for their zen experience, with travelers coming from around the world to lounge in natural pools and bliss out. The country is home to 27,000 ...

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 ...

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.

Taking a bath seems simple enough. Something along the lines of "run the tap, allow to fill and get in" is pretty much how most Westerners are trained to do it. In Japan, however, the tradition of ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Joni Sweet is a journalist who covers travel, wellness, and adventure. A trip to an onsen is a quintessential part of a trip to ...