Onsen (Hot Springs)

Every visitor to Japan has heard of onsen. Far fewer experience it the way it was meant to be experienced.

The well-known onsen resorts are beautiful — but they are also crowded, commercialized, and often indistinguishable from one another. The onsen I know are different. They are the ones locals return to quietly, season after season, without telling too many people.

Japan sits on one of the most geologically active regions on earth. The result is an extraordinary variety of mineral-rich waters — some alkaline and silky, some sulfurous and ancient, some so rich in iron they run a deep rust-red. Some of the water rising to the surface is, by geological measure, six million years old.

Whether you want to unwind after several days of touring, or you want to build an entire day around a remote mountain onsen before heading home, I will find the right place for you — one suited to your pace, your preferences, and the season. I know which ones allow tattoos, which ones offer private baths, and which ones are worth the detour.

Japan’s onsen destinations each have their own distinct character. Arima Onsen, just outside Kobe, is one of Japan’s oldest and most celebrated. Shuzenji Onsen, set along a river in the Izu Peninsula, offers a quieter, more contemplative atmosphere. Beppu, in Kyushu, is unlike anywhere else — a city built around hot springs, where steam rises from the streets. And if you are touring Okayama, Yubara Onsen — known as the finest open-air bath in western Japan — is an experience unlike any other.

Japan is an onsen country. Let me show you the version that stays with you.