Kashikiri-Buro: The Private Hot Spring Bath Culture Japanese Couples Actually Book
Introduction: The Bath That Built the Modern Ryokan Trip Kashikiri-buro (貸切り風呂, “reserved bath”) is a private hot spring…
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The Beauty Onsen Trip: Where Japanese Women Actually Go for Bijin no Yu
Introduction: “Bijin no Yu” Is a Real Category, Not Just a Marketing Word Bijin no yu (美人の液, “beauty…
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Misasa Onsen: The World’s Great Radium Hot Spring & the Bamboo-Swallowed Railway of Kurayoshi
Misasa Onsen, in the hills of central Tottori, holds one of the world’s highest concentrations of radon in…
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Kumano Kodo Iseji: The Pilgrimage Route Through Mie That Foreigners Haven’t Found Yet
When overseas hikers say “Kumano Kodo,” they mean the Nakahechi route through Wakayama — deservedly famous, increasingly busy.…
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The 33 Temple Saigoku Pilgrimage: Western Japan’s Buddhist Circuit
While the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage is better known internationally, the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage (西国三十三所) — a circuit…
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Zao Onsen & Snow Monsters: Japan’s Most Surreal Winter Experience
On the ski slopes of Zao Onsen (蔵王温泉) in Yamagata Prefecture, something happens every winter that requires seeing…
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Zazen Meditation Experience in Japan: Sitting Still at 5am in a Rinzai Temple
At 5:00 AM in a Rinzai Zen temple in Kyoto, thirty people are sitting. They have been sitting…
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Noboribetsu Onsen: Hell Valley & the Best Onsen Resort in Hokkaido
Noboribetsu Onsen (登別温泉) has a legitimate claim to being the finest onsen resort town in Hokkaido — and…
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Mindful Travel in Japan: How to Slow Down, Notice & Actually Experience It
There is a version of Japan travel that is extremely common and leaves visitors feeling simultaneously that they…
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Japan’s Power Spots (パワースポット): Spiritual Energy Points Locals Visit
There is a category of place in Japan that doesn't appear in most English-language travel guides but features…
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