The Greatest Experience in the World — Japanese Onsen Bath
Everything you need to know for a life-changing visit to an onsen
The greatest experience in the world, one everyone should enjoy at least once in their life, is a trip to an onsen — the hot spring resorts that dot Japan.
You might think, what’s the big deal? You’ve been to the baths in Switzerland, taken in the waters in Budapest, you’ve partied in the Blue Lagoon in Reykjavik, and you’ve soaked in a mud bath in Napa Valley.
All nice, no doubt, but until you’ve been to a Japanese onsen, you’ve yet to climb the towering heights of luxury and relaxation.
With the incomparable beauty of the cherry blossoms about to wash over the country in a wave of pink, now is the time to hop on a plane to Japan and head straight out of Tokyo to an onsen resort.
What exactly is an onsen?
The word onsen (温泉) in Japanese simply means “hot spring.” The upside to being in a volcanic, earthquake-prone country is there are around 25,000 hot springs up and down the land.
For centuries, the hot springs have been the place where the Japanese love of bathing and health was combined with the country’s appreciation for nature and great food.
