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Japanese Onsen: The Complete Guide to a Country With 27,000 Hot Springs (And the One Rule That Matters Most)
A complete guide to Japanese onsen — the hot spring baths that 130 million Japanese people consider one of the best parts of being alive. Why Japan has 27,000 of them, how the etiquette actually works, which onsen towns are worth your trip, and what locals mean by 'the real onsen experience.'
Hakone: The Checkpoint That Ran Japan for 250 Years
Japan's key highway checkpoint ran here for 250 years — longer than the US has existed. Same mountain pass: active volcano, finest onsen, Fuji views. One hour from Tokyo.
Mount Fuji: The Complete Guide — 2.6 Million Years of Eruptions, Five Lakes, and Everything to See Around Japan's Active Volcano
Mount Fuji has erupted 18 times in recorded history, last in 1707, and is still classified as an active volcano. A complete guide to its 2.6-million-year story, the five lakes created by its lava, the shrines built to calm its fire, the climbing routes, and the painters who turned its triangular silhouette into Japan's most recognizable image.
Your First Ryokan Stay: Inside the World's Oldest Hotels (Some Have Welcomed Guests for 1,300 Years)
Some ryokan have been welcoming guests for over 1,300 years — making them the oldest continuously operated hotels on Earth. Here is exactly what to expect at your first stay: the bow at the door, the yukata, the traditional Japanese dinner called kaiseki that arrives in nine courses, the futon laid out while you eat, and the etiquette that catches almost every foreigner off guard.