Japanese hot springs

日本の温泉

Onsen 温泉, on maps and signs usually shown as 湯 or ゆ (yu = hot water) is the Japanese term for a hot spring. In general, onsen refers to a thermal bath, or a place with hotel, that has a bath fed by natural hot springs – in a broader sense, it also includes places whose spring water has to be heated. As the whole of Japan lies in volcanically active territory, onsen are found almost everywhere in Japan.