Why do Japanese people love hot springs and sauna? From volcanic geography and daily baths to travel culture, public bath communities, and the late-2010s sauna boom, this article maps the background with data from Japan's Environment Ministry and Tourism Agency.
Published: Oct 22, 2025
Why do Japanese people love hot springs and sauna? From volcanic geography and daily baths to travel culture, public bath communities, and the late-2010s sauna boom, this article maps the background with data from Japan's Environment Ministry and Tourism Agency.
Published: Oct 22, 2025
The reasons Japanese people love hot springs and sauna cannot be explained simply by saying they just like bathing. Japan's volcanic geography means hot springs are found nationwide. Daily bathing in a tub is a common habit. Hot springs are closely tied to travel culture. Public bathhouses have long served as places for people to gather. And sauna culture spread rapidly in the late 2010s. Together, these factors made bathing not a passing hobby but a settled part of everyday culture.
This article looks at that background through several lenses: geography, daily habits, travel culture, community, and modern sauna culture. It organizes the topic so each aspect can be seen at a glance, and also explores what stands out from a foreigner's perspective and why the answer goes beyond health alone.
The background behind why Japanese people love hot springs and sauna cannot be reduced to a single reason. Several factors work together at once. First, here is the big picture, followed by a closer look at each part.
| Lens | Content | Related article |
|---|---|---|
| Geography | Japan is a volcanic country with hot springs nationwide, so there is no shortage of destinations | Why Japanese Hot Springs Are Special |
| Daily habits | People bathe in a tub at home, making bathing part of everyday life | The Difference Between Home Baths and Onsen Culture in Japan |
| History | Faith, Buddhism, public baths, and therapeutic bathing have layered over time | The History of Japanese Bathing Culture |
| Travel culture | Hot springs are tied to inns, food, and town walks, making them a travel purpose | Why Japanese Hot Springs Are Special |
| Modern sauna | Sauna spread in the late 2010s as a way to reset daily life | What Does totonou Mean? |
These five are not competing ideas. They support one another. Geography creates habits, habits nurture travel culture, and modern sauna culture grows on top of that foundation. Reading it this way makes the whole structure easier to grasp.
Geography is a major starting point when explaining the connection between Japanese people and hot springs. Japan sits where multiple tectonic plates meet, making it a volcanically active country. Because it is blessed with underground heat, hot springs are not limited to a few special places. They spread across the country.
Looking at the numbers, a survey by Japan's Environment Ministry at the end of fiscal 2022 found about 2,879 hot spring areas with lodging facilities nationwide, and a total of about 27,932 springs. These are only rough figures, but with numbers like these, hot springs are not a rare destination. They become a realistic leisure option no matter where you live.
When hot springs are nearby, going to one no longer feels like an extraordinary luxury. In addition, because the quality of the water and the scenery vary greatly by region, a culture of enjoying those differences also develops. For a comparison with other countries and a fuller explanation of why Japanese hot springs stand out in scale and water quality, see Why Japanese Hot Springs Are Special.
If geography is the foundation, daily habits are what root it in everyday life. In Japan, people widely share the idea of not only washing the body but also soaking in hot water and resting. Compared with countries where a shower is enough, bathing is seen as a way to mark the end of the day.
Because of this habit, hot springs and sauna are naturally accepted not just as places to get clean, but as places to change mood and release fatigue. Everyday bathing at home and non-everyday bathing at a hot spring while traveling are connected. The difference is covered in The Difference Between Home Baths and Onsen Culture in Japan.
The custom of washing the body before entering the tub is also inseparable from this habit. It is a basic rule for keeping shared baths clean, and the reason is explained in Why Do Japanese People Wash Before Bathing?.
The habit of soaking in hot water every day did not appear overnight. Ancient hot spring faith, Buddhist ideas of purification, Edo-period public bathhouses and therapeutic bathing, modern hygiene values, and the spread of home baths all layered over a long span of time to create today's bathing culture.
In other words, the reason Japanese people love hot springs and sauna is less about a current trend than about the extension of a historically accumulated lifestyle culture. The full picture of this accumulation is traced in The History of Japanese Bathing Culture.
In Japan, hot spring areas developed as tourist destinations. Inns, meals, walks through hot spring towns, and seasonal scenery all come together, so hot springs often become not just a bath, but the purpose of the trip itself.
For this reason, Japanese people tend to see hot springs as something worth traveling for. They have become a standard choice for family trips and weekend getaways, largely because they fit so well with travel culture. In the Japan Tourism Agency's survey of inbound visitors, hot spring bathing also ranks high as something visitors want to do next, showing that the link between travel and bathing resonates with foreign travelers as a real experience value.
Hot springs and public bathhouses have served a role that goes beyond bathing facilities. Historically, they have functioned as places where local residents gather and families spend time together. The sense of so-called naked companionship, where social status and titles fade when everyone is naked, grew within this shared bath culture.
That said, this closeness is not always comfortable for everyone. In modern times, alongside the social side, more people choose hot springs and sauna as places to spend time quietly alone. The shared atmosphere in sauna and the loose connections between strangers are covered in Sauna Community Culture.
Sauna has expanded in a slightly different way from traditional hot spring culture. It is easy to use even in urban areas and can refresh you in a short time, so it has become a standard way to reset after work or during everyday life. While hot springs are strongly linked to travel, sauna fits everyday use better.
From the late 2010s onward, sauna experiences became easier to share through media and social platforms, which brought in younger people and new users. Books on sauna and the 2019 TV Tokyo drama Sauna Road helped spread the term totonou, meaning the state of bringing mind and body into balance through sauna, cold plunge, and rest. That also accelerated the trend.
The meaning of totonou is explained in What Does totonou Mean?, and the types of facilities are covered in Types of Japanese Sauna. Sauna's birthplace, Finland, and Japanese sauna differ in temperature, bathing style, and the role of the cold plunge. For those differences, see Finnish Sauna vs Japanese Sauna.
As we have seen, hot springs and sauna are both part of bathing culture, yet their spread has been quite different. Their contrast can be summarized as follows.
| Hot springs | Sauna | |
|---|---|---|
| Main connection | Tied to travel and tourism | Daily reset |
| Typical use | Travel, weekends, overnight stays | After work, day trips |
| Period of spread | Gradually since ancient times | Reaccelerated in the late 2010s |
| Core value | Water quality, scenery, stay experience | Feeling of totonou, short-time efficiency |
This is not a matter of which is better. Because hot springs offer a non-everyday travel experience and sauna offers a daily reset, both coexist and deepen the overall bathing culture.
From the perspective of foreign travelers, the features of Japanese bathing culture become very clear. The large number of hot spring areas, the integration of lodging and hot spring towns, and widely shared bathing etiquette all appear as distinctly Japanese traits. Sauna also stands out because the sequence of sauna, cold plunge, and rest has become a firmly established culture.
Bathing naked in shared water and washing the body before entering the tub can be confusing if you do not know the background. But these shared norms are exactly what keep communal baths clean and comfortable. The reason Japanese people love hot springs and sauna is not only the facilities themselves, but also the habits and shared understanding that support them.
Hot springs and sauna are often discussed in terms of health and relaxation. Research is also being conducted in this area. Still, health effects alone do not fully explain why Japanese people love them.
The appeal felt by users includes many elements that go beyond medicine: habit, culture, scenery, food, the satisfaction of travel, and the time spent with other people. Many people go to hot springs and sauna simply to refresh their mood and enjoy something out of the ordinary. If you try to reduce the reason to just one factor, you actually lose sight of the bigger picture. That is one of the defining features of this culture.
Because Japan is a volcanic country where multiple tectonic plates meet, and it is blessed with underground heat. According to a survey by Japan's Environment Ministry at the end of fiscal 2022, there are about 2,879 hot spring areas with lodging facilities nationwide, and about 27,932 springs in total. Since hot springs are spread across the country, it is easy to find a destination, and that has become the foundation of the culture.
It is not only for cleanliness. Bathing also marks the end of the day, relieves fatigue, and helps people reset their mood. The habit of placing value on time spent soaking in hot water, rather than just taking a shower, is widely shared.
Hot springs are more closely tied to travel and tourism, often becoming non-everyday experiences that include inns and scenery. Sauna, by contrast, is easy to use even in cities and has spread as a way to reset after work or during daily life. Their core values also differ: hot springs center on water quality and scenery, while sauna centers on totonou and short-time efficiency.
Sauna itself has existed for a long time, but the current boom reaccelerated in the late 2010s. Sharing through media and social platforms expanded, and the term totonou spread through books and shows such as the 2019 drama Sauna Road. That was a major turning point.
Not necessarily. Some people enjoy hot springs and public baths as places to connect with others, while more and more people choose them as places to spend time quietly alone. Comfort depends on the person.
The reason Japanese people love hot springs and sauna is the overlap of volcanic geography, the daily habit of soaking in a tub, the link between hot springs and travel culture, the community function of public baths, and the modern sauna boom that spread in the late 2010s.
Hot springs have grown mainly as a non-everyday culture tied to travel, while sauna has spread as a way to reset daily life. Because both coexist, the overall bathing culture has become richer. If you understand both not simply as bathing facilities but as part of Japan's lifestyle culture supported by geography and history, the bigger picture becomes clear.
The reasons Japanese people love hot springs and sauna cannot be explained simply by saying they just like bathing. Japan's volcanic geography means hot springs are found nationwide. Daily bathing in a tub is a common habit. Hot springs are closely tied to travel culture. Public bathhouses have long served as places for people to gather. And sauna culture spread rapidly in the late 2010s. Together, these factors made bathing not a passing hobby but a settled part of everyday culture.
This article looks at that background through several lenses: geography, daily habits, travel culture, community, and modern sauna culture. It organizes the topic so each aspect can be seen at a glance, and also explores what stands out from a foreigner's perspective and why the answer goes beyond health alone.
The background behind why Japanese people love hot springs and sauna cannot be reduced to a single reason. Several factors work together at once. First, here is the big picture, followed by a closer look at each part.
| Lens | Content | Related article |
|---|---|---|
| Geography | Japan is a volcanic country with hot springs nationwide, so there is no shortage of destinations | Why Japanese Hot Springs Are Special |
| Daily habits | People bathe in a tub at home, making bathing part of everyday life | The Difference Between Home Baths and Onsen Culture in Japan |
| History | Faith, Buddhism, public baths, and therapeutic bathing have layered over time | The History of Japanese Bathing Culture |
| Travel culture | Hot springs are tied to inns, food, and town walks, making them a travel purpose | Why Japanese Hot Springs Are Special |
| Modern sauna | Sauna spread in the late 2010s as a way to reset daily life | What Does totonou Mean? |
These five are not competing ideas. They support one another. Geography creates habits, habits nurture travel culture, and modern sauna culture grows on top of that foundation. Reading it this way makes the whole structure easier to grasp.
Geography is a major starting point when explaining the connection between Japanese people and hot springs. Japan sits where multiple tectonic plates meet, making it a volcanically active country. Because it is blessed with underground heat, hot springs are not limited to a few special places. They spread across the country.
Looking at the numbers, a survey by Japan's Environment Ministry at the end of fiscal 2022 found about 2,879 hot spring areas with lodging facilities nationwide, and a total of about 27,932 springs. These are only rough figures, but with numbers like these, hot springs are not a rare destination. They become a realistic leisure option no matter where you live.
When hot springs are nearby, going to one no longer feels like an extraordinary luxury. In addition, because the quality of the water and the scenery vary greatly by region, a culture of enjoying those differences also develops. For a comparison with other countries and a fuller explanation of why Japanese hot springs stand out in scale and water quality, see Why Japanese Hot Springs Are Special.
If geography is the foundation, daily habits are what root it in everyday life. In Japan, people widely share the idea of not only washing the body but also soaking in hot water and resting. Compared with countries where a shower is enough, bathing is seen as a way to mark the end of the day.
Because of this habit, hot springs and sauna are naturally accepted not just as places to get clean, but as places to change mood and release fatigue. Everyday bathing at home and non-everyday bathing at a hot spring while traveling are connected. The difference is covered in The Difference Between Home Baths and Onsen Culture in Japan.
The custom of washing the body before entering the tub is also inseparable from this habit. It is a basic rule for keeping shared baths clean, and the reason is explained in Why Do Japanese People Wash Before Bathing?.
The habit of soaking in hot water every day did not appear overnight. Ancient hot spring faith, Buddhist ideas of purification, Edo-period public bathhouses and therapeutic bathing, modern hygiene values, and the spread of home baths all layered over a long span of time to create today's bathing culture.
In other words, the reason Japanese people love hot springs and sauna is less about a current trend than about the extension of a historically accumulated lifestyle culture. The full picture of this accumulation is traced in The History of Japanese Bathing Culture.
In Japan, hot spring areas developed as tourist destinations. Inns, meals, walks through hot spring towns, and seasonal scenery all come together, so hot springs often become not just a bath, but the purpose of the trip itself.
For this reason, Japanese people tend to see hot springs as something worth traveling for. They have become a standard choice for family trips and weekend getaways, largely because they fit so well with travel culture. In the Japan Tourism Agency's survey of inbound visitors, hot spring bathing also ranks high as something visitors want to do next, showing that the link between travel and bathing resonates with foreign travelers as a real experience value.
Hot springs and public bathhouses have served a role that goes beyond bathing facilities. Historically, they have functioned as places where local residents gather and families spend time together. The sense of so-called naked companionship, where social status and titles fade when everyone is naked, grew within this shared bath culture.
That said, this closeness is not always comfortable for everyone. In modern times, alongside the social side, more people choose hot springs and sauna as places to spend time quietly alone. The shared atmosphere in sauna and the loose connections between strangers are covered in Sauna Community Culture.
Sauna has expanded in a slightly different way from traditional hot spring culture. It is easy to use even in urban areas and can refresh you in a short time, so it has become a standard way to reset after work or during everyday life. While hot springs are strongly linked to travel, sauna fits everyday use better.
From the late 2010s onward, sauna experiences became easier to share through media and social platforms, which brought in younger people and new users. Books on sauna and the 2019 TV Tokyo drama Sauna Road helped spread the term totonou, meaning the state of bringing mind and body into balance through sauna, cold plunge, and rest. That also accelerated the trend.
The meaning of totonou is explained in What Does totonou Mean?, and the types of facilities are covered in Types of Japanese Sauna. Sauna's birthplace, Finland, and Japanese sauna differ in temperature, bathing style, and the role of the cold plunge. For those differences, see Finnish Sauna vs Japanese Sauna.
As we have seen, hot springs and sauna are both part of bathing culture, yet their spread has been quite different. Their contrast can be summarized as follows.
| Hot springs | Sauna | |
|---|---|---|
| Main connection | Tied to travel and tourism | Daily reset |
| Typical use | Travel, weekends, overnight stays | After work, day trips |
| Period of spread | Gradually since ancient times | Reaccelerated in the late 2010s |
| Core value | Water quality, scenery, stay experience | Feeling of totonou, short-time efficiency |
This is not a matter of which is better. Because hot springs offer a non-everyday travel experience and sauna offers a daily reset, both coexist and deepen the overall bathing culture.
From the perspective of foreign travelers, the features of Japanese bathing culture become very clear. The large number of hot spring areas, the integration of lodging and hot spring towns, and widely shared bathing etiquette all appear as distinctly Japanese traits. Sauna also stands out because the sequence of sauna, cold plunge, and rest has become a firmly established culture.
Bathing naked in shared water and washing the body before entering the tub can be confusing if you do not know the background. But these shared norms are exactly what keep communal baths clean and comfortable. The reason Japanese people love hot springs and sauna is not only the facilities themselves, but also the habits and shared understanding that support them.
Hot springs and sauna are often discussed in terms of health and relaxation. Research is also being conducted in this area. Still, health effects alone do not fully explain why Japanese people love them.
The appeal felt by users includes many elements that go beyond medicine: habit, culture, scenery, food, the satisfaction of travel, and the time spent with other people. Many people go to hot springs and sauna simply to refresh their mood and enjoy something out of the ordinary. If you try to reduce the reason to just one factor, you actually lose sight of the bigger picture. That is one of the defining features of this culture.
Because Japan is a volcanic country where multiple tectonic plates meet, and it is blessed with underground heat. According to a survey by Japan's Environment Ministry at the end of fiscal 2022, there are about 2,879 hot spring areas with lodging facilities nationwide, and about 27,932 springs in total. Since hot springs are spread across the country, it is easy to find a destination, and that has become the foundation of the culture.
It is not only for cleanliness. Bathing also marks the end of the day, relieves fatigue, and helps people reset their mood. The habit of placing value on time spent soaking in hot water, rather than just taking a shower, is widely shared.
Hot springs are more closely tied to travel and tourism, often becoming non-everyday experiences that include inns and scenery. Sauna, by contrast, is easy to use even in cities and has spread as a way to reset after work or during daily life. Their core values also differ: hot springs center on water quality and scenery, while sauna centers on totonou and short-time efficiency.
Sauna itself has existed for a long time, but the current boom reaccelerated in the late 2010s. Sharing through media and social platforms expanded, and the term totonou spread through books and shows such as the 2019 drama Sauna Road. That was a major turning point.
Not necessarily. Some people enjoy hot springs and public baths as places to connect with others, while more and more people choose them as places to spend time quietly alone. Comfort depends on the person.
The reason Japanese people love hot springs and sauna is the overlap of volcanic geography, the daily habit of soaking in a tub, the link between hot springs and travel culture, the community function of public baths, and the modern sauna boom that spread in the late 2010s.
Hot springs have grown mainly as a non-everyday culture tied to travel, while sauna has spread as a way to reset daily life. Because both coexist, the overall bathing culture has become richer. If you understand both not simply as bathing facilities but as part of Japan's lifestyle culture supported by geography and history, the bigger picture becomes clear.