“JAPAN MADE PROJECT” is a project launched by Japanese apparel shop URBAN RESEARCH which aims to revitalise regions around Japan by building local communities with businesses and creators around the country while also looking to take a step back to reconsider what is appealing about each of those regions.

As part of this new project, URBAN RESEARCH has announced its plans to establish “JAPAN MADE PROJECT TOKYO” on March 20, 2020. Focusing on Tokyo, this branch of the project will see the launch of “URBAN SENTO.” This will focus on the potential of sento, or “bath houses,” in the city, which will also include a new line of bath house clothing made in collaboration with Kosugi-yu a sento located in the Tokyo district of Koenji.

Public bath houses play an important part in Japanese culture by contributing to people’s mental health and creating communities. This is especially so in a city as busy as Tokyo. That’s where URBAN SENTO comes in, which will encourage the rediscovery of the city’s appealing culture through sento.

Pre-sales for the new clothing line opened on the URBAN RESEARCH online store on February 14, 2020. It features a collection of must-have items for the bath house, whose message is to spread the bath house lifestyle.

Apparel

To ensure the clothing is comfortable as bath-wear, the collection is made from high quality cotton provided in collaboration with HAAG, a brand managed by Smile Cotton. This cotton is nice and soft and does not rub against the skin. Smile Cotton’s materials are even endorsed by the Japan Atopic Dermatitis Patients Association.

Crew Neck T-Shirt – ¥7,700 (Tax Included) | Sizes: Small/Medium/Large | Colours: White/Light Grey/Black

One Piece – ¥13,200 (Tax Included) | Sizes: Small/Medium | Colours: White/Light Grey/Black

Short Pants – ¥12,100 (Tax Included) | Sizes: Small/Medium/Large | Colours: White/Light Grey/Black

ZIP Parker Hoodie – ¥16,500 (Tax Included) | Sizes: Small/Medium/Large | Colours: White/Light Grey/Black

Pouch (Medium Size) – ¥3,080 (Tax Included) | Colours: White/Navy/Orange

The mesh pouch can be taken into the bath with you. Put your shampoo or other bath products in with you and take a dip.

Miscellaneous Items: IKEUCHI ORGANIC x URBAN SENTO
The bath towels you can use at Kosugi-yu are made by IKEUCHI ORGANIC. They come in two sizes and are incredibly soft on the skin.

Oragnic 120 Bath Towel – ¥5,060 (Tax Included) | Colours: White/Grey

Oragnic 120 Face Towel – ¥1,980 (Tax Included) | Colours: White/Grey

Kimura Soap x URBAN SENTO
The products used for cleaning yourself at Kosugi-yu, as well as what’s used for washing the towels, is soap provided by Kimura Soap. This pure soap, crafted by artisans by cooking in kettles, is friendly to the environment and the skin. It can be used at the bath house, in the bath at home, or even for your laundry.

Body Soap (Hinoki Cypress/Lavender) – ¥1,980 (Tax Included)

This body soap gently lathers your skin in bubbles and leaves your skin filling refreshed. Both the hand soap and body soap feel good to use.

The a video and main visual were released for URBAN SENTO, which feature Japanese music artists Yusuke Emoto and Aoi Nogi as the models.

ONSEN GUEST HOUSE TSUTAYA is a new hot spring and guest house facility set to open in the town of Sokokura in Hakone on November 26. The building is being renovated from an old guest house that has enjoyed a long history of hot springs since the Edo period.

Sokura Onsen is about a 90 minute car drive from the city centre and is considered one of Hakone’s “7 Hot Springs,” a list that has been around since the Edo period. The place is said to have been used and loved by many military commanders back in the day for the high water yield gifted by the water source.

When the building was first constructed it was known as “Tsutaya Ryokan” and became a famous guest house with not only locals but travellers who would arrive all the way from Tokyo. ONSEN GUEST HOUSE TSUTAYA combines history of both Sokura Onsen and Tsutaya Ryokan.

The renovated building was built 29 years ago. Though it has been revamped, it still maintains a nostalgic air to it in the style of a traditional guest house. It’s home to 6 spacious ryokan-type rooms and 46 compact rooms.

There is a space where one can gaze at the river after taking a dip in the hot springs, as well as a lounge with tables which encourages you to socialise with people you have just met. There are male and female open-air baths and indoor baths as well as a cooking space and laundry service for those looking to stay longer.

 The facility offers a retro environment in which each guest can relax and enjoy their own time as they please. Throughout the guest house is original old-fashioned furniture that has been upcycled, including kotatsu tables and shelves, to give that sense of traditional Japanese culture. This has been combined with contemporary art to create a fusion of the old and new.

It is a harmonious combination of a traditional Japanese hot spring ryokan, or inn, and a guest house, which means travellers from abroad will be able to enjoy the beauty of the country’s traditional culture.

Escape the noisy city and enjoy peace and tranquillity surrounded in the colours of autumn at ONSEN GUEST HOUSE TSUTAYA

Kusatsu Onsen is a hot spring resort in Gunma Prefecture that is one of Japan’s three principle hot spring locations. The site opened its new Japanese custard dessert (known as ‘purin’) shop, Kusatsu Onsen Pudding, on August 24, which serves the most incredibly smooth purin you have ever tried, each inspired by the hot springs.

Once you’ve stepped out of the nice warm hot springs of Kusatsu Onsen you can refresh yourself with a delicious purin packed full of love from the shop which has created a flavour you can only try by travelling to Gunma and going there. Each and every dessert is made fresh in the shop to further elevate its exclusivity as a local speciality.

Kusatsu Onsen Pudding also makes sure to use local and regional ingredients where it can to help support manufacturers and producers. Their purin is also made with a special type of milk sourced from in Gunma known as Haruna milk. The milk is made as delicious as can be by ensuring cows are raised on a healthy natural diet of grass on green pastures in Gunma bathed in plenty of sunlight.

Yuhata Purin

The Yuhata purin is inspired by the hot spring areas where mineral deposits are harvested, its jelly taking on a gorgeous emerald green colour. It’s lemon and lime flavoured, the perfect flavour to enjoy when stepping out of the hot water, and one which goes surprisingly well with purin.

Yumomi Purin

The staple purin of the store, this purin is based on yumomi, a method used for cooling the hot water with paddles from which cold water gushes forth. This velvety delight is made with lots of fresh cream and high-quality vanilla beans from Madagascar for added punch.

Furomage

A pun on the word fromage, with furo in Japanese meaning “bath,” the Furomage purin uses a rich cream cheese base which has a seriously smooth texture. It’s topped off with strawberry jelly for the perfect combination, packing a perfect balance between sweet and sour.

Yuhata Soft (Milk/Yuhata/Mixed)

Choose from the Yuhata soft serve ice cream which is ramune flavoured and inspired by the flowing water of the hot springs or the Haruna milk-mixed vanilla flavoured Milk soft serve. If you can’t pick, then choose mixed for a bit of both. A satisfyingly refreshing pick for when you’re done in the hot springs.

The shop has plans to sell purin made using bamboo steamers in the near future, so you’re pudding can be steamed like yourself after a dip in the water! The wooden spoons used to eat the desserts are also made in the image of the paddles used in yumomi too.

Toya Sun Palace Resort and Spa has announced that it will open an annex of the main site called The Lake Suite Ko No Sumika on August 1, 2019.

This hotel offers the closest view of Lake Tōya without anything to get in the way of the breathtaking scenery. It offers a luxurious resort experience for adults that resonates with nature by taking full advantage of the vast and open surrounding environment and making it one with the facility.

Enjoy the morning calm over the quiet lake as if time has stopped, basking in the sunlight and breathing in the fresh, crisp air. Feel at peace with the changing seasons as cherry blossoms decorate the spring, lush greenery spreads through summer, the red leaves reveal themselves in autumn and the snow falls in winter all while absorbing the tranquil sound of the brisk breeze.

The Lake Suite is a top class hotel that offers the closest view of Lake Tōya than any other hotel site. Sitting right next to the lake and being at peace and one with nature will make you want to stay there forever. The “Sumika” in the facility’s name means “to live” while to live somewhere means that you must like that place. That’s the kind of experience The Lake Suite wants to offer: a place that you will always love and always want to be.

Upon arriving, you are transported into another world as you pass through a hallway surrounded by water where you can hear the trickling of the flowing lake. You are then met with the hotel entrance where the visual effect of a flower basin fuses the hotel Lake Tōya as one.

The hotel lobby incorporates the colour brown giving it a chic and stylish appearance that goes well with the outdoor scenery. The lobby interior has a soft “Japanese” aesthetic with warm lighting. The lounge is stocked with various drinks to enjoy while gazing across the lake.

On the top floor of the hotel (floor 8) there is a large open-air bath that offers an unbroken, panoramic view of the lake. This bath is built like an infinity pool that makes it look like the bath connects directly to the lake. Guests can enjoy the sky reflecting from the water surface. At night in spring, you’ll also be able to soak in the stars with star gazing. There’s also a sauna and the bath has a jet function too.

The hotel’s restaurant also boasts the closest view of Lake Tōya.

If you’re looking for a premium and unforgettable stay in Japan then look no further.

The internet’s biggest travel website TripAdvisor® has released its top 20 best public baths in Japan for this year as ranked by its users.

Hoheikyo Hot Spring

This marks the seventh run of this ranking. Crowning the list is Hoheikyo Onsen in Hokkaido which has up from second place last year to first place. Five facilities in Tokyo, Kyoto, Okinawa, Ehime and Yamanashi have also ranked for the first time. The comments posted by travellers show that the number of people using hot springs during their trip is increasing.

But the one to note is Dogo Onsen for which two separate facilities have been listed.

Dogo Onsen Bekkan Asuka no Yu (Ehime)

Dogo Onsen Honkan (Ehime)

Dogo Onsen Bekkan Asuka no Yu came at No. 7 having only just held its grand opening in December last year. Dogo Onsen Honkan came at No. 15, a place that has a connection with Natsume Soseki’s novel Botchan.

Jakotsuyu

A whole range of different baths made it onto the list including sand baths, carbonated springs, dark brown water and more. The 20th place Jakotsuyu in Asakusa, Tokyo is also worth a mention.

Top 20 Best Day Use Onsen in Japan 2018
1. Hoheikyo Onsen, Hokkaido
2. Ramune Onsen Kan, Oita
3. Tenzan no Yu, Kyoto
4. Kurama Onsen, Kyoto
5. Healthy Land Tamatebako Onsen, Kagoshima
6. Busshozan Onsen Tempyoyu, Kagawa
7. Dogo Onsen Bekkan Asuka no Yu, Ehime
8. Maenohara Onsen Sayano Yudokoro, Tokyo
9. Odaiba Tokyo Oedo-Onsen Monogatari, Tokyo
10. Sai no Kawara Rotenburo, Gunma
11. Ryujin no Yu, Okinawa
12. Fuji Chobo-no-yu Yura, Yamanashi
13. Tenzan Tohji-kyo, Kanagawa
14. Saraku, Kagoshima
15. Dogo Onsen Honkan, Ehime
16. Yachigashira Onsen, Hokkaido
17. Miharashi no Yu, Tokyo
18. Enoshima Island Spa, Kanagawa
19. Takegawara Onsen, Oita
20. Jakotsuyu, Tokyo

Be sure to use this list as reference when considering what hot springs to visit in Japan.