Japan’s Onsens: Where I Can Find Serenity, Joy, and Comfort

When I was in middle school my school organized a trip to a ryokan, a sort of Japanese bed and breakfast, at a place near Mt. Fuji. It was my first year living in Japan, and while I was excited to stay in tatami mat rooms and enjoy a nice, homemade teishoku meal, there was one thing about this trip that I was dreading: the onsen.