Natural spring bathing in Japan is a celebration, the lovely pause in hectic lives yearning for moments of tranquility. This coffee-table guide showcases the best of Japan’s traditional as well as award-winning design ryokan. The hand-selected inns in this glorious album of 400 photos share a special pride in the rituals of Japanese hospitality. The hushed intimacy of rooms behind sliding paper doors, the sweet and the tangy of Japanese fruits, vegetables and seafood, open-air bathing and gardens for repose are featured in this book, including details on who goes there, when to go, what can be expected and how to get there. Japanese ryokan have long been hallowed for their unique understanding of   the total pampering that every journeyman deserves. The Japanese Spa removes the tension from the journey and shows the way to places of fragile beauty and luxurious peace.

- Around Tokyo
- Kyoto and Nara
- Central Japan
- Northern Japan
- Southern Japan