While much of the Kanto area is flat and snow-free, the mountains north of Tokyo in nearby Tochigi have some great winter weather.

There’s a bathload of sites out there on onsen, but we found our information pools best filled by the following sources.

When Hokkaido's highest lake is covered in ice during winter, it features an igloo-style onsen.

Directly translated as 'medicine' (yaku) 'taste' (mi), yakumi originally served as antidotes to a variety of ailments.

Don't let the thickness of this rich tonkotsu soup scare you off! These restaurants are serving up some serious noodles in Osaka.

Salty, sweet, sour and bitter are familiar terms to describe taste. Yet a fifth, umami, is less well-known but just as prevalent.

Kyoto is just as steeped in ramen as any other part of the country.