Blog #8: Japanese hot baths, ryokan, and gassho-zukuri

Although Japan had to adapt to the western world following its forced opening to the outside world when U.S. Commodore Perry’s fleet sailed into the bay at Tokyo (then called Edo) in 1853, it has retained quintessential cultural features that outsiders are often permitted to experience. Onsen (traditional Japanese hot springs), ryokan (traditional Japanese inns), as well as visiting and even lodging in gassho-zukuri (thatch-roofed wooden buildings in the Shiragawa-go region) are some of these cultural touchstones.