A visit to a spa in Japan is far more than a touristic experience. Formal Japanese bathing culture is centuries old and historical documents note that hot springs, or “onsens”, were used for thousands of years prior. 

Spa culture throughout the country covers both ends of the spectrum. You’ll find at least one luxury spa in Japan’s major cities designed with modern restaurants. Farther away from the metropolises, you’ll encounter traditional onsens with little more than water and wonder, which many consider the best spa in Japan for an authentic experience. 

Some spas are public and unisex, while others feature special areas for men, women, and even private families. As you roam from Nagasaki to Sapporo, find a moment to relax and experience this millennia-old bathing culture at the best spas in Japan. 

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Sky Spa | Yokohama

Photo credit: @skyspa_yokohama

Relaxing at a spa in Japan shouldn’t be an inconvenient experience, which is why Sky Spa is perfect for those who want instant gratification. Directly connected to the underground mall at Yokohama Station, Sky Spa features the largest sauna theater in the country. To be fair, this is a Scandinavian-style spa, though it wins top marks in ingenuity for trying to bring the Japanese onsen experience into the city. The cypress calcium carbonate hot spring inside is an artificial system mimicking the Futamata Onsen found in Hokkaido. There’s one in each of the men’s and women’s bathing areas, and both sides also serve up excellent views of the city. 

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Yudanaka and Shibu Onsens | Nagano City

The snow monkeys of Jigokundani are world-famous and a worthy reason to head to Nagano City. While you’ll envy the monkeys warming their snow-soaked fur in the hot springs, know that the Yudanaka and Shibu Onsens are nearby to give you the same wild indulgence. Multiple hot springs surround these historic towns and have drawn visitors for over a millennium. Lower your body into the same hot springs that samurai have. Shibu’s onsens are especially distinct, offering nine separate hot springs with baths dedicated to caring for individual ailments such as skin conditions, injuries, and rheumatism. 

Urban Quar Spa & Living | Nagoya

Bring nothing with you into the center of Nagoya and find everything your mind, body and soul needs in Urban Quar Spa & Living. Urban Quar is one of the best spas in Japan for those who want a laid-back experience, almost as if you’re getting comfortable in your very own living room and not a spacious public bath fed from a hot spring 800m below. You’ll find an open-air bath and sauna, not unlike another spa in Japan, though Urban Quar also has unique areas like a high-concentration oxygen bath, a carbonated spring, and a minimally electrified bath. It’s a great family-friendly onsen, too, with a dedicated Manga space boasting 20,000 issues, movies, games, and PCs to play.

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Hōheikyō Hot Spring | Hokkaido

Photo credit: @hoheikyoonsen

Retreat to Hōheikyō Hot Spring in Hokkaido and you’ll find much more than a simple spa in Japan’s Sapporo suburbs. This free-flowing hot spring is ideal for nature lovers who want recreation and relaxation in equal measure. Spend hours embraced in the onsen and unwind with “momiya” massage treatments. When you’re ready, a special lunch awaits in the on-site Indian restaurant. Then, head out into the forest and canoe down the Toyohira River in the summer or snowshoe into the forests where brown bear roam.

Fuji Yurari Hot Spring | Fujinomiya

16 different baths, one iconic mountain. Fuji Yurari Hot Spring in Fujinomiya is known as the Sacred Mountain Outdoor Bath, set in full view of Mt. Fuji. No matter if you’re floating in the four-season outdoor panorama bath or stretching out in the indoor Takami bath, the mountain will watch over you. Smaller areas, though hidden from Fuji-san, are still dedicated to your health, such as the Reiho spring water bath. Nanotechnology is used throughout this classic spa in Japan to vibrate the waters, increasing molecular activity and enhancing the effectiveness of these healing hot springs.

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Fuku no Yu | Nagasaki

While your first instinct is to close your eyes and relax at a spa in Japan, Fuku no Yu asks you to open your eyes and soak in the views of Nagasaki. This onsen has open-air baths overlooking the city, and with full-day passes, you can relax under blue and starlit skies. The family baths, though private and indoors, offer the same great views. Down in the bedrock baths, you’ll find saunas with roryu services, including an incense aroma roryu service that’s worth leaving the city sights behind. 

Explore Japan’s scenery, sights, and spa culture on Luxury Gold’s 11-day Majestic Japan tour. This culturally enriching experience traverses 8 cities across Honshu, Japan’s largest island. You’ll have an opportunity in Oirase to admire the gorge’s waterfalls and enjoy a soothing Onsen bath in this serene forest.

If you want to experience more of what the country has to offer, browse our range of luxury tours of Japan.

Wine tasting in Italy is an experience that’s as educational as it is engaging. Whether you’re surrounded by an extensive collection of bottles in a cozy wine cellar or gazing at the vast Italian countryside amongst endless varietal blocks, Italian wine tasting in situ is an opportunity to learn about the history, culture, agriculture, and ancestry of a vineyard. 

Professional wine tasters, sommeliers, and artisan vintners have an unrivaled knowledge of these wines. More than simply knowing how to note each delicate finish, they act as guides to help you identify aromas, tastes, and tannins, enabling you to enjoy a full sensory experience from serve to swirl to spit. And, yes, it is polite to spit out wine at a tasting in Italy.

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Most wine tastings will have spittoons present so you can swirl and spit as needed. It’s also not offensive to dump a sample of wine if it’s not your preferred taste. However, keep in mind that these private wine tasting events are curated with a reverence for the wine and winemakers and are designed to amplify your experience. 

Remember that the high alcohol content and the potential limitation of food pairings will impact your experience as the tasting progresses. A single taste swallowed allows you to savor the initial flavor while a second sip spat into a spittoon lets you focus on the individual notes. 

There are hundreds of vineyards for private wine tasting in Italy, including these exquisite vineyards in Tuscany, Piedmont, and Veneto. 

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Tuscany

Envision your perfect private wine tasting in Italy and you’ll likely conjure up visions of the Tuscan hillside. Less than 200 miles from Rome, Tuscany’s Sangiovese grapes take center stage. Renowned dry red wines like Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano pair beautifully with Bistecca alla Fiorentina. This region has some of the best wine tasting in Italy and private wine tastings at these two wineries won’t disappoint.

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Brolio Castle

Ricasoli is the name in Tuscan wine: the family that created the original Chianti wine. Since the 1100s, the Ricasoli family’s estate has grown grapes for centuries. You can visit one of the oldest wineries in Italy and savor a stunning tour of the castle, vineyards, and Ricasoli cellars. Take the Privilege Tour and experience a private visit of Brolio Castle where you’ll taste the limited-quantities of flagship Castello di Brolio, classic Chiantis, and the 100% Trebbiano Sanbarnaba in the opulent formal dining room.

Antinori nel Chianti Classico

26 generations of winemakers have kept the Antinori family name respected throughout Italy. Learn more about the family’s history bottling classic Chiantis with a tour of the award-winning vineyard’s estate, which includes three tastings surrounded by the family’s private art collection. Those searching for a more immersive experience should take the Cru tour: a deep dive into Marchesi Antinori’s wine making philosophy. It includes a private wine tasting of the seven Crus best representing Antinori’s ambition.

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Piedmont

A region known around the world for its coveted white truffles, Piedmont offers some of the best wine tasting in Italy paired with some of the greatest truffle dishes on the planet. Just west of Milan, Piedmont is a place for gastronomic grandeur. Take advantage of private wine tastings at these two wineries that will prepare your palate for Piedmont’s exceptional bounty of culinary delights.

Casa di Langa

The world’s first hotel with a truffle concierge, Casa di Langa sits in the Alta Langa region of Piedmont. Pinot noirs and chardonnays are the featured wines of the area and the hotel’s two wineries. While the Nebbiolo vines in nearby Barolo and Barbaesco may tempt you for a vineyard visit, we recommend a special tasting in Casa di Langa’s wine academy. Tastings are limited in opportunity and capacity each day, while the range of sampling is anything but. Personalized blind tastings are accommodated, as are broad tastings that reflect the different varieties of the region. Naturally, the best way to follow up this experience is with a multi-course meal Fàula Ristorante where these wines are paired with creative plates and fresh truffles foraged from the hotel’s private forest.

Tenute Cisa Asinari Dei Marchesi

Since the late-1700s, the Grésy family’s four estates have cultivated exceptional vineyards between the Monferrato and Langhe hills. Their historic cellars are ideal for both wine connoisseurs and those just getting a taste for the delicate notes of a fine wine. Private tastings include tours of the cellar where Barbaresco DOCG wines are featured. The vertical tasting is especially intoxicating as it showcases five Barbaresco DOCG wines from three of the estate’s vintage labels.  

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Veneto

If Venice and Verona weren’t enough to make you fall in love with Italy’s Veneto region, then its wine will surely leave you smitten. Pinot grigio and Prosecco vye for your heart, each enticing you to deny your infatuation with the deep reds and instead embrace the white Italian wines at these wineries located in the heart of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG UNESCO Heritage site.

Il Colle

Though Il Colle has a history dating back only to the 1970s, the still and bubbly wines produced on their estate yield nothing less than memorable finishes reflecting the soil’s centuries of hard work cultivating a foundation for exceptional white grape growing. For those who want the ultimate Prosecco DOCG experience, nothing less than the premium itinerary tour will suffice. Not only will you taste a new vintage directly from one of the tanks in the winery, but you’ll also hand-pick six still or sparkling wines to sample with artisan cheeses and breadsticks.

La Tordera

With Venice on one side and the Dolomites on the other, there are few better places to find yourself than La Tordera’s winery in the hills of Valdobbiadene. A dynamic private tasting awaits those who desire an education in sparkling wine. Tour the winery with a guide and sample wines ranging from dry aperitif Proseccos to sparkling no-sugar wines for the discerning connoisseur. 

You’ll have no trouble keeping your wine glass full while on Luxury Gold’s Ultimate Italy tour. From Venice to Capri, you’ll spend 12 days exploring just as many cities. One of the highlights of this exciting tour awaits in Tuscany where you’ll enjoy a lunch and private wine tasting at Marchese Mazzei’s estate. You’ll also have daily opportunities to schedule your own wine tasting in Italy as you explore these iconic cities at your leisure. 

Which of Italy’s wine regions are you most excited to uncork? Let us know in the comments below.