Will Japan’s hot spring culture make Unesco heritage list in 2028? One group hopes so

A group of governors is lobbying to get the centuries-old Japanese onsen practice included on Unesco’s intangible cultural heritage list

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A woman enjoys a hot bath at an onsen resort in Japan. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 6:15pm, 3 Jan 2025

A group of governors is aiming to have Japan’s hot spring culture added to Unesco’s intangible cultural heritage list in 2028, to bring recognition to the importance of the centuries-old practice of bathing in naturally heated water.

The leader of the group, Shinji Hirai, the governor of Tottori prefecture, said he was convinced that the hot spring culture is equivalent to the traditional making of sake and shochu distilled spirits, which was accepted onto Unesco’s list in December.

The group, set up in November 2022, defines the culture of hot springs, or “onsen” in Japanese, as a “lifestyle” widely shared by the Japanese people. The mineral waters found at some 3,000 locations are a “gift of nature that has been healing the mind and body”, it said.

Representing 44 of the country’s 47 prefectures, the group is set to compile by March a survey of the current situation surrounding hot spring areas across the nation, including on the need for protection as cultural heritage.

Japan has about 3,000 onsen establishments, ranging from the mundane to the magnificent. Photo: Shutterstock

It will then urge Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government to promote its campaign, hoping the move will contribute to the revitalisation of onsen locations.