Japan's Sauna Culture: A Guide for Groups

Explera DMC Japan adds saunas to group programmes because Japan's sauna culture now sits beside the onsen as a reason to travel. The Japanese routine is a cycle of hot sauna, cold water and rest, repeated two or three times. Akita Prefecture's winter campaign, launched on 1 October 2026, names onsen and sauna among its four winter highlights.

Many onsen hotels, public bathhouses and spa complexes in Japan have a sauna beside the baths. Japanese bathers use the word totonou for the calm, settled feeling at the end of the cycle, and sauna fans now travel for it.

What makes a Japanese sauna different?

• The cycle. Sit in the sauna, rinse off sweat, take a short dip in the cold bath, then rest in a chair, often outdoors. Then repeat.
• The setting. Most saunas are in the same single-sex bathing areas as the baths, so the bathing rules apply: wash before entering and take nothing but a small towel inside.
• Nature as the cold bath. Akita's campaign highlights Tazawako Sauna, which uses Lake Tazawa, Japan's deepest lake, as a natural cold plunge, and saunas with a view of the snow.
• Sometimes an extra charge. The Tokyo Sento Association notes that some public bathhouses charge separately for the sauna, so we confirm it with each venue.

How do saunas fit a group programme?

• Small spaces. Saunas hold far fewer people than an onsen, so for a group we choose hotels with large bathing areas or book private saunas for a set time.
• Same rules as the onsen. Tattoo policies and bathing etiquette apply in the sauna too. See our onsen etiquette guide and tattoo guide.
• Pair with winter. Snow, cold air and a sauna make a strong winter evening. Our Akita guide and our guide to sento, the public bathhouse, give more context.

We brief every client on the cycle before the first visit: drink water, keep each round short, and leave if they feel unwell.

Sources: Akita Prefecture winter campaign announcement (Japanese) and Tokyo Sento Association: how to use a sento (Japanese).