Japan group sets definition of hot spring culture for UNESCO heritage bid

Japan's hot spring culture, currently under consideration by a government council for a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage bid, has been defined by an association as a long-standing practice of bathing in natural thermal waters for mental and physical comfort.The Japan Onsen Association in Tokyo said it compiled the definition to clarify how the tradition reflects the nation's connection with nature and the belief that healing comes from contact with geothermal resources regarded as "gifts" from the environment.A former commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs joined the effort to c…READ FULL ARTICLE