STEAM AMID SNOW

Clockwise from above left: a woman in a yukata fans herself at the Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama, Shikoku; while another casts a shadow on a shoji screen at the Nagasawa Heihachi Ryokan in Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata Prefecture; a classic wooden bathhouse at the Chojukan Ryokan, Gunma Prefecture. Opposite: at Goshogake in Akita Prefecture, bathers often have a session in a steam-bath box before proceeding to an indoor hot spring bath with a high sulphur content