How do you keep from freezing in the season when most of Japan looks like this
and you live in a house that’s insulation-challenged, if not downright colder inside than outside? No surprise, there are only-in-Japan solutions for all your goosebump needs
The old-fashioned way: get thee neck-deep in the hottest water you can find.
Tsuru-no-yu Onsen has been thawing the tootsies of locals and shōguns since 1638, and even when the surrounding countryside of Akita is waist-deep in snow, it’s downright toasty in the bath.
But you don’t have to travel to the back of beyond to enjoy a good hot spring soak—Japan is loaded with towns famous for the volcanic waters that gush to the surface all over the place. In villages like Kusatsu Onsen (just an hour by bullet train from Tokyo), hot water cascades with abandon through the center of town and hotel guests are invited to walk around from one bath to the next in their robes and sample the hot water at all the participating inns.
But if getting naked with strangers isn’t your thing, despair not! Many towns have public foot baths that can warm you from toes to knees…
and if even that doesn’t appeal…
Kotatsu to the rescue!
Once you stick your legs into one of these heated, quilt-topped tables, you’ll never want to leave.
Some are even designed so you never have to!
But when hunger finally forces you to seek provisions, you need not risk frostbite. First, gird yourself in a
These cute haramaki are surprisingly effective at keeping your core temp up, even when it’s cold outside.
And don’t neglect your other chilly parts! Better stock up on
Foot-warmers
Yeah, I know they’re supposed to be for hands, but the small ones are the perfect size to slip into the toes of your boots, and the premium kind from the pharmacy (not the ultra-cheap ones you can buy at any convenience store) have peel-off tape on the back, so they can be safely stuck to your clothes at the base of your neck to warm your blood for hours.
And if you still need a heat-me-up while out and about, Japanese vending machines are your perennial friend!
As soon as the weather turns nippy, the row of
Hot Drinks
on the bottom row expands to offer all possible flavors of coffee, tea, or…
And even though you heard that hot sake is for the weak, the exception to that rule is that cold-weather classic,
Poisonous Fish Fin Sake
Yes, hot nihon-shū infused with the dried fin of the infamous puffer fish will not just help you feel no pain in winter, it’s supposed to actually increase your stamina (if it doesn’t kill you, that is). And if you don’t believe this can possibly be a popular thing, I bought this can from a streetside vending machine!
If you’d prefer something a little less dangerous, Japanese plum wine (ume-shū) is absolutely delicious mixed with a little hot water…
And last but not least, Japan has all kinds of
Fabulous belly-warming foods
From the skewers of toasted rice cakes dripping with miso or soy sauce that are sold at many outdoor events in winter…
to cozy hotpots like Sesame-Miso Nabe…
or that perennial favorite sukiyaki…
Japan makes it worth your while to be here when there’s snow on the ground and frost in the air!
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Looking for ideas of especially amazing things to do in Japan in the winter? THESE
Hot springs & snow monsters at Zao Onsen
Winter illumination extravaganzas near Tokyo
Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine and Rikugi-en garden in the snow
Tokyo’s Korakuen Garden in the snow
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly Japanagram newsletter, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Japanagram 
Thankyou Jonelle endlessly entertaining as ever thx, Johnny
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