The Japanese new year is a celebration of new hopes and firsts: first meal, first sunrise, first visit to a shrine and, my favorite, the first bath of the year. Posted in The way of the sento Tagged first sunrise, happy new year, Hatsuburo, hatsumode, Year With the onset of the colder weather the number of blog posts about onsen visits also rises. This week we have a review of Kinosaki Onsen and Dogo Onsen, a bathing experience in a ryokan, a great tip on how to recreate the goodness of an onsen in the comfort of your own home and a look at some of the best onsen in…