Adventures in nakedness: An Englishwoman's introduction to Japanese hot springs

And so I folded my clothes, laid them in a basket, picked up my teeny tiny little white towel and followed the other women to the low taps for a wash -- before lowering myself into a series of deliciously warming hot baths in the pretty autumnal garden.

I absolutely loved it. Since then, I have become a self-proclaimed onsen addict and happily take all my clothes off in public on every possible occasion across the country -- from Hokkaido's snowy peaks to southern Kyushu mountainsides (and many places in between).

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