Japan’s Hot Springs Face Water Shortages Amid Tourism Boom

In Japan, an influx of unprecedented tourism is posing a serious threat to the country's famous onsens, or hot springs. Although onsens have long attracted both domestic and foreign tourists equally, the sharp rise in tourism has led to severe water shortages in a number of well-renowned onsen locales. Such a natural crisis has caused local authorities to implement measures to curb the damage apart from raising questions about the sustainability of these natural thermal spas.