Asobi JTB to Promote Japan's "Onsen Culture" Globally with "KAWAII"

JTB Public Relations Office July 8, 2026

Asobi JTB Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Atsushi Saito; hereinafter referred to as "Asobi JTB"), a joint venture between JTB Corporation and Asobi System Co., Ltd., is pleased to announce that its project "Experience ONSEN Culture" (hereinafter referred to as "this project"), which fuses Japan's "Onsen Culture" with the globally popular pop culture "KAWAII" to offer new inbound experiences, has been selected for the Agency for Cultural Affairs' "JAPAN NOW" program for fiscal year 2026.

This project aims to foster momentum towards the inscription of "Onsen Culture" as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2030, in collaboration with the Association of Governors supporting the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage registration of "Onsen Culture." By merging Japan's proud "Onsen Culture" with "KAWAII," a Japanese pop culture with a global fandom, we aim to transform hot spring resorts into "hubs of moving experiences" that are chosen by people worldwide.

Asobi JTB will reconstruct Japan's onsen culture from the perspective of "updating the world with pop culture" and transmit Japan's appeal to the world.

● Background

Currently, as the inbound tourism market shows signs of recovery, travelers' interests are expanding beyond urban areas to cultural experiences unique to Japan's regions. On the other hand, many hot spring resorts face challenges such as a lack of nighttime content and difficulties in attracting foreign tourists. In response to this situation, Asobi JTB believes that by rediscovering the value of "Onsen Culture," which is the entirety of "Japan's beauty and spirit," and by contemporarily re-editing it through the lens of "KAWAII" culture, which has a global fandom, new motivations for visiting can be created.

This project will maximize the appeal of "Onsen Culture," which aims for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage registration in 2030, and contribute to attracting inbound tourists to regional areas and leveling out tourism demand.

Asobi JTB will fuse Asobi System's creative power in pop culture with JTB's tourism network and inbound expertise to plan and produce "KAWAII x Onsen" content based on inbound traveler data and an understanding of their needs. By collaborating with businesses nationwide and providing one-stop services from information dissemination to reservations and payments, we will enhance the convenience for foreign tourists and create a consistent experiential value.

● Main Initiatives

(Image) Key visual for "KAWAII Night Market" (JAPAN NOW Edition) *"KAWAII Night Market" is pending trademark registration by Asobi JTB.

The core content will be the immersive night market "ONSEN KAWAII MARKET," which fuses art, food, and fashion. This will include photogenic art installations in hot spring towns, food and sweets made from local ingredients remade with a "KAWAII" sensibility, nostalgic hot spring town games, and fashion items and goods unique to onsen. We will broadly implement initiatives to enhance the appeal of hot spring areas' nature, traditions, culture, and food, thereby attracting visitors from around the world and increasing local circulation.

We will offer foreign tourists a "new onsen experience" that goes beyond traditional onsen tourism.

● Future Outlook

In collaboration and cooperation with the JTB Affiliated Hotels and Ryokans Federation*1, we will launch initiatives in the Chugoku-Shikoku area starting in fiscal year 2026, and subsequently expand to the Kyushu-Okinawa area, Hokuriku-Tokai-Kinki area, Hokkaido-Tohoku area, and Kanto-Koshinetsu area each year, with the plan to roll out to hot spring areas nationwide over the five years leading up to 2030, the scheduled year for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage registration.

Through this project, Asobi JTB will contribute to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage registration of "Onsen Culture," create new appeal for Japan's onsen culture, and promote it both domestically and internationally, thereby contributing to the revitalization of regional economies, the promotion of Japan as a tourism-oriented country, and the realization of sustainable regional development.

◇ About Asobi JTB Inc. (https://asobijtb.com/)

A joint venture established in March 2026 through joint investment by JTB and Asobi System. It promotes the creation of new experiential value for inbound tourists by fusing Japan's pop culture, particularly "KAWAII" culture, with regional resources.

◇ About Onsen Culture (https://www.onsen-culture.org)

"Onsen" is a unique Japanese culture that is a bounty of nature and has healed people's minds and bodies since ancient times.

To pass on the onsen culture that hot spring areas have continuously nurtured to the next generation, hot spring areas, governments, companies, and organizations across the country are working together to promote its registration as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

◇ About JAPAN NOW (https://japanculturalexpo.bunka.go.jp/en/)

"JAPAN NOW" is a national project to promote the development of Japan's cultural arts, which embody Japan's beauty and spirit, and to disseminate their diverse and universal appeal.

*1 JTB Affiliated Hotels and Ryokans Federation

Established in 1956 (Showa 31). It contributes to the stable management of member hotels and ryokans through various campaigns and promotional activities in cooperation with the JTB Group, regional revitalization efforts, sales promotion for accommodations, human resource development programs, and research and training activities by various committees.

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