Muscles, hot springs and stunning scenery combine to create some memorable slow motion bathing experiences.

When planning a short trip away in Japan, one of the many things locals take into account when choosing a place to stay is the quality of the onsen. Whether you’re staying in a large modern hotel or a small traditional inn, you’ll find on-site hot spring bathing facilities at many popular tourist destinations, and one of the regions currently putting their hand up for your consideration is Ibaraki Prefecture, on the far eastern coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu.

The prefecture is putting their best foot forward with a series of attention-grabbing videos, featuring a muscly, flesh-baring Japanese man bathing at some of the region’s premier onsen locations. Shot in glorious 4K, there are currently three videos in the series, called the Ibaraki Onsen File, which shows the beauty of the hot springs at Ibaraki’s Isohara Seaside Hotel, Marumitsu Ryokan, and Yu No Sawa Spa.

Check out the first video, shot at Isohara Seaside Hotel, below.

Strong, relaxing, beautiful, and tension-building all at the same time, we don’t know whether we want to immediately book a trip to the hotel to replicate the slow-motion bathing experience or press replay to view it one more time. Before hitting that replay button, though, there’s another video to enjoy, and this one introduces us to the pleasures of bathtime at Marumitsu Ryokan.

The dimly lit bathing area with waterproof tatami flooring and waterside reading nook almost fades into the background with all those languid close-up muscle shots.

Before we get too carried away, it’s time to check out the final video in the series, shot at Yu No Sawa Spa.

The 150-year-old spa gets a dose of sex appeal with the hunky bather, who can’t resist letting loose with a set of push-ups on its rocky rim.

With hundreds more onsen bathing options around Ibaraki Prefecture, we hope this is just the start of our journey into the “Onsen x Muscles x 4K” experience. We can’t wait to see which hot springs they’ll introduce us to next!

Featured image: IbakiraTV
Insert images: IbakiraTV (1, 2)
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