A water shortage hitting Japan's hot springs has resulted in a number of restrictions in a bid to reduce consumption.

Japanese hot springs—better known as onsens—are prized ... but a surge in tourism has left some onsen towns running low on water; leaving local officials feeling anything but zen.

It has urged onsen to limit daily extraction and some hotels to regulate late-night in-room baths to allow water levels to recover gradually. 03:52 Japan’s powerful hot springs industry hopes ...

This file photo shows the hot spring resort town of Kusatsu in Gunma Prefecture bustling with tourists in February 2018. (Kyodo) SAGA, Japan ... "Water levels are falling, but hot springs remain ...

Japan's famous natural hot springs, or onsens, are facing a crisis due to overtourism, which is dangerously depleting water levels in several popular cities. In Ureshino, a historic onsen town in Saga ...

From a nice cup of tea to a soothing bath, hot water is indispensable in daily life. What's more, Japan is famous for its steaming hot springs, with more than 17,000 of them around the country.

And then there are small round cakes called onsen manju, a popular snack sold at Japanese hot springs. Stuffed with red bean paste, they are cooked with the steam that rises from onsen water.

SAGA, (Japan): (Bernama-Kyodo ... Kyodo News reported officials added. "Water levels are falling, but hot springs remain operational," Daisuke Murakami, mayor of Ureshino in Saga Prefecture ...