臺灣溫泉的日本風情隨著溫泉產業的發展而持續增溫，其原因固然可從後殖民主義的角度來取得初步的推斷，但後殖民觀點容易流於情緒發洩而疏於實際歷史。本文以歷史社會學的角度，就文明化的動態過程來檢視日本近代歷史發展過程中佛教禪宗的精神及宋代藝術、公共浴室、現代國家的成型與日本之美的意象、日本文化的對外代表性、文學想像、交通建設、消費文化及民間興起之生活休閒觀念等等線索，來回溯日本溫泉文化的生成因緣，同時指出「日本溫泉」的特色在於日本的「溫泉之美」等同於溫泉的「日本之美」。本文寫作之宗旨，試圖以具體歷史消弭後殖民主義過於簡單的架構式理解，也希望日本的經驗有助於反思臺灣溫泉文化的生成條件。

Japanese style of hot spring bathing has been booming in Taiwan with its development of hot spring industry. Perhaps post-colonialism can offer certain heuristic explanation about such trend, but post-colonialism by itself may carry emotional bias too. This paper prefers the process of civilizing Instead, with the help of historical sociology. Going back into Japanese history, I try to connect the influence of Buddhist meditation, public bath, image of beauty of Japan, literature imagination, traffic convenience and the transformation of the idea of life, and combine them into the route of the formation of Japanese hot spring culture. Especially, the author will point out the unique character of Japanese hot spring is that: “the beauty of hot spring” in Japan refers to “the beauty of Japan” in hot spring. It is hoped that such doing can perhaps offer certain correction of post-colonial bias and reflection upon the possible cultural formation of Taiwanese hot spring industry.