Many closed-down “sento” public bathhouses across Japan have been reborn as cafes or even “izakaya” pubs. But a few are now being used for welfare services while maintaining the original association ...

Have you ever wanted to experience a traditional Japanese bathhouse?Imagine stepping into a large, warm bath after a long day of exploring Japan. Outside, the streets are busy. Inside, people are ...

From Koganeyu to Spa LaQua to Myojinyu, here are our picks for the five best "sento" public bathhouses in Tokyo. Shedding your clothes, sinking into a tub of steaming water and staring up at soothing ...

Public bathhouses, or sento, as they’re known in Japanese, used to be a thriving business back in the day, when people didn’t have baths or showers installed at home. These days, there’s not a lot of ...

"I want to go to a sauna while I'm out, but I don't know which nearby place is good." "I wonder if there are any day-trip ...

Does the thought of getting nude with other people in your local sento, or public bath, raise a smile or make you cringe? Whatever your personal take, the process of bathing in true Japanese form has ...

Onsen (hot springs) have been part of Japanese culture for centuries, but they’ve been seriously surging in popularity over the past 20 years. At the same time that there’s an onsen renaissance going ...

Long-standing sento bathhouse Matsumoto-yu in Nakano has undergone a major renovation for the first time in its 85-year history. With the help of locals, the bathhouse was able to collect sufficient ...

Covid accelerated a decline but a new breed of bathhouse is reimagining a Japanese tradition It is a Japanese ritual that stretches back centuries: stripping off in the company of friends and ...

VISITORS LEAVE their clothes and their worries at the wooden entrance to Inari-yu, a sento, or public bathhouse, in northern Tokyo. Inside they join the parade of bathers ambling beneath a mural of a ...