Sentō
Sentos have been a part of Japanese culture since the early 8th century.
Sentō (銭湯)
-is a type of Japanese communal bath house where customers pay for entrance. Traditionally these bath houses have been quite utilitarian, with one large room separating the sexes by a tall barrier, and on both sides, usually a minimum of lined up faucets and a single large bath for the already washed bathers to sit in among others. Since the second half of the 20th century, these communal bath houses have been decreasing in numbers as more and more Japanese residences now have baths. Some Japanese find social importance in going to public baths, out of the theory that physical proximity/intimacy brings emotional intimacy, which is termed skinship in Japanese. Others go to a sentō because they live in a small housing facility without a private bath or to enjoy bathing in a spacious room and to relax in saunas or jet baths that often accompany new or renovated sentōs.
Coming Clean in Japan: Soak in a Sento !
It is here, in the sento, where you, as a visiting foreigner, may come closest to feeling like you are part of Japan. In the sento, all non-essentials are literally stripped away. In a country where form, method and decorum are so indispensable, the sento is the one place where everything is reduced to its most basic element: the soap removes the dirt, the steam cleanses the mind, the water calms the body and the light, pouring in mid-day from an overhead window, illuminates the scene of humans together, washing off the layers of fatigue and filth that cling to us as we walk through the clutter of the city.
YURI
Email: yuri@prosperjp.com
