Public baths, or sentō, are one of a variety of ways of enjoying bathing in Japan. For much of their history these bathhouses were not only places to bathe, but also served as important community ...

Public bathhouses have long been popular in Japan, for reasons of community as much as hygiene. But when did they first emerge and how have they changed over the years? This article provides an ...

For her graduation thesis, Mizuki Tanaka, then an art history student at Meiji Gakuin University, chose to explore how the motif of Mount Fuji evolved into the most commonly used in murals decorating ...

Sentō, or public bathhouses in Japan has been around since the 6th Century. Initially introduced as buddhism ritual to cleanse the body of impurities, the bathing culture gradually became part of ...

It was a cold February day in northern Japan, snow piled high outside the onsen locker room windows as I slipped out of my clothes. Nervously, I stepped into the plumes of steam wafting from the next ...

Sarasa Nishijin is a sentō (bathhouse) — well, it used to be. But using the past tense here belies how much of its old spirit still lives on. The waters may have drained away — replaced by sofas, ...