You might occasionally bump into a member of Japan’s yakuza at a sento. Is that something to be scared of? I believe it isn’t, but I do understand why their presence can be intimidating.
You might occasionally bump into a member of Japan’s yakuza at a sento. Is that something to be scared of? I believe it isn’t, but I do understand why their presence can be intimidating.
There are of course many things you can expect to find when you visit a sento: baths, changing rooms, the elderly, etc. There are also a few not-so-expected things you are all but guaranteed to find at pretty much any sento in the land.
The prevailing idea is that Japanese public baths don’t welcome people with tattoos, but is that really true? Not necessarily.
With over 6,000 public baths in Japan there are bound to be a few unique ones. Here are just a few.
A while ago I found a list of the 10 most unique bath houses in Japan. The list appears to be a little outdated, since some of the sento on the list have closed. Help me revitalize this list.
Many things can go wrong when trying things for the first time. When you go bathing in a sento, keep in mind some of these things, just so you don’t have to learn the hard way.
Electric baths are commonplace in Japanese public bath houses, but exactly what is the benefit of bathing in electricity?
Large chain stores are a symptom of capitalism: provide consumers with a standardized product so they know what to expect and feel more inclined to pay for it. One chain of public bath houses in Japan has taken that step too.
One of the barriers keeping foreigners out of public bath houses in Japan is the nudity factor. While many Japanese people don’t feel any shame bathing naked, many foreigners do.
