Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Sento

In the last article, I told you about onsen, or hot springs, and explained how bathing in natural spring waters is a ritual in Japan, especially in the wintertime. Today I’m going to tell you about something even better, and something very few travelers know about—the sento. A sento is a public bath. Of course, onsen are also a form of public bath. The difference between a sento and an onsen is that onsen use natural spring water (which is reflected in their 1,000 yen and up price) while sento use just hot tap water. In the old days, sento served the entire neighborhood as older Japanese houses were not equipped with baths or showers. These days, however, since all new Japanese houses have baths, sento are on the decline. In the not too distant future, sento will be extinct and their flashier counterparts, the onsen, will be the only public baths available. Sentos give you a rare glimpse into Japanese culture that you won’t find at an onsen which is full of tourists. Don’t miss your chance to get naked with the locals at a neighborhood sento!