This Winter, Try Dipping into Sento Culture
Published: December 10, 2018
What makes a sento (public bath) so appealing?
While it is possibly the most affordable, accessible way to relax, unwind, and feel all warm and cozy on a cold winter’s day, a public bath can be a daunting place to visit. After all, there is a certain, alien intimacy in the concept of bathing in the presence of other people—any people. But perhaps that is exactly why sento remain a valued presence in Japan. In a country where the majority of the culture dictates physical contact be limited to an occasional handshake, and people are careful to always leave an appropriate distance between each other, the naked vulnerability of a sento is refreshing.
There are quite a few sento in Koto City, spanning the ward in all four directions. Here in Kiyosumi-shirakawa, Tatsumi-yu is a venerable establishment loved dearly by locals.
(The little sign with the Japanese hiragana「ゆ」(yu), referring to “hot water’, indicates the right location.)
The entrance may look unremarkable, but don’t be fooled. After taking off your shoes and storing them in one of the lockers, you can head left to enter the women’s baths, or right to the men’s.
This is the lounge/changing room. Look how big it is! With plenty of space, seating, and a flat-screen TV, it’s a comfortable place to sit and relax while getting ready for, or after a bath.
There’s also a well-stocked bookshelf, packed mostly with popular manga (Japanese comic) titles. There’s a lot of manga on the premise…
And I mean a lot!
“Some people come here and spend hours reading manga,” laughed a staff member. “They take a bath, read some manga, go back into the bath, then out again to read…and so on.”
Considering a trip to the sento costs only 460 yen and there is no time limit to how long you stay (until closing), the bookshelves full of entertainment at Tatsumi-yu are definitely part of what gets people hooked.
As for the baths themselves, they look like this:
This is the women’s bath. The huge tub in the middle is usually bubbling with jet streams of water. Don’t forget to wash and rinse yourself thoroughly at the many shower stations before going in!
However, this is not all. At Tatsumi-yu, they don’t just have a regular bathtub…
They also have a roten-buro, or “open-air bath”! It faces a scenic little garden and you can enjoy the fresh air of the outdoors while you stay warm in the hot water. You don’t usually see a set-up like this unless you travel to an onsen (hot spring) resort!
“The tub next to it is a cold water bath,” I was told. A cold water bath? That doesn’t sound very appealing—whatever for?
For the sauna, as it turned out! There is a sauna room in both the men’s and women’s baths, where you can sweat out the toxins of daily life. Then, take a quick dip in the cold water bath to get refreshed and cool down.
The sauna does cost an additional 220 yen to use, so just ask at the front desk before going in.
The front desk also offers items for sale like drinks and bathing kits. Many people will bring their own towel, shampoo and other toiletries with them to a sento; but if you forget, or decide to drop by on a whim, Tatsumi-yu sells bath towels, face towels, and towel kits! The latter, called a “tebura kit” (tebura means “empty-handed”) comes with a face towel, 2-in-1 shampoo & conditioner, soap, toothbrush, and a hair tie or ladies or a razor for men.
And though you can’t bring a towel into the water with you, they’re very useful as a washcloth, and many people wrap one soaked in cold water around their head before entering the tub to prevent their bodies from overheating.
Aside from the lounge, there is also a “resting room” adjacent to the roten-buro, where you can relax and read a magazine (or more manga). The beams along the ceiling are absolutely packed with little towel puppies—a unique creation of the Tatsumi-yu staff who felt the room was not decorative enough before.
If you’ve never chanced a visit to a sento in Japan, I highly suggest you give it a try. It might feel a little strange or uncomfortable at first, but it is also one of the best ways to enjoy an age-old tradition. Japanese people have always believed that bathing together is a catalyst in forging a more trusting relationship (because you can’t hide any weapons on your person if you aren’t wearing clothes), and that belief has carried well into modern day (sans the weapons). Besides, it’s just good fun to stretch out in a huge old bathtub once in a while; it feels like you’re relaxing at a mini resort, and you don’t even have to leave the city to do it!
Story by Xianru Shen（Koto City Office Coordinator for International Relations）
