Get A Soaking In Tokyo

Above, a communal bath in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

An enterprising gent in Tokyo has compiled a list of Japanese public baths (sentos) in the Tokyo area.

According to Japan Today:

TOKYO —Public baths, or sento, as they’re called in Japanese, used to be an ubiquitous part of Japanese cityscapes. Since the 1950s, though, infrastructure advancements have made private bathing facilities a part of almost every modern residence in Japan, and as a result the number of operating sento has been steadily declining. 

After taking a long look at the writing on the wall, some public baths have decided to call it quits and convert themselves into other sorts of businesses. However, there’s been an uptick in sento interest recently, with some young adults being drawn to their retro atmosphere and the affordable luxury of a quick soak without having to travel out of the urban environment. 

So to make speedy sento forays more convenient, Japanese Twitter user @mangetsu1129 began compiling a list of all the sento, super sento (larger-scale public baths), day-use hot springs, and saunas in Tokyo.

The list is now complete and available for viewing at Google Maps. Go here to see it.

To read more, go here.