Scenes from a traditional old Tokyo bathhouse

Gone are the days when visiting a public bathhouse (sento) was an integral part of daily life for many Tokyo residents, and as such, gone are many of the baths themselves. That said, they remain a part of the culture, and some of those still in operation are truly special places, with a retro look and feel all their own. Like Taisho-yu in the photos below.

Opening in 1934, it has undergone numerous changes and renovations, but entering is still like stepping back in time. A space where the colours and dated tech are an absolute joy. Then of course there are the traditional Mt. Fuji murals, with the one nod to modernity being a take on the recent tourism kerfuffle concerning said mountain and a Lawson convenience store.

Photographing the sento as part of a TV programme (there are clips of it on my Instagram) allowed me to see behind the scenes somewhat, and the third generation owner has resisted the now common transition to gas, preferring to still use wood to heat the water — a method that apparently makes it feel softer. Sticking to the old ways, however, does mean a lot of work, as it’s a labour intensive and incredibly repetitive process. One that starts around midday for the late afternoon opening time, and continues until 11pm. A tough job in itself, but then there’s the cleaning once the last bathers have gone home, meaning it’s the early hours of the morning until the day is done. Then it’s sleep before getting up to begin heating the water once again.

Located in Ota ward, it’s an area that back in the day had a lot of factories and small workshops, resulting in the area boasting Tokyo’s largest concentration of sento. A quite staggering 180 in the post-war era. A number that has now declined to just over 30, with many of those run by people who will sadly be the last generation of owners, just like Taisho-yu.