My first sento experience

[Bucko]

I've just got back from my first ever Japanese public bath experience, after living here for almost two years! I'd wanted to go for such a long time, but nerves and procrastination held me back, plus the fact that my American neighbour goes to one every night because his apartment doesn't have a bath or shower put me off a bit - a didn't particularly feel like bumping into one of my neighbours during my first bumbling experience.

There are two sentos in my neighbourhood here in Osaka, both about a five minute walk from my house. Although one looks a little classier than the other, I chose the less classy looking one thinking it'd be nice and simple.

So for the past two days I did as much research as a could on what to expect. I basically had the whole experience mapped out in my mind, and luckily enough, it turned out to be pretty much what I expected, with no major problems whatsoever.

I made sure to arrive late at night when it would be less busy, which turned out to be a good move as there were only about three or four men in there when I arrived. After putting my shoes into the locker out the front, I casually walked through the door and paid the 320 yen to the man at the front, acting as if I knew exactly what I was doing. Then I saw all the lockers to the side, exactly as I had read about. I got undressed, and took my soap, shampoo, and small towel into the bath area and found a plastic stool next to a free set of taps and shower. There was an old dude and a young dude scrubbing away, so I decided to scrub until they had both finished. My body ended up getting the scrubbing (and rinsing!) of a lifetime, as the two other men just washed and washed and washed. Finally I was fine to get into the bath...and boy was it hot! I think I only lasted about 5 minutes, although I'm not really sure as the whole experience was kind of surreal on the one hand, but also exactly what I had expected on the other.

One thing that surprised (and relieved!) me was that, although I was a big 6 foot white guy intruding into an ultra-Japanese tradition no one stared at me at all. Everyone just minded their own business - just looking in space mostly.

So now the hard part is finally over and done with and I think I might try enjoying the sento experience more often. Like I said, there are two sento just down the street from me, plus another one a little futher away, plus two others on my ride home from the gym. I'm looking forward to a relaxing soak after a good workout at the gym, hopefully I'll make it part of my regular routine.

I recommend this experience to anyone! But make sure you do a bit of research beforehand. This wiki link helped me out a lot:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sento

It was exactly as it was writting out in that link. From the placement of the lockers, to the bamboo flooring in the changing area, to the faucets, to the whole scrubbing and rinsing rule, even right down to the location of the drink machines and the Japanese garden out the front! The only thing that was different was the men's area was on the right hand side.

[Pachipro]

I'm glad you finally took the "plunge" after being in Japan for two years. The sento/public bath can be a most rewarding and refreshing experience especially after working out or a stressful day. Once you get used to it you'll have to stay in the bath for more than 5 minutes as it will really soothe the the muscles and joints. If it's too hot, get out and wash your hair or something and then go back in. The longer you stay in, the more your body gets used to the heat and it begins to work its magic on you.

Foreigners, are often intimated (like I was at first) of going into a public bath in Japan, but after a few times you will not even think twice about being naked in front of a group of people of your own sex and no one will even look at you.

Thanks for posting your experience.

[ricecake]

my American neighbour goes to one every night because his apartment doesn't have a bath or shower.There are two sentos in my neighbourhood here in Osaka, both about a five minute walk from my house.





Fun read,this finally confirmed a family friend ( lived in Tokyo for several months ) once said to me some Japanese dwellings don't have in-home shower and local ordinary folks take daily bath at a nearby public bathhouse.I've asked two Japanese females about it in person some years ago,they both denied it and said Japanese homes all have bathroom one can take shower just like in the USA.

[Bucko]

Fun read,this finally confirmed a family friend once said to me some Japanese dwellings don't have in-home shower and local ordinary folks take daily bath at a nearby public bathhouse.I've asked two Japanese females about it in person some years ago,they both denied it and said Japanese homes all have bathroom one can take shower just like in the USA.

I think there are quite a few that don't have bathrooms - basically any apartment building built before 1980 has a good chance of some apartments not having a bathroom. I live near a pretty poor area of Osaka (although rich with character) and there are lots of sentos, so I'm guessing that a lot of apartments in this area don't have bathrooms. In fact, I just looked at a map and there are about 15 sentos in a 1km radius from me.

[Ewok85]

Go to an 露天風呂 (rotenburo), if you've done a sento it should be easy.

I'm pretty wild, when I was on exchange I had no problem going to sento, onsen, retenburo and the school sento with my classmates, going to sento and onsen with host family and their friends, going with my girlfriend to a private onsen (rowwr ;)).

Best experience yet is a day of skiing, coming back soaked through, aching from all the fun, and falling asleep in the ryokans onsen, and be woken up by someone else for snoring.

[Live91]

Go to an 露天風呂 (rotenburo), if you've done a sento it should be easy.

I'm pretty wild, when I was on exchange I had no problem going to sento, onsen, retenburo and the school sento with my classmates, going to sento and onsen with host family and their friends, going with my girlfriend to a private onsen (rowwr ;)).

Best experience yet is a day of skiing, coming back soaked through, aching from all the fun, and falling asleep in the ryokans onsen, and be woken up by someone else for snoring.
Wow you guys are tough, I would not dare bath with people I didn't know,men or women or even little kids! None!:p
Sento looks cool though, if you can handle it.:-)

[Ewok85]

Wow you guys are tough, I would not dare bath with people I didn't know,men or women or even little kids! None!:p
Sento looks cool though, if you can handle it.:-)

Its not the people you don't know thats hard, its the people you do know. Once you realise you only live once its not such a big deal - and hey, were all the same anyway.

[Bucko]

Once you realise you only live once its not such a big deal - and hey, were all the same anyway.

That's what I figured. I've been here for two years now and hadn't gone to one yet, not even an onsen, but I'm only going to be here for another 8 months max so I'd better make the most of it.

[Ewok85]

Go nuts, take a camera, they usually are in beautiful locations (but the insides are usually fairly bland).

[ArmandV]

I tried a Japanese bath on my last trip. I used the one at the ryokan I stayed at in Sendai. After doing miles of touring, it felt good to just sit and soak. The only thing the hot water bothered were my toes. I averaged about 10 min. a session.

[epigene]

Fun read,this finally confirmed a family friend ( lived in Tokyo for several months ) once said to me some Japanese dwellings don't have in-home shower and local ordinary folks take daily bath at a nearby public bathhouse.I've asked two Japanese females about it in person some years ago,they both denied it and said Japanese homes all have bathroom one can take shower just like in the USA.
As Bucko said, virtually all homes (even the most modest ones) have baths or at least a shower in Japan today. The apartments without them are usually very old (waiting to be scrapped and replaced) or intentionally built that way to offer very affordable rent to students and very low income earners.

A new style of bathing for young university students who live in such apartments is to get membership in a local gym or athletic club. Rather than going to the sento every day, they can get free access to the club's bathing facilities (that can even include sauna and a swimming pool) and even work out at times! :blush:
If you add up the cost of daily sento visits, such membership becomes very economically reasonable! :-)

[ricecake]

The apartments without them are usually very old (waiting to be scrapped and replaced) or intentionally built that way to offer very affordable rent to students and very low income earners.





I see,the situation is limited to old apartment dwellers and lower economic class.

Honestly,I was a bit intrigued by public bathhouse local Japanese folks visit for daily bath at that time I was a youngster when she told me.I thought I could get greater details if I directly posed the question to Japanese nationals,they say no such so I never bothered to ask another Japanese again ever since.

[hapitots17]

hi!can i joine here?may pilipino po ba dito?

[Bucko]

Thanks for all the comments everyone. Since my first sento experience four days ago I've gone two more times, to a different sento these times. I've actually found a couple more sentos in my area too, so I'll have to check them out some time.

Actually, I was a little surprised, and a little put-off by tonight's visit. When I arrived I was the only one there, but later a middle-aged man arrived. However, despite all the rules and regulations I've read about public baths here, this man just jumped straight in without washing down! Huh?! I wonder how common it is to break the rules like that? Then after about 30 seconds he jumped out and went and cleaned himself. Weird.

[ricecake]

Since my first sento experience four days ago I've gone two more times,to a different sento these times.I've actually found a couple more sentos in my area too,so I'll have to check them out some time.





Don't you have to bring own hand water bucket,that's what I've seen in Japanese TV doramas with actors hand carrying one as they walk to a neighborhood public bathhouse ?

There is one Japanese-style hot spring place in southern California I like to check it out some day,we've been to Calistoga ( Napa County,N Calif ) for mud bath and such.

[caster51]

I have not gone to sento(furo-ya) for 20 years..
when I was a high school kid, My dream was to go to sento in tokyo with my girl friend:relief:
I did not have a chance of that though I was renting a cheap apartment for a poor university student at that time,
I recalled a nostalgic song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I35ypHAX2KM

[Bucko]

Don't you have to bring own hand water bucket,that's what I've seen in Japanese TV doramas with actors hand carrying one as they walk to a neighborhood public bathhouse ?

No, you don't need your own hand water bucket, they've got them there. But I see some old men late at night walking to the sento holding their own bucket with their wash goods. I just use a plastic bag for all my soap, shampoo, toothbrush etc and take that into the bath house.

[epigene]

Actually, I was a little surprised, and a little put-off by tonight's visit. When I arrived I was the only one there, but later a middle-aged man arrived. However, despite all the rules and regulations I've read about public baths here, this man just jumped straight in without washing down! Huh?! I wonder how common it is to break the rules like that? Then after about 30 seconds he jumped out and went and cleaned himself. Weird.
Yeah, weird!!
There is an off chance that the person is non-Japanese Asian -- someone who might have lived in Japan for quite a while but never had the opportunity to read the public bathhouse thread here at JREF or elsewhere! :hihi:

I must also admit that there are weird Japanese like in any other country in the world (and I think the number is growing considering the number of such persons I meet in the streets these days compared to, say, 20 years ago!).
This is compounded by the fact that most Japanese bathe at home (as I said in an earlier post) and are never taught traditional manners in a sento. This is especially true of the younger generations of Japanese but can include some older Japanese. :worried:

Don't you have to bring own hand water bucket,that's what I've seen in Japanese TV doramas with actors hand carrying one as they walk to a neighborhood public bathhouse ?
Yeah, people brought their own in the old days, when public bathhouses didn't provide them freely. (Same with shampoo, soap, etc.)

[firefly]

Congratulations on your first Japanese bathing experience. However, a sento can only be considered practice for one of the ultimate Japan experiences - an ONSEN !

I've been to some amazing onsen up in the Japanese mountains, between the ski fields. The air is crisp, clean and sharp, the cold is biting, but the feeling of slipping into a hot natural spring full of nourishing minerals is out of this world.

If you go skiing/snowboarding, I highly recommend you check out an onsen on your next trip. Now you've seen that no-one points and stares, and for the most part, everyone minds their own business, it's really not such a big deal.

[DoctorP]

I've been to some very nice onsen's in the mountains too. It is quite exhilerating to walk in the brisk air naked (except for a towel) and then enter the steamy water.

[craftsman]

Actually, I was a little surprised, and a little put-off by tonight's visit. When I arrived I was the only one there, but later a middle-aged man arrived. However, despite all the rules and regulations I've read about public baths here, this man just jumped straight in without washing down! Huh?! I wonder how common it is to break the rules like that? Then after about 30 seconds he jumped out and went and cleaned himself. Weird.

I wouldn't be able to count the times I've been to public baths and onsens all over Japan, and this is common practice everywhere. It is usual to splash yourself with water - no washing - just a quick splash and go straight in. Then wash after you've warmed up and relaxed a bit. And then back in again after washing. Mostly its the older generation rather than younger that do this.

[Mikawa Ossan]

I haven't gone to a sento or onsenn in a while, but I personally usually wash up first, then splash some of the pool's water, and then submerge. I don't pay much attention to the other people there, and they don't pay much attention to me, either.

[ricecake]

most Japanese bathe at home (as I said in an earlier post) and are never taught traditional manners in a sento.

Yeah, people brought their own in the old days, when public bathhouses didn't provide them freely. (Same with shampoo, soap, etc.)





Ok ... ok ... I believe you,Japanese commonly bathe at home hehe ( :relief: ).I didn't mean to get on your nerves by unraveling a local tradition has gradually phased out in modern time.I should've been careful with my words,not gender specific on last sentence of my first post ( :gomen: ).

epigene-san ... you've lived in America for some years,you should know there is no such thing as free-lunch.Those freebies already calculated in the service charge.

[firefly]

Argh, thats disgusting. If I went to an onsen/sento with Japanese friends and di that, they would murder me!
I wouldn't be able to count the times I've been to public baths and onsens all over Japan, and this is common practice everywhere. It is usual to splash yourself with water - no washing - just a quick splash and go straight in. Then wash after you've warmed up and relaxed a bit. And then back in again after washing. Mostly its the older generation rather than younger that do this.
----
Japan Blog (JOG) - firefly.yourjapan.jp

[Uchite]

It is great to go to the sento! First few times I had to learn how and what to do, but after that it was fine. I really enjoyed it and found it extremely relaxing. And I had no problem with being naked in front of others there. It all seemed perfectly normal there. I can think of many Westerners who would think they whole idea is outrageous!

[twinklestar]

a family friend ( lived in Tokyo for several months ) once said to me some Japanese dwellings don't have in-home shower and local ordinary folks take daily bath at a nearby public bathhouse.





A close relative of mine was working in Tokyo for several months in the mid-1980's also said there was no shower at the place where he stayed,and took daily bath at a neighborhood Sento.

[Qutiepie]

I am in middle of watching this 2006 Japanese TV series Sento no Musume starred Mari Yaguchi,an orphaned young adult searching for her step-father who runs a neighborhood Sento in Tokyo.


This native Japanese tradition is preserved and thriving as individually-operated private enterprise with a modern touch.:-)