sento Archives - Unseen Japan

A koto, keyboard and microphones set up in a former bathhouse's tiled bathing room, paper lanterns strung above the empty tubs.

An Old Public Bathhouse in Kyoto Becomes a Concert Venue

Japan's public bathhouses are struggling to stay alive. Here's how one Kyoto venue found a unique solution for preserving communal space.

kom-pal bathhouse tall chimney lettered 金春湯, rising against a blue sky with Osaki office towers behind

How an Ex-Engineer Revived A Public Bath in Tokyo

Japan's neighborhood bathhouses are disappearing, but some are bucking the trend. See how one ex-engineer keeps his family's sento alive.