 The Sento
Japanese public bathhouses 銭湯
Jim Cathcart gets himself into hot water...
Of all the activities available to the weary traveler in Japan, whether
you're a die-hard grasshopper on a Zen quest or a core football fan
in a strange land, a trip to the public bathhouse, or sento (lit."penny bath"),
is definitely one of the most affordable and interesting activities available
to those who want to experience the local culture.
For relaxation, refreshment,
hilarity, the "kicking-it-with-the-locals" experience, or simply
the bliss of total cleanliness, a visit to the sento should be penciled,
if not inked, in during your stay.
For the Japanese, the equation is simple: sento = cleanliness + nakedness
+ togetherness, without any of the kinky or shamefaced connotations Westerners
usually associate with full frontal nudity and communal space.
The rules of Sento
Coincidently, Japan has never been the most PC of countries and rumors
abound regarding the barring of foreigners from entering these least private
of public places. Incidences of drunken Russian sailors water-fighting
in the bathhouses and onsens (hot springs)
of the northern island of Hokkaido have fuelled a tabloid debate about
whether or not the hairy barbarian with little understanding of the subtle
nuances of Japanese culture should be tolerated.
However, if a few simple
rules are followed, a sento visit by the alien poses no problem and is
an excellent opportunity to pay homage to Japanese ingenuity and high
standards of cleanliness, as well as to get a glimpse of what is a vanishing
monument of Japanese culture.
The History of the Sento
The sento has existed for over 400 years in Japan, but a post-war construction
boom in residential housing without bathing facilities or running water
cemented the sento's prominence in the community. Sento numbers are
dwindling today as Japanese can now afford baths or showers in their own
homes.
The Yomiuri Weekly newspaper reports that sento are disappearing
at the rate of one a day. Numbers peaked in 1964 at 23,016, but are currently
at 8,422. For a class-conscious society, the sento has become an embarrassing
reminder of an impoverished past, and as the ranks of Japan's noveuau
riche have continued to swell, an undeserved stigma has fallen upon those
who patronize the humble sento; it has become the domain of the shitamachi (inner urban areas) and the industrial "working class" suburban
sprawl.
However, the sento remains a veritable oasis in many communities,
especially in the suffocating summers and brass-monkey winters, and recreational
reincarnations have kept the spirit alive. As an example, in the northern
suburbs of Osaka, a mega-sento was built in the 1960s for families to
experience the community's spirit of yesteryear. On a Friday night,
this expansive water world, featuring a rotemburo (outdoor hot
spring) and udon-ya (noodle bar), is the Al's Aquatic Diner
of family entertainment, with cars backed up a mile expertly coordinated
by uniformed security guards wielding fluorescent batons. Operating 24/7,
this sento is a more modest and family-oriented version of some of the
wilder forms of sento entertainment that exist today.
The Turkish Bath
A
different type, the bath house with sex on sale was originally called
a "Turkish bath" a lingering sore point for the longstanding
Turkish ex-pat community in Tokyo and has now been replaced by
the blandly named Soapland, where
a full range of extra services cater to the sexual needs of Japan's
salaryman (male office worker).
Many soaplands are strictly off limits
to foreigners: partly a result of racism and ignorance, but also largely
contributed to by the average Japanese person's fear of the perceived
unpredictability of foreigners. However, with the full-blown recession
taking its toll on the randy Japanese male's wallet, a soapy servicing
for the foreigner is not beyond the realms of possibility, particularly
in Tokyo and Osaka.
First Immersion
Entering a sento for the first time can be a particularly nerve-wracking
affair for the unsuspecting foreigner. The thought of baring for all and
sundry is just a little over the top for your average, gun-shy tourist.
But for those prepared to take the plunge, the bathhouse offers an energy-priming
prelude to a night out on the town or a revitalizing soak after a long
day. The sento is not on the stop for tourist buses, but as mentioned
before, if one follows the correct protocol, you are as likely to be treated
with excessive friendliness as with physiologically-focussed curiosity
or total disregard.
The first thing to remember is to remove your shoes - the first
rule any foreigner should heed when entering a Japanese private space.
In most cases lockers are available, but shoe sizes over 28 cm may require
some extra effort as the Japanese foot is one part of the anatomy that
is usually more compact than that of the average Westerner. Next, the
admission fee.
Most sentos use ticket vending machines stationed in the
entrance. The hurdle here: pressing the correct button. Remember, local
governments subsidize the sento, so the price of admission should not
exceed 400 yen -- assuming you don't need a towel, soap, shampoo,
shaving cream, toothpaste, hair oil, so look for the closest
yen figure.
After passing your token or ticket to the custodian (most
sentos are family owned and operated), you may enter either one of two
enclosed sections: one for the boys, one for the girls. As with most gender-determined
spaces in Japan, the women's side is likely to include at least a little
pink decor, and the men's some blue. The custodian will usually keep the wa (harmony) by pointing you in the appropriate direction. If
you make a wrong turn, bow and smile and change track.
Once inside, you will see lockers for your clothes and valuables. A word
of warning: many sentos used to ban customers with tattoos, which are
the traditional symbols of the Japanese mafia, the yakuza. In the last
10 years, the tattoo stigma has been waning as tattoos are fast becoming
de rigueur amongst fashionable younger people. Unfortunately, the sight
of tattooed foreigners can still cause alarm among some of the less open-minded.
Don't let this put you off - you might even get some compliments
on your artwork. An Israeli sento aficionado living in a gang-infested
part of Osaka, who is also heavily inked from the neck down, recounted
his official welcome into the neighborhood resulting from the interest
of two living artworks, a.k.a., the yakuza.
The
sento is roughly divided into two sections: where you wash and where you
relax. It is extremely important that you don't confuse the two.
To dive into one of the spa baths with flannel and soap is definitely
not the way to go.
Before entering the relaxation baths, it is important
that every square inch of skin gets a lashing of the suds. Typically,
one squats centimeters above the ground under small showers with the backside
resting on a miniature stool. Don't worry, it is more comfortable
than it sounds - even if the knees have seen better days. Instead of allowing
water to run over yourself as you clean considered wasteful in
Japan - pour water over your body with a shallow plastic bucket provided
by the sento.
Shaving and brushing of teeth is allowed. Just make sure you wash away
the gremlins afterwards.
Once you've cleaned yourself entirely, ensuring that all the soap
and shampoo have been rinsed away, it is safe to proceed to the range
of baths for relaxation. What is particularly appealing about the sento
is that each retains its own distinct character, which extends to the
facilities on offer.
At the very least, a sento will include foaming spa
baths and still hot baths. A plethora of possibilities exist, from the
aforementioned to an evil beast called the denki buro: which translates
as "electric bath." Whatever you learnt about the dangers of
water and electricity at primary school are totally confounded here. The
denki buro is a small bath equipped with steel plates that discharge pulsing
currents of electricity into the submerged bather.
According to local
sources, the electricity relaxes the muscles, doing nothing to dispel
the myth that the Japanese have unusually masochistic tendencies. Rumors
exist amongst younger people that the denki buro devastates the
sperm count, so it may be a cheap substitute for the vasectomy. This writer,
who has an acute fear of electric shocks and a sensitivity to even a hint
of static, was convinced of this when he gingerly tested the waters for
a split-second. For even the hardest of hooligans that plans to grace
these shores, this ultimate test of machismo is sure to shock.
Relaxing in the Sento
 The
baths are for relaxing: an important point to remember. Making sure you're
fully washed and showered down before entering will appease the locals.
Most baths are classed by temperature: tei-on (tepid) to chu-on
(warm) which is bearable for 10 minutes or so, and then ko-on which
will convince you the Japanese are as twisted as the TV game shows suggest
they are. If you can't read the kanji (Chinese characters),
you can judge the temperature and severity of a bath by the oji-san (senior
citizen) factor - generally the temperature of the water is roughly equal
to the age of the bather.
Of course, we're talking Celcius. The ja-kuu-ji (Japanese for jacuzzi) bath is also popular, and many are spiked with
scented bath oils to sooth and restore vitality. The utase buro massages the head, shoulder, spine and back with a high-pressure stream
of hot water pummeling down from a meter or so above. Steam rooms and
saunas can also be found in most sentos. And if you're lucky, some
sentos have tapped spring water, which enables them to recreate the rotemburo:
an outdoor hot spring that is a cheap alternative to the traditionally
expensive onsen resort.
Foreign Curiosities
Sentos are civil and respectful arenas, and privacy is respected. However,
it is important to note the existence of a certain fascination with gaijin
anatomy. As stereotypes abound in every society, those pertaining to the
size of foreigners' genitals are pervasive in Japan. An Australian
bather was once told, after a physical examination from a curious local,
"So what they say isn't true, you're no bigger than the
rest of us."
Another German visitor was bemused when an interested local asked him
if he shaved because "gaijin (foreigners) have more body hair than
that." Women are treated with more awe, according to a buxom lounge
hostess from California. She adds: "if the customers at the cocktail
lounge were as respectful as that, the job could almost be enjoyable."
Sentos are no longer mixed, a result of Japan's efforts to impress
upon the prudish Western world during the Meiji
period (1867-1912) that they were indeed "civilized."
While discovering a bath house by yourself is fun, there are a few web
sites that can help you on the way.
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