Kenshi Naito, an employee of Daikokuyu, a public bathhouse in Tokyo, showed an illustrated card to Cheng Dian Heng from Taiwan. The card had a message that said ”Don’t use your smartphone.” Naito was teaching Cheng about bathing etiquette using large illustrations created specifically for foreign tourists. This was Cheng’s first time at a public bathhouse in Japan.
Naito explained the rules of the public bathhouse to Cheng in English. He told him to shower before entering the large bath and to dry off before returning to the dressing room. Cheng expressed his happiness at learning something new and said that there are no public baths like this in Taiwan.
The illustrations were created for Sentorance Japan, a sento tour launched by Kanazawa Yokujo. The tour includes a lecture on sento etiquette using the illustrations, followed by taking a bath at a bathhouse.
Daikokuyu is located near Tokyo Skytree and attracts tourists from various countries. However, many foreign tourists did not know bathing etiquette, which annoyed some locals. To address this issue, the company organized the tour so that foreign tourists could enjoy their first sento experience.
Naito serves as a guide for the tour based on his experience working at a hotel in Canada during his working holiday there. The tour is advertised on social media and posters hung in sentos.
Sam Holden, director of Sento & Neighborhood association in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward, says that interest in Japan’s sento culture is growing overseas. Holden started going to sentos while studying urban sociology at the University of Tokyo and realized how closely linked they were to local people’s lives.
Holden believes that sentos are invaluable places where people can experience everyday life and supports their revitalization through various activities with Sento & Neighborhood association.
To attract visitors who are not familiar with sentos from overseas, Holden suggests making them feel accessible by providing necessary information such as where to take off shoes. He also advises owners to show that foreign visitors are welcome even if they don’t speak English well.
Holden believes that sentos can be used more as tourism resources and wants to communicate their value and importance so it can be passed on to future generations.