SENTŌ. BEING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VISUAL HISTORY

OF JAPANESE BATHHOUSES. THE MUTED WATERCOLOURS OF THIS BOOK WILL MELT

YOUR HEART. INTERIORS DESIGNED IN INCREMENTS. DECORATION BY DECADES. TIME AFTER TIME. 

Sentō: The Japanese Public Bath in the 20th Century. Compiled by Shinobu Machida and photographed by Shōji Ōnuma. Published in 2002. And over those 21 years it has become increasingly scarce. You will not wonder why when you see inside. It is glorious. 
 

Would you look at that? Everything about it is perfect imperfection. There was a laundrette and dry cleaner in South Wimbledon that looked a bit like this. Gone now, of course. And never so beautifully photographed for a book either. 
 

Oddly enough, The New Piccadilly cafe on Denman Street in London looked a lot like this one (also long gone). Japan gave the world the wabi sabi aesthetic - not just in words - but in places. 
 

Wes Anderson eat your art department out. On that cinematic subject, there are numerous Japanese films with wonderful bathhouse scenes. Our favourite would be Departures (2009). That is an incredibly good film. 



The book doesn't show too many people using the baths. They may be public but not that public! This photograph, that is included, is from 1950. Should you be inspired to visit a sentō, follow these tips below.



• Familiarise yourself with the characters for man (男) and woman (女) so you can confidently enter the correct bath area
• Be courteous in the bath. Don't splash around or talk too loudly
• Use the restroom before entering the bath area. There's usually one in the changing room or before
• Many sentō don't offer amenities, so bring your own towels, soap, etc. If you forget, most bathhouses sell them for a small fee
• Drink water to avoid getting dehydrated

2001. A products odyssey. This is just one page from a whole chapter of products that were available in one bathhouse in the year the book was compiled. The book is beyond completist btw. Buy this and read it (there is English text alongside the Japanese) and you'll have done the knowledge of Japanese sentō. 
 

The swans. So elegant. This interior: perfection. 

Pound for pound and page for page, this must be one of the best books we have written about. We love it LOTS!

One copy on the green buttom below.