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Too Long of a Day
Slip through the split curtain (no-ren), leave your shoes behind at the entrance hall and have  three bucks ready...
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Cranes, Turtles & Love Birds
Next to the bath caretaker (bandai-no-obaasan) you’re greeted by fixtures on the various lockers which promise longevity...
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Bathing Kit for Sentonians
Folks who don’t have their own bath at home frequent their neighborhood Sento almost every night. Regulars stash their washing gear in the dressing room (datsui-jo)...
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Rinse, Baby Rinse
Thorough washing of the entire body before dipping into the tubs is the most essential of good Sento manners...
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Tiny Piece of Fabric
In addition to your birthday suit, you may bring one small towel to the bathing area – universally used as a washcloth, loin cover, and cold pack for your head while sweating in the sauna...
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Towel & Soap Acrobats
The halls of a Sento offer refuge for arcane brands of soap and foster elaborate washing rituals called The Way of the Bath...
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Banishing Evil Spirits
While soaking in the herbal bath, Koma-inu – the lion dog from Korea – guards the entrance to make sure you stay safe from nasty demons...
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Water Supply from the Aquifer
From 100 meters (300 ft) below ground sputters the ice-cold fresh water in the tub next to the sauna...
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Family “Skinship” Day
Skin-to-skin contact, even among the family, is rather limited in Japan. An exception is at the Sento, where parents and small kids rub and wash each other’s backs...
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Heavenly Soak
Several tubs with hot water of different temperatures ensure bliss for body and soul. Ads for local businesses on the mirrors are the only reminder of the outside world...
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Chill-out Zone
The dressing room is not exactly for interior design buffs (or is it?), but offers multiple ways of sliding back into reality. Fifties interior appears to have escaped the museum...
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TV Zapping Democracy
A centrally located remote control puts you in charge of what’s on. Milk and vitamin drinks of a previous era have found a permanent home...
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do
you know Shigemori?
