Arai-Yu Sento

While the difference may be subtle for us foreigners, sento and onsen are two different ways to enjoy Japanese bath culture. Simply put onsen means hot spring with hot natural water, while a sento is a paid public bath with heating boilers and dates back to as early as the Heian Period. In earlier days, it was the norm that ordinary people didn’t own baths at their home.

Today’s sento was introduced to us by a friend, Stephanie, who happens to be one of Tokyo’s most famous sento ambassadors. Located near Tokyo Skytree in Sumida-Ku, Arai-Yu is an old sento constructed in a traditional architectural style called “miyadzukuri.” The same architectural style used for Japanese shrines and temples.

While each sento is unique, Arai-Yu has its own it “golden age” of sento thanks to its design, atmosphere and as well as its amazing mural designed by one of Tokyo’s most famous sento painter : Nakajima-San