Bathing
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Onsen
An onsen (温泉, onsen) is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. A volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth. Onsen was traditionally used as the public bathing place and today plays a central role in directing Japanese domestic tourism.
Onsen comes in many types and shapes, including outdoor (露天風呂 or 野天風呂, rotenburo or notenburo) and indoor baths. Baths may be either public run by a municipality or private (内湯, uchiyu) often run as part of a hotel, Ryokan (Japanese inn) or Bed and Breakfast (民宿, minshuku).
Sentō
Sentō (銭湯, Sentō) is a type of Japanese communal bathhouse where customers pay for entrance. Traditionally these bathhouses have been quite utilitarian, with one large room separating the sexes by a tall barrier, and on both sides, usually a minimum of lined up faucets and a single large bath for the already washed bathers to sit in among others. Since the second half of the 20th century, these communal bathhouses have been decreasing in numbers as more and more Japanese residences now have baths. Some Japanese find social importance in going to public baths, out of the theory that physical proximity/intimacy brings emotional intimacy, which is termed skinship in Japanese. Others go to a sent" because they live in a small housing facility without a private bath or to enjoy bathing in a spacious room and to relax in saunas or jet baths that often accompany new or renovated sent"s.
Ofuro
A Furo (風呂), also known as ofuro (お風呂), is a traditional Japanese bath, which originated steep-sided wooden bathtub. Baths of this type are found all over Japan in houses, apartments, and traditional Japanese inns, or Ryokan.
A furo differs from a conventional western bathtub by being of a deeper construction, typically in the region of 0.6 m (25 inches). The sides are generally square rather than being sloped. Traditionally, furo was heated by a wood-burning stove below. Furo is usually left filled with water overnight and emptied the next day. In the old days, the same water would remain in the bath for a few days, however, due to today's health regulations, this no longer happens. It is a Japanese custom that all members of the family use the same bathwater each night and therefore it is important to be completely clean before entering the bath. This type of ofuro was the precursor of the modern western-style hot tub.
Hamam / Turkish bath
A Turkish bath (Turkish: Hamam) is the Turkish variant of a steam bath, sauna, or Russian Bath, distinguished by a focus on water, as opposed to ambient steam.
In Western Europe, the Turkish bath as a method of cleansing the body and relaxation was particularly popular during the Victorian era. The process involved in taking a Turkish bath is similar to that of a sauna but is more closely related to ancient Greek and ancient Roman bathing practices.
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