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Watch John Daub of Only in Japan, as he tours public bath houses in Tokyo.

Sento is a type of public bath house where you can relax and enjoy different experiences in bathing. While also a communal facility, there is a big difference between sento and onsen. Sento utilizes tap water heated by boilers while onsen takes water from a natural hot spring. 

As Japan is a country with tons of active volcanoes, onsens can be found throughout the country. Because of these, Sento became popular around neighborhoods as the Japanese felt that the nakedness and proximity gives emotional closeness to the people.

While the number of Sentos in Tokyo declined in the recent years, there are Sentos that aims to give the visitors a different kind of feeling. Themes of traditional, modern, and futuristic are being used to promote the bath tourism. 

Tags: john daub, only in japan, public bath house, tokyo, sento, onsen, hot spring, active volcano