Reviving the SENTO: Tokyo's Public Bath Renaissance

Shotaro Hino's Tokyo Sento Project: A Social Design Revolution

The SENTO, a public bath popular in Japan for about 700 years, has been more than just a place for hygiene. It has served as a community hub where people of all ages interact, help each other, and address regional issues like the isolation of the elderly. However, in recent years, SENTO has been on a downward trend due to aging customers and management, and a perception that it is outdated. This perception sparked the question that led to the Tokyo Sento Project: "Is SENTO we love really outdated? Is not it necessary now that SENTO is a community place for local people?"

The project began with the launch of a website named “TOKYO SENTO” to globally recognize and disseminate information about public baths. The website became a platform for young people interested in public baths, and it disseminated various projects relevant to rebranding SENTO. This initiative created a community of young people from various occupations with a challenging mind who want to realize in society.

As the project evolved, it also addressed another social issue: the problem of how young people work. Young people were found to be tired of overwork, dissatisfied with their jobs, and insecure about their future. However, they also had the motivation to contribute something to society and to change society itself. The Tokyo Sento Project developed SENTO as a local community and a new market, creating an environment where young people can work in a new way.

The unique properties of the Tokyo Sento Project include the management of a website connecting people and public baths, the management of public baths as an experimental site for new occupations, connecting them to companies as media for advertisement and event places, and creating an environment for new companies, occupations, and organizations related to public baths. Through these activities, the project has made the declining SENTO industry a necessity for the present society.

The project started in April 2015 in Tokyo and was realized through a website to disseminate about public baths. The activity spread to various fields such as interviews with famous people, events attracting more than 100 people, and tie-up plannings with companies. As activities got excited, the project gathered attention from companies, and many famous persons professed they love it. It became an attraction in society.

The Tokyo Sento Project was awarded Silver in A' Social Design Award in 2019. The award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.