Bathers at Tokyo Sento Public Bathhouse Enjoy Scenic Japanese Garden; Rare Garden at Sento Delights Locals, Nationwide Visitors

By Yuta Nagatani / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

18:28 JST, April 7, 2025

Upon entering Takara-yu, a long-established sento public bathhouse, visitors in the changing room are greeted with a gorgeous view of an authentic Japanese garden, which is rare for sento. Located near Kita-Senju Station in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, the area retains its friendly working-class atmosphere.

Fans of sento from all over the country visit Takara-yu to enjoy its beautiful scenery.

The sento is built in the style of a shrine, and the entrance bears a carving of the seven deities of good fortune, which was placed in the hopes that they will bring customers even a little bit of good luck.

Next to the carving is a decoration in the shape of “yumiya,” or a bow and arrow. Takara-yu proprietor Koichi Matsumoto said it was chosen for the bathhouse because of the similarity between the Japanese phrases, “yumi wo iru” (to shoot a bow) and “yu ni iru” (to take a bath).

Though the bathhouse has been renovated, the building’s structure has remained nearly the same as when it opened at its current location in 1938. The bathhouse has a 7-meter-high ceiling, letting bathers enjoy a spacious and pleasant atmosphere.

According to Matsumoto, the baths use heated well water, and the quality has won over the regulars at the sento.

There are four different baths at Takara-yu. They include an “electric bath,” which is said to improve blood circulation by passing a weak electric current through the water, and a medicinal bath that changes every day.

After my body warmed up from bathing, I moved from the changing room to an engawa porch facing the Japanese garden to cool down. I felt like I was staying at an onsen hot spring inn since I could enjoy the view of neatly trimmed trees and carp in the pond.

The garden is tended every two to three months, so you can enjoy the changing scenery of each season, which include azaleas, hydrangeas or autumn leaves. Last year, Matsumoto started lighting up the garden.

Women also can enjoy the garden on Wednesdays when the men’s and women’s baths are switched.

Sento fans from all over the country started to visit Takara-yu after the garden became a hit on the internet. Fans of tokusatsu special effects dramas also make so-called pilgrimages to the sento due to it being a filming location for the superhero TV series “Kamen Rider Revice,” which aired from 2021 to 2022.

Sento-themed music and art events have also been held at the bathhouse.

Matsumoto, who took over the business from his relatives, is the third owner of Takara-yu. Although he feels he has lost some of his physical strength, Matsumoto says he feels a sense of purpose when he sees locals and sento fans gathering at the bathhouse to enjoy themselves. “I still cannot retire from running the sento,” he said.

The neighborhood has changed from a town of artisans to a residential area. But Matsumoto said: “People may feel reassured that there is a place in the community that never changes.”

Takara-yu

Address: 27-1 Senju-Motomachi, Adachi Ward, Tokyo

Access: 20-minute walk from Kita-Senju Station

Hours: 3 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. Closed on Fridays and the first Thursday of the month.

Memo: Bathing fee is ¥550 for adults.