One of the late night conversations that seemed to occur with regularity during our Ghana field study was the stuff we do that makes us feel like we’re back ‘at home’. For one colleague it’s surfing the Pacific, for me late night cycling around Tokyo or an occasional visit to a nearby bath house/sento.

These photos are from my local sento in Sangenjaya , a fairly working class district – about ten minutes cycle grind or two subway stops from Shibuya and home to a fair amount of small studio apartments that don’t come with any sizable home bathing facilities. Which helps explain why, whilst sento’s are gradually dying out in Japan there are still a number of them dotted around the neighbourhood.

A photo amongst all that nudity? Just prior to closing, when the other punter’s have left the building.