The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 15, 1978, Page Page 10, Image 10
Progress
Public i
ay inikako Yatabe
Associated Press Writer
TOKYO ? Affluence and
changing lifestyles seem to be
sending another Japanese
tradition down the drain ? the
public bath.
Many would lament the passing
of what for generations has been a
centerpiece of social activity and a
symbol of togetherness in these
islands. The latest statistics show
that in Tokyo alone, 248 public bath
houses have closed down since
1968.
WHILE 2,400 remain in the city,
a number are hanging on only
through side activities such as coin
laundries nr thrnucrh tho lovolfv
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longtime customers. And the
cause behind their disappearance?
rapid growth of modern apartments
with private baths ? con- _
tinue to grow.
It is part of a trend in which
reinforced concrete has put the
stamp of anonymity on many of
JaDan's cities, and individualism ie
taking over increasingly from the
old ways of doing things in a group.
The sento ? "money bath" in
Japanese ? dates back more than
six centuries. In earlier days, men
and women used the same facility
without the barrier of modesty,
false or otherwise. Outside influences
and changing times
hmnilVit a** am/1 1 4?1
mauu^iiv an ciili Li/ iI?Olr| ttJIU UKlfly
mixed bathing is found only in a
few remote hot springs resorts.
THE BATHS provide two huge
tubs, one containing hot water and
the other, near scalding, to meet
individual desires.
'I'hOPO ic o " 1--1
iiiviv ?o a UUUMUC U1C IUDS
where taps provide water for
actual soaping and washing and
rinsing off. This is never done in
the tub itself, which is only for
soaking and relaxing.
Like everything else, the cost of
the public bath has gone up. Today
^^ccen^nE
Just what ijou've
Cannady (
1231 Hamp
Columbia, S
s:
tubs 'scrub be
it costs the equivalent of about 80
cents. Ten years ago, it cost 8
cents.
BUT THERE is more to the
public bath tradition than just a
place to Decome clean. It has been
a place where people meet to
discuss the day's happenings,
gossip about neighbors while
scrubbing another's back, and
share the feeling of being together
that has been important to the
Japanese.
The density of population in
Japan's major urban areas ? 47
million people, or almost 42 percent
of the total ? live within a 30
mile radius of TnWvn Ocotro
?.vnjV) V/IJMUU CU1U
Nagoys which has helped keep the
public bath in business.
While Japan's economy has
boomed, housing has lagged.
Millions still live in tiny houses or
r ? ?- clip this
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II
d9 in Japan
apartments without individual
baths or sewer connections.
IN MOST new housing
developments, a private bath is
taken for granted. Many Japanese
aspire to such a living as soon as
they have the means. An ambitious
five-year plan calls for 8.6
million new housing units by 1980, miniature
in size, astronomical in
cost, but modern.
But those who still use the public
Datn oecause they have no
choice are legion, and they can be
seen regularly on the streets
carrying their pans and towels for
the day's bathing.
There also are those who do not
look lightly on the passing of such
institutions. Some have formed
bath clubs to encourage the con- |
tinuation of what they feel is one of
the delights of Japanese life.
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nd set just like it I
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