PUBLIC MARKS with tag onsen

But despite a history stretching back 100 years, sento murals are at risk of dying out along with the tradition of hadaka no tsukiai, or naked friendship, as more urban Japanese choose to bathe at home. At their peak in the late 1960s, there were more than 2,500 sento in Tokyo; now there are fewer than 1,000.

Naked bodies compared to irises in hot water, comparing hips to a snow laden willow in hot water.

Japanese Ofuro Soaking Wood Bath Furniture Tub

A historical image showing the public bath at Simoda, Japan. Hot springs are an integral part of Japanese history

It was after a three-hour train ride north from Tokyo, heading for Tsurunoyu Onsen, that I learned Tsurunoyu isn’t an onsen at all. “It’s really more of a hitou,” Moto, my guide, delicately pointed out. We were in Honshu Island’s far-north prefecture of Akita, winding our way up the unpaved road to the 300-year-old mountain lodge, and Moto seemed especially intent on setting me straight.