
With blistering temperatures over the past week and record cases of heat stroke, just getting around Tokyo for business or pleasure can leave you dripping with sweat and a little—okay, A LOT—stinky. It’s enough to make you want to bathe several times a day.
But what if you are dying to clean up but don’t want to go all the way back to your home or hotel? That’s when a cheap Japanese bathhouse, or sentou, can come in very handy. For a few hundred yen, you have a place to take a bath, grab a snooze on a bit of tatami, and put your game face on again. These little places used to be hard to locate, but as with most things these days, now there’s an app for that.
The free iPhone app is called Sentou Map Tokyo, and as the name suggests, it maps out the sentou in Tokyo. You can either search for the sentou nearest you by GPS location or search for sentou in a particular part of Tokyo. The app will list them up for you with the business hours, admission fees and holidays, though only in Japanese at the moment.
So far, so informative, but the really fun part of the app is collecting stamps from each bathhouse! The app has a function that allows you to check in at your chosen sentou and collect a “stamp”. You can compete with other users to get the most stamps, making you the “world champ” of bathing.
And you thought we were just joking when we said the Japanese love their baths!
Top image: Unmissable Tokyo
Screenshot: YouTube
[ Read in Japanese ]


We try a palace-style bathhouse in Chiba (tattoos ok)!
New app lets you traverse the streets of modern Tokyo and ancient Edo at the same time
Tokyo’s busiest train stations have a new, free, English-compatible navigation app
Want to be guided around Tokyo by a ninja? With an upcoming app, now you can!
Tokyo changes age limit for kids going into opposite sex’s bath at hot springs and sento
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Man with face covered in tattoos admits to repeatedly headbutting Tokyo store clerk【Video】
Hokkaido has an Ice Festival that’s less famous than the Snow one, but beautiful in its own way
Drawing a cop flipping over another cop while they fire guns? There’s a reference book for that!
Ramen restaurant’s English menu prices are nearly double its Japanese ones, denies discriminating
Which Japanese convenience store has the best steamed curry buns?【Taste test】
Starbucks Japan releases new Stanley bottles and exclusive drinkware at Reserve Roastery Tokyo
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
We try an unusual buffet of dishes made from wild game at a roadside stop in Chiba
We followed Tokyo’s mystery walking map and ended up creating our own bar-hopping adventure
10 times to avoid traveling in Japan in 2026
Our 52-year-old pole dancing reporter shares his tips for achieving your New Year’s exercise goal
Starbucks Japan releases new Frappuccino and latte for Valentine’s Day
Princess Mononoke magnets return just in time to treat yourself to awesome anime decorations
Umamusume anime girl plushie recalled for having parts she absolutely should not have【Pics】
Giant hotel rooms in Osaka reflect the new non-niche face of travel in Japan.
Japanese women showing rebounding interest in giving Valentine’s Day chocolate【Survey】
We ate sushi made from Japan’s most expensive tuna ever【Taste test】
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year
Human washing machine pods coming to Japanese hotels【Photos】
Sento bathhouse gets a new lease on life as a Tokyo cafe and office space
New hot spring found in Tokyo as 80-year-old bathhouse makes a happy discovery
State of the sento — Tokyo’s public baths are disappearing, but statistics show a sliver of hope
Need a soak? Amazing interactive map lists every public bath and day-use hot spring in Tokyo
Indulge in this sumo, public bath-themed room during your next stay in Tokyo’s Harajuku district
Pokémon and hot spring bathhouse collaborate to bring Pokémon to your bath and sauna sessions
Tokyo hotel lets your rent out entire Japanese bath facility, become lord of the baths【Pics】
Tokyo Government to release official dating app
Green onion baths return to Japanese bathhouse to celebrate Labor Day
Apartments with no bath or shower rising in popularity among young Tokyoites, report says
Bath noodles — Do you know about this strange Japanese bathing custom?
A guide to public bathhouses, the newest hot spot for tourists in Tokyo
Natural hot spring bathhouse in Tokyo’s Kabukicho is a super-cheap place to stay
Tonight vs Hotel Tonight – Did GREE just rip off one of America’s most popular hotel apps?
Smartphone app finds empty restroom stalls in Tokyo subway station, makes pooing easier than ever
Tokyo government creating its own official dating app, slated to launch this summer
Leave a Reply