
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
New Mt. Fuji overnight bus takes travelers from downtown Tokyo straight to the most popular hiking trail
7-Eleven Japan now has Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, but how do they taste?[Taste test]
A visit to Sri Lanka’s knockoff knockoff Uniqlo (no, we didn’t stutter) to see its rare “Pikachus”
Tokyo revises accommodation tax amidst tourism boom, Airbnb rentals now included
Yoshinoya and Dragon Quest slaying scalpers with shift to made-to-order collaboration merch
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Japan moves to enforce language requirements for foreign nationals seeking permanent residency
7-Eleven Japan releases chocolate cookies that taste like freshly baked melon bread
Famous sweets store in Ameyoko fills a bag with sweets and a show, but is it still worth it?
Japan to get new high-speed train connecting Haneda and Narita airports, ease overtourism
Japan triples departure tax, foreign tourists and locals now must pay more to leave country
Japanese overnight sightseeing train returns for summer with ramen stops and ocean views
Sanrio Character Poll announces winners, Hello Kitty absent from top 10 in many countries
Starbucks Japan teams up with Converse Tokyo for a new limited-edition collection in honour of Tanabata
Don’t judge this Kiki’s Delivery Service book by its cover, because it’s not actually a book!
The quest for Dragon Quest Yoshinoya figure sets: Worth taking for fans, tricky for scalpers[Pics]
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Studio Ghibli store Donguri Republic announces opening of first-ever store in America
New Japanese overnight train coming to connect Tokyo with Tohoku in sleep-travel style
Japan launches first overnight Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka this summer
Japanese sweets shop sells an ohagi so exquisite it sells out by noon
Forget Tokyo go-karts – there’s a new way to sightsee on four wheels in Japan
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Sento bathhouse gets a new lease on life as a Tokyo cafe and office space
State of the sento — Tokyo’s public baths are disappearing, but statistics show a sliver of hope
New hot spring found in Tokyo as 80-year-old bathhouse makes a happy discovery
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?
Natural hot spring bathhouse in Tokyo’s Kabukicho is a super-cheap place to stay
A guide to public bathhouses, the newest hot spot for tourists in Tokyo
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
Sink or drink? Japan celebrates arrival of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau with special wine-bath