Sanrio’s weirdly adorable lazy egg wants to have a soak with you and his 9,999 doppelgangers.
Japan’s custom of communal bathing can seem odd to foreigners, but it actually doesn’t make for nearly as awkward a soak as some uninitiated outsiders imagine. Still, even most Japanese people would agree that when taking a bath at a hot spring or sento (public bath), the fewer people you’re sharing the tub with, the more relaxing the experience is.
So it might seem kind of weird that the Gokurakuyu sento chain is inviting guests to hop into baths that will already have 10,000 occupants. Of course, this is a special circumstance, since those 10,000 bathers are all incarnations of Sanrio character Gudetama.
As part of a collaboration with Sanrio’s lovably lazy egg, Gokurakuyu is preparing baths filled with 10,000 Gudetama orbs at its branches in Hamamatsu (Shizuoka Prefecture) and Suita (Osaka Prefecture).
Gudetama’s likeness will also be gracing several other parts of the facility, so that you can admire his radiant appearance while remaining fully clothed.
Despite his tireless championing of the lethargic lifestyle, Gudetama has actually been involved in a number of restaurant ventures over the years. It’s a role he’s particularly well-suited for, seeing as how he’s an anthropomorphized foodstuff himself, and so the Hamamatsu and Suita Gokurakuyu branches will also be offering special Gudetama menu items in their on-site cafes.
▼ Clockwise from top left: roast beef bowl (1,380 yen [US$12.70]), caramel parfait (780 yen), udon (980 yen), tamagokakegohan egg rice bowl (500 yen), carbonara pasta (1,030 yen)
▼ Each order gets you one Gudetama coaster (selected at random), but with six in the series, you’ll have to order something twice to have a shot at getting them all.
And finally, there’s a selection of Gudetama-themed merchandise, just in case you’ve grown so accustomed to his face during your bath that you want to take him home with you. The Gudetama canvas shoulder bag, pouches, and towels will all come in handy for carrying your toiletries and drying yourself off, and there are also T-shirts, pins, key chains, and plastic files.
The first day for the Gudetama bath is June 15, but the rest of the festivities are already underway. The promotion wraps up on June 24, after which it’s back to bathing in smaller groups than 10,000.
Sento information
Raku Spa Cafe Hamamatsu / RAKU SPA Cafe 浜松
Address: Shizuoka-ken, Hamamatsu-shi, Minami-ku, Wakabayashi-cho 1680-5
静岡県浜松市南区若林町1680-5
Open 7 a.m.-1 a.m.
Website
Gokurakuyu (Suita branch) / 極楽湯（吹田店）
Address: Osaka-fu, Suita-shi, Kishibeminami 1-2-1
大阪府吹田市岸部南1-2-1
Open 9 a.m.-2 a.m.
Website
Source: @Press
Top image: @Press
Insert images: @Press. YouTube/極楽湯CHANNEL
[ Read in Japanese ]