Public bathhouses in Japan are known as sento. Sharing something in common with ancient Japanese purification ceremonies that cleansed both mind and body, these bathhouses are believed to have originated when the practice of monks bathing themselves in temples spread to the general population, following the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the 6th century. Having become a part of the lives of commoners, the custom of visiting sento became widespread during the Edo period (1603-1868). By 1965, there were nearly 2,700 of these bathhouses in Tokyo. Many of them are located in the densely-populated areas of central Tokyo, and today more than 500 sento survive in the capital. Some of them still use water drawn from wells and even maintain recycling-based systems that turn scrap woods from the local neighborhood into fuel. Sento styled after the architecture of Buddhist temples or Shinto shrines, designed in the image of the land of Perfect Bliss, have a commanding presence in their neighborhoods.
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