There are lots of ways to get into hot water in Japan: onsen, sento, ofuro, daiyokujo and super sentos. A lot of foreigners call any large bathtub in Japan an onsen, but that’s not correct. Let’s see if we can straighten out the terms here, so you know just what kind of hot water you’re getting into.
Onsen Natural Bath: Dpongvit / Shutterstock.com
Onsen: Natural Hot Springs
An onsen is a natural hot spring: geothermally-heated water that fills a natural or artificial pool in which you bathe. The word “onsen” (温泉) is written with two characters in Japanese: 温 – which is pronounced “on” and means warm or hot, and 泉 – which is pronounced “sen” and means spring. Due to its location on the geothermally active “ring of fire,” Japan is blessed with onsen from Okinawa to Hokkaido and bathing in them is a major part of enjoying Japan.
The Japanese are very picky about what constitutes a real onsen, but the gist is this: the water must be hot and it must come out of the ground. So, even if a place looks like an onsen, if the water is heated tap water, it’s not really an onsen.
Japanese traditional style public shower room: icosha / Shutterstock.com
These days, many foreign visitors to Japan call any vaguely traditional bathtub an onsen, but more likely, it’s just an ofuro (bath). Likewise, they often call the large communal baths at hotels onsen, but most of those are just daiyokujo (large bathing areas). Some hotels have jumped on the bandwagon and erroneously refer to their daiyokujo as onsen to lure foreigners. Don’t be fooled.
Sento: Public Baths
Sento (銭湯), written with the characters for 銭 (“sen”, an old unit of currency) and to for 湯 (“to”, hot water), are public baths. Sento were very common in Japanese cities in the last century but are now slowly disappearing. You can still find a few sento in most cities and entering one is a truly authentic Japanese experience. It’s a great way to relax after a day of sightseeing and a brilliant way to meet people (the sauna is a natural place to talk).
Japanese tub in home: Kristi Blokhin / Shutterstock.com
Ofuro: Japanese Bathtub
Ofuro (お風呂), written with three Japanese characters: 御 orお (the honorific “o”), 風 (“fu”, meaning wind), 呂(“ro”, meaning backbone). Ofuro simply means bath or bathtub. Sometimes the honorific is dropped and it becomes furo. Ofuro range from the beautiful wooden bathtubs you’ll see in luxury ryokan to the metal or plastic tubs you see in business hotels and private houses. I am often asked to recommend “a ryokan with an onsen” and upon further questioning, it turns about that most people are simply asking for a ryokan with a nice wooden ofuro in their room. Of course, there is such a thing as an onsen ryokan, and some of them have private en suite onsen baths for guests.
Candeo Hotel, Osaka: Kim.Long / Shutterstock.com
Daiyokujo: Large Bathing Area
A daiyokujo (大浴場), written with the characters 大 (“dai”, meaning large), 浴 (“yoku”, meaning bathe) and 場 (“jo”, meaning place), is a large communal bathing área, usually found in a hotel. This is basically a sento inside a hotel. Many foreigners will call such a place an onsen, but unless the water in the baths is coming from a hot spring, it’s not an onsen. Of course, there are such things as onsen hotels (built near natural hot springs), in which case the daiyokujo would be an onsen. Confused yet?
Tenzan-no-Yu in Kyoto – image © Chris Rowthorn
Super Sento: Luxury Sento with Spa Facilities
Super sento are large public bathing facilities with lots of special features like saunas, steam rooms, massage services, restaurants and relaxation areas, in addition to a wide variety of tubs. They’re sometimes called spas. They’re often stand-alone businesses, but you’ll also find them inside capsule hotels. Good examples of super sento are Spa LaQua in Tokyo and Tenzan-no-Yu in Kyoto. Actually, Tenzan draws some of their water from a deep well, so they call themselves an onsen, but that just, um, muddies the waters.
More Information
Kyoto Vacation Checklist
- For all the essentials in a brief overview, see my First Time In Kyoto guide
- Check Kyoto accommodation availability on Booking.com and Agoda.com - often you can book with no upfront payment and free cancellation
- You can buy shinkansen (bullet train) tickets online from Klook - popular routes include Tokyo to Kyoto, Kyoto to Osaka and Kyoto to Tokyo
- Need tips on where to stay? See my one page guide Where To Stay In Kyoto
- See my comprehensive Packing List For Japan
- You can buy an eSim to activate in Japan or buy a data-only SIM card online for collection when you arrive at Tokyo's Narita or Haneda Airports or Kansai International Airport. You can also rent an unlimited data pocket wifi router
- Compare Japan flight prices and timings to find the best deals
- If you're making frequent train journeys during your visit, you might save money with Japan Rail Pass – see if it's worth it for you
- A prepaid Welcome Suica card makes travelling around Kyoto easy – here's how
- World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world
- Do you want help planning your trip? Chris Rowthorn and his team of Japan experts at Japan Travel Consulting can help
