Yama-no-yu

An old, traditional sento in the middle of a residential neighborhood, but just one stop away from Ikebukuro, one of the major areas in Tokyo for business, shopping and leisure. The sento itself is unique, with a bandai watchseat that looks over the whole sento, and a large bath in the middle of the room. Most baths in Tokyo/Kantō have their baths towards the back. The bath is round/squash shaped and divided into two - the smaller part being slightly less hot than the larger main part. You can see a large painted mural of Mt. Fuji on the back wall as you soak in the bath. There’s also a steam sauna which is free of charge! I recommend this place if you want a feel of local Japanese bathing culture. Don’t forget to bring a towel and soap, or rent/buy one when you enter!

This traditional sento dates to the mid-showa period and features a large Mt Fuji mural (penki e) painted by Kiyoto Maruyama, the oldest of Japan’s last three remaining sento painters. As of this year, official government data suggests there are less than 600 sento remaining in Tokyo. A third of which are traditionally decorated with such “penki e.”

Very welcoming to foreigners. Small but nice. Beautiful painting of Fuji inside. Entry is 460 Yen if you bring towels and soap.

This is NEIGHBORHOOD onsen in an l elderly neighborhood. There are english instructions outside that are cute and helpful for foreigners but there will be less hand-holding here than ones in central tokyo. My first onsen was YAKUZA so i made a big mistake. This one is better

Nice place to be