Sento Taisho-yu

Taisho-yu is easy to find: look for the traditional sento chimney rising above the low rooftops of Senzoku. The entrance is through a classic noren curtain, and inside, the original lobby has been converted into a small bar with a few tables and a counter with beer taps.

I started with the bath. The changing room still has the original wooden lockers, worn smooth by a century of use. The bathing area is a single large room with washing stations along the walls and a central tub filled with hot water. The tiles are original Taisho-era ceramics, cracked in places but beautiful in their age. A painted mural of Mount Fuji covers the wall above the tub. I was one of four bathers on a weekday afternoon: an elderly man who was clearly a daily regular, a young couple, and me.

After bathing, I crossed to the bar area and ordered a pale ale from a Saitama brewery. The beer was crisp and hoppy, perfect after the heat of the bath. The bartender, a young woman who also seemed to manage the bathhouse, explained the tap selection with enthusiasm. Eight beers were available, ranging from a light wheat ale to a dark stout.

The experience of drinking a cold craft beer while still warm from a traditional bath, in a building that's over 100 years old, is hard to replicate. Bath entry plus two beers came to 1,720 JPY. As a pre-Yoshiwara activity, it's ideal: clean, relaxed, and in the right neighborhood.