This Frenchwoman is the Queen of Tokyo Bathhouses
Stéphanie Crohin, an expat in Japan with a passion for the 'sento' tradition, meticulously documents this culture and places relating to it.

©Stéphanie Crohin
In 2008, Stéphanie Crohin was a student at Rikkyo University in Tokyo, reading literature and sociology. Whenever she had a spare moment, she went to the public baths close to her house.
Four years later, a career opportunity brought her back to Japan. She soon fell back into her old routine and went to the sento; in Tokyo alone, there are over 600, with an entry fee equivalent to that for a local swimming pool in France.
Passionate about photography, Stéphanie Crohin decided to create a website where she writes about the different public baths across the city. Her articles, written in English, resemble a tourist guide, describing her various visits and illustrated with photographs.
On her Instagram account, the hashtag #dokodemosento enables users to follow her adventures. Her first book, Sento ha chiisana bijutsukan, documents the history of these public baths and the architectural and pictorial gems they contain, which make sentos such unique places.
Sento, the Art of Japanese Baths (2020), by Stéphanie Crohin, published by Sully (currently only available in French)

©Stéphanie Crohin

©Stéphanie Crohin

©Stéphanie Crohin

©Stéphanie Crohin

©Stéphanie Crohin
TRENDING
-
Takuto Ohta Creates Strange, Moving Sculptures
The Japanese architect presents his 'rubbish things', wooden objects that are capable of moving unassisted.
-
The Taboo-Breaking Erotica of Toshio Saeki
The master of the 1970s Japanese avant-garde reimagined his most iconic artworks for a limited box set with silkscreen artist Fumie Taniyama.
-
Off the Japanese Coast, a Surf Shelter Inspired by a Swell
Architect Yuji Tanabe designed the mock-up for a shelter where surfers could study the ocean before heading back out into the water.
-
Kohei Yoshiyuki, the Voyeur of Tokyo's Voyeurs
The reedition of the publication ‘The Park’ takes us on a night walk through the parks of Tokyo, out in full sight.
-
Tenmei Kanoh Strips Down Sexual and Moral Order
In 'FUCK', published in 1970, the photographer sent an explicit message to society and its moral laws in a necessary act of provocation.