Ancient Japanese tradition dies of embarrassment 21/06/2003/ Daily Telegraph, UK
Noburu Oshima owns the palatial Myojin-yu baths in Tokyo, an opulent 5,000-sq-ft communal bathing complex built by his parents nearly 50 years ago. But he does not think the building will survive his retirement.
The communal bath-house is a Japanese tradition dating back to the seventh century when ritual cleansing was performed in Buddhist shrines. But it is under threat from a young, individualist generation which shuns the delights of the steam-filled sento out of self-consciousness....
