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Tokyo Weekender

Street Fighter II's E. Honda Is Taking Over Osaka's Bathhouses This Summer

If you ever button-mashed your way through Street Fighter II , you probably remember E. Honda's iconic stage: a traditional sento bathhouse with ornate tiles lining the walls and a sumo ring in the center. This summer, that beloved backdrop is stepping out of the arcade and into real life as E. Honda becomes the face of the 2025 edition of Sento no Susume (Osaka & Kansai Edition), a campaign to revitalize Japan's unique bathhouse culture. List of Contents: Soap, Sento and Sumo Fighting Get to Know the Sento no Susume Project Soap, Sento and Sumo Fighting Sento no Susume 2025 (Osaka & Kansai Edition) brings together three iconic brands. It's sponsored, as always, by Beams Japan and Cow Brand Soap — a legendary Japanese soap brand with over a century of history. This year, Capcom is lending support. The event runs from August 7 to September 30 and will transform Osaka's Utopia Shiratama Onsen into a nostalgia-packed Street Fighter II- themed space, with artwork depicting E. Honda and the game's main protagonist, Ryu, including a specially commissioned mural adorning the bath's interior walls. Additionally, across Kansai, approximately 160 bathhouses will hang limited-edition noren curtains featuring E. Honda. The campaign also includes a stamp rally where you visit 12 different sento and collect stamps. Collect them all, and you will be eligible to receive one of 4,500 limited-edition prize sets (original, Street Fighter II –themed towels). Beams will also hold pop-up stores at three locations in the Kansai region, selling special sento-themed merchandise: two types of T-shirts, caps, sauna hats, towels, wash buckets and Cow Brand soap with a limited-edition box. From August 7 to 21, Beams Tennoji and Beams Umeda will showcase the collaboration, while Beams Namba will offer it through August 31. Key items will also be available at 23 additional Beams locations across the country during the campaign period. Get To Know the Sento no Susume Project Sento no Susume is a collaborative project launched in 2019 by Cow Brand Soap and Beams Japan , created with the shared goal of celebrating and preserving Japan's sento culture. Cow Brand Soap — a brand beloved for over a century, guided by its philosophy of 'Constant Kindness' — is committed to supporting local communities and protecting bathhouse traditions. Beams Japan , known for spotlighting Japanese creativity through retail and collaborations across fashion, crafts and regional events, brings a cultural perspective to the project. While the role of public bathhouses has shifted over time, sento continue to serve as meaningful spaces for relaxation and community connection. Through creative content, events and collaborations, Sento no Susume aims to inspire a new generation — including visitors and those unfamiliar with sento — to discover their quiet charm. Since its Tokyo debut in 2019, Sento no Susume has consistently pushed creative boundaries to make bathhouse culture relevant to contemporary audiences. Now in its fifth edition, the 2025 campaign spotlights one of the most beloved aspects of sento culture: the ability to bring together strangers and create spontaneous connections. More Information Sento no Susume 2025 Osaka & Kansai Edition runs from August 7 to September 30, 2025. For more information and participating sento locations, click here . Social Media Campaign for Visitors to Japan Travelers to Japan can join a special campaign on social media and receive an exclusive sticker from the collaboration. For more details, check out the official event page .