13-05-2025
Sento running in Japan blends bathhouse culture and exercise. 4 places in Tokyo to try it
One way to get around and familiarise yourself with a new city when travelling is to explore it on foot. If you are a runner, you get to cover more ground.
Fitting a long-distance run into a tight travel itinerary, however, can be a challenge – as is finding a place to shower and wash your clothes afterwards if your excursion takes you far from your hotel.
'I love to go for runs when I travel, but it's difficult to always pack my running gear in my luggage,' says Tom Feng, a 34-year-old Hongkonger who has been
running as a hobby for years.
'I usually only get to run near my hotel, so it feels quite limited, even though I always try to book hotels near popular local running spots.'
In Japan, there is a unique, and cultural, solution to this problem: 'sento running'.
