Overview: Ease the stress of a long day with a long soak in the bath. Japanese have been fans of baths for centuries; the custom arrived with Buddhism in the 6th century. Ever since bathing has been a way to cleanse body and spirit, and also a form of pleasure. Sento, or public baths, were a gathering place and social space for working people during the Edo period. Studio guest Kundo Koyama, a scriptwriter, explores the designs associated with Japan's bathing customs.