On the evening of Jan. 17, people gathered at a sento public bathhouse in Taito Ward, Tokyo, for a dance event that was almost completely silent.
Held at the Hinodeyu sento, said to have been founded in the early Meiji era (1868-1912), the event was called "Dance Furoya" (Dance bathhouse).
Due to the headphones, the event was almost completely silent -- an attempt to be able to hold a music event anywhere. These types of events are called "silent festivals," and they're gaining ground across the nation.
The dance event at Hinodeyu was put together in the hope of attracting people who don't usually go to public bathhouses, and helping bathhouse users to get to know each other better. The 50 slots for the event were quickly filled.
The space usually reserved for washing was transformed into a dance floor -- the ceiling and walls were decorated using projection mapping and a DJ booth was set up.
Participants could go both to the men's and women's sections. They included groups of women and businesspeople who had finished work.
Tadashi Wakabayashi, 44, said he often uses a public bathhouse and liked the different atmosphere of the event.
"I got hooked on that disconnect with the ordinary bathhouse and the silence after I took off my headphones," he said.
After dancing, he soaked in a large hinoki cypress bath and washed away the sweat while basking in the afterglow of the event.
"We hope such music events offer an opportunity for people to see a different aspect of a public bathhouse," said Yu Amemiya, 26, of a company that plans this kind of silent events. "We want people to come and experience these events."
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