Sento public bathhouses are in trouble due to the spread of the new coronavirus infections.
The metropolitan government and many other local governments view public bathhouses as necessary for maintaining social activities, and many such facilities are believed to remain open nationwide. However, the number of people using public baths has been decreasing in many parts of the country due to self-restraint on going out, according to the Tokyo-based National Federation of Public Bath Industry Trade Unions.
Hasunuma Onsen, a public bathhouse run by 68-year-old Kazuyuki Kondo, president of the federation, is among them, with its April sales dropping by more than half compared to average.
A major burden is the cost of operating a boiler for hot water. One public bathhouse in Tokyo has seen the daily operating costs of its boiler exceed actual sales. Even so, regardless of the number of customers, it must provide hot water if it continues to operate.
"Some people say it's better to fall under a category subject to business closure request to get compensation, but to protect the health of the neighborhood, the bathhouses cannot be closed," Kondo said.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
