, or the more common and polite form , is a Japanese bath and/or

bathroom A bathroom or washroom is a room, typically in a home or other residential building, that contains either a bathtub or a shower (or both). The inclusion of a wash basin is common. In some parts of the world e.g. India, a toilet is typically i ...

. Specifically it is a type of bath which originated as a short, steep-sided wooden

bathtub A bathtub, also known simply as a bath or tub, is a container for holding water in which a person or animal may bathe. Most modern bathtubs are made of thermoformed acrylic, porcelain-enameled steel or cast iron, or fiberglass-reinforced ...

. Baths of this type are found all over Japan in houses, apartments and traditional Japanese inns (''

ryokan A is a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features ''tatami''-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and talk with the owner. Ryokan have existed since the eighth century A.D. du ...

'') but are now usually made out of a plastic or stainless steel. A ''furo'' differs from a conventional Western bathtub by being of a deeper construction, typically in the region of 0.6 m (25 inches). The sides are generally square rather than being sloped. They typically have no overflow drainage. Traditional pot shaped cast iron ''furo'' were heated by a wood-burning stove built-in below them. ''Furo'' (or ''yubune'' ( 湯船) which specifically refers to the bath with water) are usually left filled with water overnight, and in some households the water is reused or recycled for washing clothes the next day. As in the West, it was the custom for more than one member of the family to use the same bath water, though that custom mostly ended in the West while it continued in Japan. In Japan, it is expected to "clean" oneself before entering the furo by rinsing without soap. In Japan, this is believed to be "cleaner" to do before sharing bathwater. Furo are part of the Japanese ritual of bathing, not meant for washing but rather for relaxing and warming oneself. Washing is carried out separately outside the yubune. The bather should enter the water only after rinsing or lightly showering. Generally Japanese bathrooms are small by Western standards, so the bathroom is set up much like a walk-in shower area but containing the furo. Since the bathroom is a complete wet area, in modern buildings and ryokan heating is provided by air conditioners overhead. The water is hot, usually about . A modern furo may be made of acrylic, and the top of the range models fitted with a re-circulation system (''oidaki'') which filters and re-heats the water. This system is connected with the hot water heater, either gas/propane fired or electric/

heat pump A heat pump is a device that can heat a building (or part of a building) by transferring thermal energy from the outside using a refrigeration cycle. Many heat pumps can also operate in the opposite direction, cooling the building by removing h ...

types. Luxury models are still made out of traditional or expensive woods like

hinoki ''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or hinoki; ja, 檜 or , ) is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate northern hemisphere for its high-quality timber and orname ...

, and can be retrofitted with Western-style fittings and used as signature pieces by architects and interior designers internationally.

External links

Japanese Guest Houses: Japanese Bathing Etiquette

SentoGuide: A guide to public baths in Japan

Kyoto Baths: Public bath houses in Kyoto
{{Japanese architectural elements Bathing in Japan Japanese home

See also

External links