Japanese people take virtual baths during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Studies show that 98% of Japanese people visit an onsen at least once a year, so relaxing in a hot spring is really important in Japanese culture," says Kazushige Kanai, owner of Arima Sanso Gosho Bessho onsen in the resort town of Arima, near Kobe.

"Since the lockdowns went into effect, very few people have been able to come to Arima. We understand this and don't want visitors coming because of concerns about the virus – but we really want to do something to help people," said Mr. Kanai.

Kanai's initiative is to create a virtual reality experience, recreating scenes so that guests feel as though they are immersed in hot springs.

"Those who are in quarantine are certainly feeling stressed, and they think they need something to relieve that stress. Therefore, we want to bring the onsen experience as close to reality as possible to those who want it," Kanai explained about his desire to show concern for his customers.

Kanai and three colleagues filmed five of the town's 31 onsen (hot spring) establishments and uploaded videos, each about 20 minutes long, to YouTube. The videos feature the sounds of flowing water, falling cherry blossoms, and the rustling of bamboo in the wind.

"Currently, about 90% of the onsen facilities in Arima are closed, although we still welcome visitors," Kanai said.

He expects three more establishments to join the project soon, and eventually all the onsen rooms in Arima. After that, they can connect with other locations across the country, so people can experience onsen wherever they are.

Concerns about social distancing limiting patrons at the Kosugiyu public bathhouse in Tokyo's Koenji district also prompted Enya Honami to come up with a similar idea: allowing people to enjoy a visit to the sento without leaving home. The number of visitors to the bathhouse has recently dropped by about 40%, according to Honami, a Kosugiyu employee and illustrator. But she believes customers can enjoy the sento remotely through online videos.

Videos from Kosugiyu, one of Tokyo's oldest surviving sento (public bathhouses), dating back to 1933, have garnered nearly 50,000 views on YouTube to date. The videos are surprisingly simple, merely showing water flowing into a tub or the surface of an outdoor bath for an hour. Some videos even allow viewers to explore the space in 360 degrees.^oaround this traditional bathroom.

To date, Honami says more than 50 public bathhouses have caught up with the new trend, posting videos daily.

Ha Le