QUESTION, the co-creation facility that runs out of Kyoto, is holding "Sento Switch. – The Breeze After a Bath, Walking Kyoto," a project aimed at a sustainable future for Kyoto's sento (public bathhouses).
As the finale of the project, a DAY event combining talk sessions, a goods marche, and more takes place on Saturday, November 28.
Ahead of the DAY event, the period from Saturday, October 10 ("Sento Day") to Thursday, November 26 ("Good Bath Day") is designated "Sento Strengthening Month," featuring prize drawings tied to the Kyoto Sento 24 Solar Terms Bathhouse Tour (*1) and the Free Bathing Fee for Children program (*2), along with spin-off events "Sento x Kamogawa Run" (October 17) and "Kyoto Sento Salon" (November 14).
Through this combination of a touring campaign to boost usage and the DAY event, the project aims to encourage both existing users and newcomers to visit, fostering a local community centered on sento and passing on a sustainable bathhouse culture.
*1 An event held jointly by Kyoto City and the 京都府公衆浴場業生活衛生同業組合.
*2 A program run jointly by Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, and the 京都府公衆浴場業生活衛生同業組合.
Background
Kyoto's sento play an important role as centers for maintaining health, disaster preparedness, and community interaction, but they currently face a crisis of survival due to rising fuel costs, a shortage of successors, and aging facilities.
To protect the sento that are vital to residents' health and local community, and to prevent younger people and families raising children from drifting away from sento, this project brings together the businesses and government bodies closely tied to sento.
Event Details
(1) A Strengthening Month to Make Sento Visits More Familiar
Bringing either of the two prize-draw tickets below to the drawing venue inside the QUESTION site during the "Sento Switch." finale event on Saturday, November 28, enters you in a prize drawing.
Prizes include sento-related goods from exhibitors and shared bathing tickets from the 京都府公衆浴場業生活衛生同業組合.
This initiative aims to further raise the visit frequency of existing users and encourage first-time visits from families raising children.
① Stamps from the "Kyoto Sento 24 Solar Terms Bathhouse Tour Book"
Visitors who tour 8 or more sento during the period (*3) and collect the corresponding stamps receive a prize-draw ticket.
Program details (Kyoto City website)
*3 Those who have already collected 8 or more stamps before the period began are also eligible.
② Use of the "Free Bathing Fee for Children" Program
Families raising children who use this program receive a prize-draw entry ticket.
Program details (Kyoto Prefecture website)
(2) A DAY Event Bringing Sento Fans Together at Kawaramachi-Oike
On Saturday, November 28, as the finale of "Sento Switch. – The Breeze After a Bath, Walking Kyoto," a combined event featuring talk sessions, a goods marche, and a touring quiz rally takes place at QUESTION and ゼスト御池 Kawaramachi Plaza, both in the Kawaramachi-Oike area.
A talk session grounded in on-the-ground realities and looking at future measures will bring together the chairman of the 京都府公衆浴場業生活衛生同業組合 along with experts from government and finance to consider "How can we carry a life with sento into the future?"
Another session featuring young successors active across Kyoto Prefecture will take a closer look at efforts to preserve bathing culture suited to each town and region.
The venue will also host sento-related product and goods makers, including sento operators from across the prefecture, IKEUCHI ORGANIC, and 牛乳石鹸共進社, who will propose ways to enjoy sento and products that make people want to visit one.
At the ゼスト御池 venue, goods makers will sell merchandise using the Kawaramachi Plaza space, and a sento-themed quiz rally will be held using the ゼスト御池 underground mall as a whole.
Using Yukki and Yukko, the official mascot characters of the 京都府公衆浴場業生活衛生同業組合, visitors can find the quizzes hidden around ゼスト御池, and answering all of them enters them in the prize drawing at the QUESTION venue.
The event aims to convey the appeal of sento not only to sento enthusiasts but also to families and new visitors who use ゼスト御池, encouraging participation in the event.
"Sento Switch. – The Breeze After a Bath, Walking Kyoto" Event Overview
| Name | Sento Switch. – The Breeze After a Bath, Walking Kyoto |
| Period | Saturday, October 10, 2026 (Sento Day) to Thursday, November 26, 2026 (Good Bath Day) |
| Venue | ① QUESTION, 4F Community Steps ② ゼスト御池 Kawaramachi Plaza |
| Access | Kyoto Municipal Subway Tozai Line, Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station |
| Admission | Free |
| Organizer | QUESTION |
| Co-organizers | 京都移住計画 / Kyoto City |
| Sponsors | ゼスト御池 / 10pct. 株式会社 / 牛乳石鹸共進社 株式会社 |
| Cooperation | 京都府公衆浴場業生活衛生同業組合 / Kyoto Prefecture |
| Web | https://question.kyoto-shinkin.co.jp/event/event-15384/ |
Saturday, November 28 Finale Event Overview
Sento Talk Event (QUESTION 4F Community Steps)
Part 1: 12:45 PM to 1:45 PM
"Carrying 'a Life With Sento' Into the Future – What Is a Sustainable Co-Creation Model, Considered From On-the-Ground Realities?"
Speakers:
- Kyoto Prefecture Governor 西脇隆俊
- Kyoto City Mayor 松井孝治
- Chairman, 京都府公衆浴場業生活衛生同業組合, 吉本誠
- QUESTION Director, 津田郁太
Moderator:
- CEO, ツナグム, 田村篤史
Part 2: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
"What Activities Preserve and Build Local Bathing Culture?"
Speakers:
- 大黒湯 (Kyoto City), 竹林昂大
- 若の湯 (Maizuru City), 若井健嗣
- 蒸-五箇サウナ- (Kyotango City), 足立樹伸
Moderator:
- 京都移住計画, 藤本和志
Yukki and Yukko's Sento Quiz Rally (ゼスト御池)
Find and answer all of the quizzes hidden around ゼスト御池 to enter the prize drawing at the QUESTION venue.
Sento Goods Marche (QUESTION / ゼスト御池 Kawaramachi Plaza)
Marche Exhibitors:
蒸-五箇サウナ- (T-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, towels) / lolo, bathwear for breast cancer survivors (bath camisoles, bath stoles, and more) / ゆとなみ社 (T-shirts, towels, soap, and other sento goods) / kokin銭湯部 (Maizuru sento goods: T-shirts, towels, clear files, postcards) / 温考知身・きとりっぷ (OQ) / IKEUCHI ORGANIC (sento towels, sauna towels) / 大黒湯 (T-shirts, towels, hand towels, stickers, sauna hats, lighters) / 黄桜株式会社 (Totonoi Ale) / 若の湯 (food and goods) / 京都府公衆浴場業生活衛生同業組合 (original goods) / よーじやグループ (bathing-related goods)
Prize Drawing for Special Program Participants
At QUESTION's 1st floor, a prize drawing will be held for participants in the Kyoto Sento 24 Solar Terms Bathhouse Tour and the Free Bathing Fee for Children programs, with shared bathing tickets and goods from exhibitors up for grabs.
Related Events
- Sento Strengthening Month (Saturday, October 10 to Thursday, November 26, 2026)
- Sento x Kamogawa Run (Saturday, October 17, 2026, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM)
- Kyoto Sento Salon (Saturday, November 14, 2026, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM)
*Please check each organizer's website for details on individual events.
About the Key Visual Illustration
To express the concept of "the breeze after a bath, walking Kyoto," the event's key visual was designed under the creative direction of 伯樂舎, a connection made through QUESTION's network.
Drawing on the network of the co-creation facility QUESTION, the illustration brings together up-and-coming creators to depict a warm yet fresh vision of Kyoto that passes the appeal of sento culture on to the next generation.
