TOKYO -- As Japan's traditional bathhouses, or sento, face a wave of closures across Tokyo, the metropolitan government is launching initiatives to help find new ownership and to assist with renovating facilities.
With aging owners confronted with a shrinking customer base and costly repairs, many sento are shuttering rather than passing the torch. As a result, the number of the public baths across the capital has plummeted to just one-sixth of its peak.
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