Bathhouses in Tokyo are taking greater steps to welcome foreigners visiting the capital by preparing a guidance manual and poster in several languages to help them understand the proper etiquette for communal bathing so they can avoid embarrassments.

"We would like to receive foreigners with warm hospitality so they can enjoy the culture of ordinary Japanese," said Kazuyuki Kondo, who runs a bathhouse in Ota Ward.

Public bathhouses, or "sento," which originally became popular during the Edo Period (1603-1868), are still in use, especially by people who do not have bathing facilities in the home.