The material embodiment of lived experience can be found in the architecture of functional and social spaces. Photography is a means of recording these spaces, and thus in some way recording these practices.

These images of a sento or public bath house were taken in Omori, Tokyo, in 2003. In times past, Japanese communities congregrated around bath houses, providing a unique social function. Now, most houses have private facilities for bathing, and the culture of public bathing, whilst still an important part of Japanese culture, has moved to the onsen, or hot springs. This is more of a spiritual or luxury practice, and the communal function of the sento is being lost in the city.

This building was demolished shortly after these images were made, and is now an apartment building, offering individualised social living spaces, each with their own bath room.

These images and more can be found at http://www.novemberimages.co.uk/