In cities, places where anyone can casually stop by are becoming increasingly rare. Cafés and commercial spaces continue to multiply, yet places where people of different generations, nationalities, and occupations can share the same space remain limited. On July 7, 2026, Koganeyu Shinjuku will grand open in Higashi-Shinjuku.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE
This is not simply the arrival of a new sento. It is a project that inherits Kanazawa Bathhouse, a long-established public bath founded in 1938, and reimagines it for contemporary lifestyles and the urban environment.
The design is led by architect Yuko Nagayama, known for projects including pavilions for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, and Tokyu Kabukicho Tower. What emerges here is a new proposal for architecture, community, and well-being—one that seeks to carry the Japanese culture of sento into the future.
The predecessor of Koganeyu Shinjuku, Kanazawa Bathhouse, opened in 1938 under the name Sawa no Yu. Over time, its name changed from Sawa no Yu to Kanazawa Yu, and then to Kanazawa Bathhouse, while continuing to support the everyday lives of people in Higashi-Shinjuku.
In 1973, it was rebuilt as a public bath within an apartment-style building. More than 50 years later, however, the facility had reached the limits of aging infrastructure.
Exterior of the former Kanazawa Bathhouse | Courtesy of KOGANEYU
Yet this project was not about tearing down an old building and creating something entirely new. Rather, it was an attempt to identify what should be preserved and carry it into the future.
The symbolic space of Koganeyu Shinjuku is the bandai area at the heart of the facility.
The areas that once served as the bathhouse entrance, coin laundry, and office have been reconfigured into one integrated space. At its center is an island-style bandai counter arranged around an open courtyard.
Rendering | Courtesy of KOGANEYU
The bandai is more than a reception desk.
It is also a bar where visitors can enjoy drinks after bathing, a DJ booth, and a place for people to meet, talk, and linger. Opening toward the courtyard, the space inherits the culture of the traditional sento while being designed as a new community space for the contemporary city.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE
Even the shoe-locker keys carry traces of the community behind the project. Names of crowdfunding supporters are printed on them. Against an initial target of 3 million yen, the campaign raised approximately 15 million yen from 1,942 supporters. Their names will remain embedded in the everyday landscape of the facility, quietly marking the people who helped bring it to life.
What stands out in Yuko Nagayama’s design is its emphasis on continuity rather than mere renewal.
Before the renovation, the bathing area had a gabled ceiling. The project restored the original curved ceiling, recalling the form from the bathhouse’s early days. Lighting fixtures are kept out of view, with uplighting from the walls softly illuminating the curved surface above.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE
The overall green tone of the bathing area is also distinctive. Green tiles and white grout create a refined contrast, allowing light and shadow to become part of the spatial experience.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE
The mosaic mural, one of the defining elements of Kanazawa Bathhouse, has been preserved as much as possible. Missing areas were restored with the help of AI technology.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE
Rather than preserving the past unchanged, the project layers new technology onto existing memories. This attitude runs through the entire facility.
The sauna area, named THE CAVE, offers different experiences for men and women.
The men’s sauna, THE ABYSS, uses lava tiles to retain heat and creates a deeply immersive atmosphere through automatic löyly.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE
The women’s sauna, THE COCOON, offers a softer space that feels as though the body is being gently enveloped, with self-löyly available.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE
Both spaces are unified by organic forms and generous curves, creating a sense of continuity with the broader bathing architecture.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE
The facility also includes microbubble cold baths using groundwater, kept at 13–15°C, as well as spaces for outdoor and indoor air bathing, offering a quiet reset within the city.
Environmental consideration is also a key theme at Koganeyu Shinjuku. The facility introduces a solar thermal hot water system. Collectors installed on the rooftop gather heat from the sun, which is then used to warm the water for baths and showers.
Instead of converting solar energy into electricity, the system directly uses heat itself, improving efficiency while contributing to reductions in CO₂ emissions and energy costs. It is also the first privately operated facility to receive approval for this type of support from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Solar thermal equipment image | Courtesy of KOGANEYU
The challenge here is to preserve sento culture while making its operation more sustainable. In that sense, the project suggests one possible future for public bathhouses.
Higashi-Shinjuku is an area where diverse cultures intersect, bordered by Kabukicho, Shin-Okubo, and office districts. Many people pass through day and night, yet just a short walk from the main streets, residential neighborhoods still hold traces of everyday life.
Koganeyu Shinjuku was conceived as a place within this city where people could return to the rhythm of daily life.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE
Sento, sauna, craft beer, DJ culture, and a courtyard.
These are not separate attractions. Rather, they function as devices that allow people to connect gently with one another.
Koganeyu Shinjuku is not simply a renovated public bath. It is an attempt to bring a disappearing form of public space back into the contemporary city—and perhaps to reconsider well-being not only through the body, but also through our relationship with the city itself.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINEThis is not simply the arrival of a new sento. It is a project that inherits Kanazawa Bathhouse, a long-established public bath founded in 1938, and reimagines it for contemporary lifestyles and the urban environment.
The design is led by architect Yuko Nagayama, known for projects including pavilions for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, and Tokyu Kabukicho Tower. What emerges here is a new proposal for architecture, community, and well-being—one that seeks to carry the Japanese culture of sento into the future.
Memories of a Sento Since 1938
The predecessor of Koganeyu Shinjuku, Kanazawa Bathhouse, opened in 1938 under the name Sawa no Yu. Over time, its name changed from Sawa no Yu to Kanazawa Yu, and then to Kanazawa Bathhouse, while continuing to support the everyday lives of people in Higashi-Shinjuku.
In 1973, it was rebuilt as a public bath within an apartment-style building. More than 50 years later, however, the facility had reached the limits of aging infrastructure.
Exterior of the former Kanazawa Bathhouse | Courtesy of KOGANEYUYet this project was not about tearing down an old building and creating something entirely new. Rather, it was an attempt to identify what should be preserved and carry it into the future.
Turning the Bandai Into an Urban Plaza
The symbolic space of Koganeyu Shinjuku is the bandai area at the heart of the facility.
The areas that once served as the bathhouse entrance, coin laundry, and office have been reconfigured into one integrated space. At its center is an island-style bandai counter arranged around an open courtyard.
Rendering | Courtesy of KOGANEYUThe bandai is more than a reception desk.
It is also a bar where visitors can enjoy drinks after bathing, a DJ booth, and a place for people to meet, talk, and linger. Opening toward the courtyard, the space inherits the culture of the traditional sento while being designed as a new community space for the contemporary city.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINEEven the shoe-locker keys carry traces of the community behind the project. Names of crowdfunding supporters are printed on them. Against an initial target of 3 million yen, the campaign raised approximately 15 million yen from 1,942 supporters. Their names will remain embedded in the everyday landscape of the facility, quietly marking the people who helped bring it to life.
Architecture That Layers Past and Future
What stands out in Yuko Nagayama’s design is its emphasis on continuity rather than mere renewal.
Before the renovation, the bathing area had a gabled ceiling. The project restored the original curved ceiling, recalling the form from the bathhouse’s early days. Lighting fixtures are kept out of view, with uplighting from the walls softly illuminating the curved surface above.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINEThe overall green tone of the bathing area is also distinctive. Green tiles and white grout create a refined contrast, allowing light and shadow to become part of the spatial experience.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINEThe mosaic mural, one of the defining elements of Kanazawa Bathhouse, has been preserved as much as possible. Missing areas were restored with the help of AI technology.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINERather than preserving the past unchanged, the project layers new technology onto existing memories. This attitude runs through the entire facility.
A Cave-Like Sauna Experience
The sauna area, named THE CAVE, offers different experiences for men and women.
The men’s sauna, THE ABYSS, uses lava tiles to retain heat and creates a deeply immersive atmosphere through automatic löyly.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINEThe women’s sauna, THE COCOON, offers a softer space that feels as though the body is being gently enveloped, with self-löyly available.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINEBoth spaces are unified by organic forms and generous curves, creating a sense of continuity with the broader bathing architecture.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINEThe facility also includes microbubble cold baths using groundwater, kept at 13–15°C, as well as spaces for outdoor and indoor air bathing, offering a quiet reset within the city.
Systems for Carrying Sento Into the Future
Environmental consideration is also a key theme at Koganeyu Shinjuku. The facility introduces a solar thermal hot water system. Collectors installed on the rooftop gather heat from the sun, which is then used to warm the water for baths and showers.
Instead of converting solar energy into electricity, the system directly uses heat itself, improving efficiency while contributing to reductions in CO₂ emissions and energy costs. It is also the first privately operated facility to receive approval for this type of support from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Solar thermal equipment image | Courtesy of KOGANEYUThe challenge here is to preserve sento culture while making its operation more sustainable. In that sense, the project suggests one possible future for public bathhouses.
A Place to Return to Everyday Life
Higashi-Shinjuku is an area where diverse cultures intersect, bordered by Kabukicho, Shin-Okubo, and office districts. Many people pass through day and night, yet just a short walk from the main streets, residential neighborhoods still hold traces of everyday life.
Koganeyu Shinjuku was conceived as a place within this city where people could return to the rhythm of daily life.
photo by ©FASHION HEADLINESento, sauna, craft beer, DJ culture, and a courtyard.
These are not separate attractions. Rather, they function as devices that allow people to connect gently with one another.
Koganeyu Shinjuku is not simply a renovated public bath. It is an attempt to bring a disappearing form of public space back into the contemporary city—and perhaps to reconsider well-being not only through the body, but also through our relationship with the city itself.
【INFORMATION】
Koganeyu Shinjuku
Address:
7-22-11 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Access:
5-minute walk from Higashi-Shinjuku Station on the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line and Toei Oedo Line
Grand Opening:
July 7, 2026
Hours:
12:30 PM–9:30 AM the following day
Closed:
First and third Tuesdays of each month
Koganeyu Shinjuku
Address:
7-22-11 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Access:
5-minute walk from Higashi-Shinjuku Station on the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line and Toei Oedo Line
Grand Opening:
July 7, 2026
Hours:
12:30 PM–9:30 AM the following day
Closed:
First and third Tuesdays of each month
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