NHK's documentary program "Document 72 Hours" (NHK General) will air "Osaka's Human-Centered Public Bathhouse is Here" on May 1st at 10 PM. The setting is a 24-hour public bathhouse in Toyonaka, Osaka. No matter what circumstances you have, once you're naked, everyone is equal. What happens when the program's cameras are set up in this place where various emotions intersect...?
Located in Toyonaka City, in northern Osaka, in an area that retains its old-town charm, this 24-hour public bathhouse is quite spacious, yet the price is a reasonable 600 yen for adults, attracting people of all ages.
Two 66-year-old classmates who came after a drink, still wanting to talk; a mother who arrived at 1 AM with her sleepless child; a factory worker who always comes at 5 AM before heading to work. There are all sorts of things that happen every day, but a bath resets everything. For three days, I set up a camera and observed the drama unfolding among the people.
The program is a documentary that places a camera in one location each time and observes the various human dramas that unfold there for 72 hours. It listens to the stories of people who meet by chance and captures a glimpse of "the present."
