Furo

Furo (風呂), or the more common and polite form ofuro (お風呂), is a Japanese bath and/or bathroom.

Baths of this type are found all over Japan in houses, apartments and traditional Japanese inns (ryokan) but are now usually made out of a plastic or stainless steel.

Since the bathroom is a complete wet area, in modern buildings and ryokan heating is provided by air conditioners overhead.

A modern furo may be made of acrylic, and the top of the range models fitted with a re-circulation system (oidaki) which filters and re-heats the water.

Luxury models are still made out of traditional or expensive woods like hinoki, and can be retrofitted with Western-style fittings and used as signature pieces by architects and interior designers internationally.