Tweet of the Week #139: What’s With Bottled Milk at Public Baths in Japan?

Japanese homes are typically equipped with fancy Japanese bath units, but public baths, or sento, are still common facilities. Although usually frequented by the elderly, they’re starting to become cool again with young people.

One traditional aspect of sento is enjoying a cold glass of milk. No one is really sure why, but one theory is that in the 1950s, sento offered common folk luxuries rarely seen in an average home: television, washing machines and refrigerators.

As a result, milk vendors saw a strategic advantage in stocking a sento with cold milk. Thus, drinking cold milk after a hot bath became a thing. Today, milk, coffee (with milk), fruity milk and other drinks are a sento staple, but the coffee variation is the most popular flavor.

Got milk?

銭湯で当たり前の様に飲めると思われてる瓶牛乳ですが、実は販売するには保健所の許可がいります。先月から届出だけに変更されましたが、新たに販売したい場合は「食品衛生責任者」の設置が必要になります。意外と販売のハードルが高い瓶牛乳。銭湯で見かけたらぜひ味わってみてください。 pic.twitter.com/8UUFY6IkaK

— 東大阪　第二寿湯 (@DKotobukiyu) July 4, 2021

銭湯（せんとう）で当（あ）たり前（まえ）の様（よう）に飲め（のめ）ると思（おも）われてる瓶（びん）牛乳（ぎゅうにゅう）ですが、実（じつ）は販売（はんばい）するには保健所（ほけんじょ）の許可（きょか）がいります。

先月（せんげつ）から届出（とどけで）だけに変更（へんこう）されましたが、新た（あらた）に販売（はんばい）したい場合（ばあい）は「食品（しょくひん）衛生（えいせい）責任者（せきにんしゃ）」の設置（せっち）が必要（ひつよう）になります。意外（いがい）と販売（はんばい）のハードルが高（たか）い瓶（びん）牛乳（ぎゅうにゅう）。

“Drinking bottled milk at a sento seems obvious, but you actually need permission from the public health center to sell it.

As of last month, it has been changed to only require notification, but if you want to start selling new products, you will need to appoint a food hygiene supervisor. Surprisingly, there are many hurdles to selling bottled milk. If you see milk at a public bath, please give it a try!”

How to state the obvious

Based on the word 当然（とうぜん） (natural), 当たり前 is a common expression used to speak about things that are obvious, or in other words, “the way it is” and “the way it should be.”

• 当たり前だろう: “Of course!”
• 当たり前だ: “It goes without saying!”
• 当たり前じゃない: “Of course, not.”
• 日本（にほん）では当たり前（）のことが海外（かいがい）では当たり前（）ではない: “What is commonplace in Japan is not commonplace in other countries.”
• 挨拶（あいさつ）をすることは当たり前（）の礼儀（れいぎ）です: “It’s common courtesy to say hello.”
• それは誰（だれ）もが当たり前と考（かんが）える: “It’s something we all take for granted.”

Vocabulary

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