ny020526010714
Ñ EMBARGO: NO ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION, WEB POSTING OR STREET SALES BEFORE 12:01 A.M. ET ON SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2026. NO EXCEPTIONS FOR ANY REASONS Ñ Hot water flows into a bath at Ume-no-yu, a public bathhouse in Nagano, Japan, April 22, 2026. Soaring oil prices driven by the war in the Middle East are threatening to deal a final blow to a storied Japanese institution: the sento, or traditional public bathhouse. (Kentaro Takahashi/The New York Times/Fotoarena)
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