Thermae Romae: A Japanese Film about Ancient Roman Bathing—and Time Travel!

Have you ever wondered what a bath-house architect from ancient Rome would think if he found himself swept through a time warp into a modern Japanese Spa? Wonder no more! Emily and Cam discuss Thermae Romae, a 2012 Japanese Film that seeks to explore precisely this question by dramatizing the adventures of one Lucius Modestus, an engineer who becomes Emperor Hadrian’s personal bath-house designer.Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:https://havetogawilltravel.comUseful Links:Watch Thermae Romae (with English Subtitles) on DailymotionWatch the Thermae Romae Novae anime series on NetflixCover art adapted from Joseph Theodor Hansen, "Tepidarium at the Forum Baths in Pompeii"----------00:11 - Introduction01:56 - Thermae Romae: the basics02:28 - How to watch Thermae Romae03:29 - A plot summary: Lucius Modestus travels through time, learns lots about Japanese bathing culture, and applies his knowledge to Roman bath-houses in the time of Hadrian06:59 - The original Thermae Romae manga series08:13 - The film’s success and the Thermae Romae Universe10:17 - A Fish-out-of-Water Comedy10:24 - The basic premise and some of the movie’s quirks13:35 - Modern Japanese and Ancient Roman bathing cultures, compared19:16 - Lucius bumbles his way through modern Japan and discovers the marvels of Japanese bathing26:05 - Poking fun of Japanese onsen culture (and a digression on the challenges of translation)29:46 - Thermae Romae and Roman Culture29:56 - A quirky interpretation of real Roman history: the reign of Hadrian, the death of Antinous, and the question of succession (and deification!)38:54 - Lucius’ (very Japanese) critique of Roman bathing culture42:09 - Does Lucius’ critique hold water? Imperial bath-houses, neighborhood bath-houses, and bath-house sociability47:04 - The old men from the onsen teach Lucius to care less about honor and more about community spirit49:36 - Some final thoughts about the movie51:25 - Wrap-up51:31 - What’s up next: the Odyssey—both Homer’s Odyssey, and Nolan’s Odyssey52:26 - A plug for “The Return” (and for our episode about it!)