Kazuo Ukita relaxes in an ofuro (a Japanese bath that is meant for relaxation rather than washing). The water is generally kept in the tub and warmed before each use. Family members wash squatting on a stool with a bucket of hot water and a shower hose before entering the bath. When not in use the bath is covered with an insulated cover (seen behind Kazuo Ukita's head.) Japan. Material World Project. The Ukita family lives in a 1421 square foot wooden frame house in a suburb northwest of Tokyo called Kodaira City.