Thermae Romae Novae

While bathing in the public bathhouse his grandfather designed and built, a boy in ancient Rome is momentarily transported to a very strange place.

After Consul Lepidus asks him to build an outdoor bath with a view of Mt. Vesuvius, Lucius suddenly finds himself bathing among strange-looking monkeys.

Impressed by his creativity, Emperor Hadrian invites Lucius to his opulent villa and asks him to build a private bath.

While stopping in an unwelcoming tavern during his long journey home, Lucius surfaces in a comfortable Edo-era rest stop along the Tokaido road.

On a construction site for a Roman-style spa in modern day Japan, Lucius meets a fellow bathhouse architect.

To undermine public support for the Emperor, some members of the Senate scheme to get rid of the man behind the popular bathhouses: Lucius.