I stood on the platform at Takeo Onsen Station, feeling a twinge of reluctance to leave. I had just finished my morning sauna at OND HOTEL, already more than satisfied. And yet, I still had one more destination waiting for me. I boarded a train heading for Futsukaichi Station. The moment I stepped off at Futsukaichi, it was pouring rain. I walked out of the station and slipped straight into a taxi. When I said, "To Tenpai no Sato, please," the driver replied, "Sure thing — that place is popular, isn't it." So even the locals love it, I thought — and before I knew it, we had already arrived. The first thing I noticed upon entering was how crowded it was. For a weekday before noon, the place was buzzing. The source of all that energy became clear right away: the restaurant inside the facility, Himehotaru, was holding a lunch buffet. Looking around, I could see people of all ages piling their plates with dishes from across Kyushu. A wonderful thing, no doubt — but my purpose here was the sauna. I decided to start with a bath first. After checking in, I headed to the men's bathing area. Opening the door to the changing room, the first thing that caught my eye was the ceiling height. No sense of being closed in. That alone was enough to tell me this was a good facility. I washed up and stepped out into the indoor bath area. I eased myself slowly into the natural hot spring Tenpai no Yu, which wells up from 1,500 meters underground. It was gentle. The clear, colorless water enveloped my entire body with a smooth, silky touch. From the outdoor bath, I was told you can take in sweeping views of Mt. Homan and the Chikushino cityscape on a clear day — but with the heavy rain, everything was shrouded in mist. Well, days like this happen. Life doesn't always offer the perfect situation. After warming up thoroughly in the hot spring, I made my way to the sauna area. Chikushino Tenpai no Sato has two types of saunas. The first one I entered was the main sauna, known as Sauna Chinjuномori. The moment I opened the door, a rich woody fragrance hit my nostrils. The entire space, ceiling and all, was built with red cedar — a truly luxurious construction. Red cedar refers to Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), native to North America. It is a highly durable timber with excellent resistance to rot and insects, and it contains a distinctive aromatic compound that makes it one of the finest materials for sauna construction. It also has the quality of being slow to transfer heat to the skin, so even after sitting for a long time, the wood doesn't get uncomfortably hot. The fragrance — somehow cool and faintly sweet, unlike Japanese cedar or cypress — filled the entire sauna room. What caught my eye most in this sauna room was the torii gate, with sauna stones enshrined beneath it. Seeing a torii gate inside a sauna room was a first for me. Sauna culture originally comes from Finland, yet here, a torii gate — the symbol of sacred Japanese space — stood within it, giving birth to a uniquely Japanese sanctuary. The room temperature was between 90 and 95°C. The space was spacious, with three tiers of seating for around fifteen people. The large sauna stove put out plenty of power, sending a firm, all-encompassing heat across my whole body. The cold plunge bath held 16°C water drawn from the natural groundwater of Mt. Tenpai. The balance of temperature and water quality was exquisite. The moment I stepped in, a bracing rush of freshness shot through my entire body. There was a faint hint of chlorine, suggesting it runs on a circulation filtration system rather than a free-flowing one — but even setting that aside, the water was undeniably smooth and pleasant. As for the outdoor rest, the heavy rain meant I couldn't go outside. I ended up lying back on an infinity chair placed in the indoor bath area. I gazed up at the ceiling and enjoyed the sensation of my entire body going limp. For my second set, I moved to the self-löyly sauna known as Sauna Tenmangu. This space was also fully lined with red cedar, with a room temperature of around 80 to 85°C. There was no television — just a quiet space where you could enjoy self-administered löyly at your own pace. When I ladled water over the stones, they let out a sharp hiss and sent a huge plume of steam billowing upward. The humidity spiked instantly, and the perceived temperature jumped considerably. This sauna has everything you need to sit alone with your own thoughts. For my third set, I returned to the main sauna. I sat up straight, gazing at the torii gate and sweating it out. Outside, the rain was still hammering down. But this space had its own particular stillness. Every time I stepped inside, that rich woody fragrance was there to greet me. Three sets done — and with that, my sauna session for the day came to a close.

I stood on the platform at Takeo Onsen Station, feeling a twinge of reluctance to leave. I had just finished my morning sauna at OND HOTEL, already more than satisfied. And yet, I still had one more destination waiting for me. I boarded a train heading for Futsukaichi Station. The moment I stepped off at Futsukaichi, it was pouring rain. I walked out of the station and slipped straight into a taxi. When I said, "To Tenpai no Sato, please," the driver replied, "Sure thing — that place is popular, isn't it." So even the locals love it, I thought — and before I knew it, we had already arrived. The first thing I noticed upon entering was how crowded it was. For a weekday before noon, the place was buzzing. The source of all that energy became clear right away: the restaurant inside the facility, Himehotaru, was holding a lunch buffet. Looking around, I could see people of all ages piling their plates with dishes from across Kyushu. A wonderful thing, no doubt — but my purpose here was the sauna. I decided to start with a bath first. After checking in, I headed to the men's bathing area. Opening the door to the changing room, the first thing that caught my eye was the ceiling height. No sense of being closed in. That alone was enough to tell me this was a good facility. I washed up and stepped out into the indoor bath area. I eased myself slowly into the natural hot spring Tenpai no Yu, which wells up from 1,500 meters underground. It was gentle. The clear, colorless water enveloped my entire body with a smooth, silky touch. From the outdoor bath, I was told you can take in sweeping views of Mt. Homan and the Chikushino cityscape on a clear day — but with the heavy rain, everything was shrouded in mist. Well, days like this happen. Life doesn't always offer the perfect situation. After warming up thoroughly in the hot spring, I made my way to the sauna area. Chikushino Tenpai no Sato has two types of saunas. The first one I entered was the main sauna, known as Sauna Chinjuномori. The moment I opened the door, a rich woody fragrance hit my nostrils. The entire space, ceiling and all, was built with red cedar — a truly luxurious construction. Red cedar refers to Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), native to North America. It is a highly durable timber with excellent resistance to rot and insects, and it contains a distinctive aromatic compound that makes it one of the finest materials for sauna construction. It also has the quality of being slow to transfer heat to the skin, so even after sitting for a long time, the wood doesn't get uncomfortably hot. The fragrance — somehow cool and faintly sweet, unlike Japanese cedar or cypress — filled the entire sauna room. What caught my eye most in this sauna room was the torii gate, with sauna stones enshrined beneath it. Seeing a torii gate inside a sauna room was a first for me. Sauna culture originally comes from Finland, yet here, a torii gate — the symbol of sacred Japanese space — stood within it, giving birth to a uniquely Japanese sanctuary. The room temperature was between 90 and 95°C. The space was spacious, with three tiers of seating for around fifteen people. The large sauna stove put out plenty of power, sending a firm, all-encompassing heat across my whole body. The cold plunge bath held 16°C water drawn from the natural groundwater of Mt. Tenpai. The balance of temperature and water quality was exquisite. The moment I stepped in, a bracing rush of freshness shot through my entire body. There was a faint hint of chlorine, suggesting it runs on a circulation filtration system rather than a free-flowing one — but even setting that aside, the water was undeniably smooth and pleasant. As for the outdoor rest, the heavy rain meant I couldn't go outside. I ended up lying back on an infinity chair placed in the indoor bath area. I gazed up at the ceiling and enjoyed the sensation of my entire body going limp. For my second set, I moved to the self-löyly sauna known as Sauna Tenmangu. This space was also fully lined with red cedar, with a room temperature of around 80 to 85°C. There was no television — just a quiet space where you could enjoy self-administered löyly at your own pace. When I ladled water over the stones, they let out a sharp hiss and sent a huge plume of steam billowing upward. The humidity spiked instantly, and the perceived temperature jumped considerably. This sauna has everything you need to sit alone with your own thoughts. For my third set, I returned to the main sauna. I sat up straight, gazing at the torii gate and sweating it out. Outside, the rain was still hammering down. But this space had its own particular stillness. Every time I stepped inside, that rich woody fragrance was there to greet me. Three sets done — and with that, my sauna session for the day came to a close.