That morning, I woke up at 5 a.m. like an old man. A morning walk, a shower, and breakfast. The usual dull routine. This week I had no health issues, so the decision to go on a sauna trip had already been approved internally. The only thing left unsettled was the destination. Two candidates: Kyushu (around Nagasaki) or the Kanto area (around Chiba). I decided to leave my home in Tokushima, head from Awaji Island toward Kobe, and let the wind decide along the way. Racing across Awaji Island in the early morning, I made up my mind: Chiba it is. In Chiba and Kanagawa, I had about six places I'd been eyeing for a while. Just the right amount to cover in two nights and three days. Kyushu could wait for another time. Once the destination was set, I moved fast. I drove to Nishinomiya, dumped the car in a parking garage, took the train to Shin-Osaka, bought a ticket to Tokyo, and boarded the Shinkansen. I love this part — the time on the Shinkansen. Watching the scenery roll past the window while drawing up a detailed plan for the next two nights and three days. Checking the locations of the candidate spots on a map app, figuring out the most efficient and dramatic route to hit them all. This process itself is the real pleasure of travel. After much deliberation, I chose Spa & Hotel Maihama Eurasia as my first destination. No point endlessly fiddling with the route. In the end, going to the place you want most, first, is simply the healthiest choice for the mind. I arrived at Tokyo Station, transferred to the Keiyo Line, and headed for Maihama Station. When most people hear "Maihama," 99% of them picture Disneyland — Mickey Mouse ears, giddy excitement. But my head was completely taken over by thoughts of the hot spring and sauna I was about to enter. I paid no attention whatsoever to the happy couples and families walking toward the magical kingdom. I climbed into a taxi at Maihama Station and went straight to Spa & Hotel Maihama Eurasia. Arriving at the hotel, I was greeted by an immaculate interior that seemed to mirror cleanliness itself, and a refined, pleasant scent. I checked in at the spa reception. The lockers in the main bath area were spacious and spotless — not a speck of dust. I was already wrapped in a high sense of satisfaction, and I hadn't even taken off my clothes yet. From here on, time ceased to exist. Stepping into the main bath area, I found an open, airy space lined with a variety of baths. The sauna section housed three outstanding saunas and a cold plunge bath, and out in the open-air area, a sea-breeze outdoor lounge and a natural hot spring with a flowing source awaited. Just surveying the layout and facilities of the entire place was enough to trigger a flood of endorphins — I was nearly in totonou before I'd even begun. First, I washed off the grime of a long journey all the way from Tokushima and soaked in the natural source-flowing hot spring. True to its name — Kogane no Yu, the Golden Bath — the tub was filled with golden-colored water so deeply pigmented you couldn't see the bottom. According to the description, the water is a fossil seawater spring drawn from 1,700 meters underground, from a geological layer dating back roughly 20,000 years. The spring type is an iodine-sodium-chloride strong salt hot spring — a rare, cloudy water rich in minerals with exceptionally high heat-retention and moisturizing properties. Soaking in it, I caught a creamy, dense scent unlike anything I'd experienced before amid the hot spring aroma. As I slowly gave myself over to the water, I could feel the muscles that had stiffened during the long morning journey melting away as if by magic. My core gradually warmed through, and I was finally ready for the sauna. The men's bath at Spa & Hotel Maihama Eurasia has three saunas: the Kelo Sauna, crafted from rare kelo wood; the Log Sauna, built from massive round logs; and the steam sauna, the Caldarium. The one I had been eyeing with intense anticipation was, without question, the Kelo Sauna. The walls are lavishly lined with rare antique kelo wood — known in Finland, the home of sauna, as the "jewel of trees" — giving the room the feel of a log cabin deep in a Nordic forest. The moment I opened the door and stepped inside, a rich, sweet fragrance unique to kelo enveloped me. I instinctively closed my eyes and took a deep breath through my nose. I was well aware this must have looked eccentric, but glancing around, the other gentlemen already inside were quietly doing the same — eyes closed, every nerve focused on this sacred space and its scent. Sitting on the top bench and taking in the sauna room, I was struck by how genuinely beautiful the craftsmanship was, and I couldn't help but smile. The temperature was around 80°C — not a piercing heat, but a gentle, enveloping warmth. The stove was a rocky type surrounded by brick. The benches were wide enough to stretch out on, and the sauna mats were plush and of excellent quality. In every respect, this was a sauna room of the highest caliber. After about ten minutes of thoroughly heating my body, I headed for the cold plunge bath. The thermometer read 15°C — deep enough and wide enough to comfortably fit five or six people. I submerged myself fully and cooled down completely until my own breath turned cold. Then I moved to the outdoor area, sat in one of the outdoor lounge chairs, and let the sea breeze from Maihama wash over me. The outdoor lounge offered not just chairs but also spaces to lie flat — the flow for sauna-goers coming out of the cold plunge was perfectly thought out. I stared into the void until my heartbeat gradually settled and energy began rising up again from somewhere deep in my body. For my second set, I tried the cypress Log Sauna. The moment I entered, a bold yet refreshing cypress scent pierced straight through my nose. The sweet fragrance of kelo is wonderful, but the scent of cypress — etched into Japanese DNA — carries its own exceptional quality. I breathed deeply through my nose again and kept taking slow, full breaths throughout the session. The Log Sauna's construction is also breathtaking: built from massive cypress logs claimed to be among the largest in Japan at 30 cm in diameter, it offers a wild, immersive experience of enjoying a sauna inside what feels like a real log cabin. The temperature is set at 90°C, a full 10 degrees higher than the Kelo Sauna. Regular auto-löyly keeps the humidity high as well, so the felt heat is considerable. If the Kelo Sauna is a space that delivers supreme relaxation, the cypress Log Sauna is a space that delivers a powerful blast of heat to the body. This clear difference in concept is what rattles the soul of a sauna devotee so intensely. I cooled my thoroughly heated body in the cold plunge bath again, then moved to the outdoor lounge. For a while, my consciousness had completely escaped to outer space. After the outdoor rest, I savored the Golden Bath once more before heading back for my third set in the Kelo Sauna. Curiously, in this second session in the Kelo Sauna, I could sense the fragrance more deeply and vividly than the first time. Proof that cycling through the sauna, the cold plunge, and a quality hot spring had sharpened all five of my senses to their limit. In the quiet space, I focused my awareness solely on my own breathing and the kelo fragrance and sweated it out slowly. I've been in kelo saunas all across Japan, but taking everything together — the atmosphere of the room, the beauty of the craftsmanship, the scent, and the comfort — this one might be the best kelo sauna in Japan. Even after my third set, my appetite wouldn't stop. For the fourth set, I subjected myself to the intense heat of the cypress Log Sauna; for the fifth, I sank back into deep meditation in the Kelo Sauna. That wrapped up my daytime sauna activities. I had been looking forward to this place for a long time, but the experience far exceeded my imagination, and I left completely satisfied.

After stepping out of the main bath, I happened to glance at the clock while getting dressed at my locker — two full hours had passed. I had been so completely lost in timeless enjoyment that this was the first moment I reconnected with any sense of real time. The fact that two hours felt like an instant is proof of just how magical a place this is — somewhere you forget time entirely and sink into pure relaxation. On the way to the restaurant area, I noticed a mixed-gender zone on the fifth floor called SPA+, offering an ore-bathing experience and a rooftop view sauna. It looked lively and genuinely inviting. Since this was a solo trip, I gave it a pass this time — but if I ever get the chance to come back with someone, I'd definitely want to try it. I had a light meal at the restaurant, rested for a bit, and then left the hotel to head to my next destination. Tonight I'm planning to stay in Makuhari, and there's another spot in Makuhari I've had my eye on for a while and absolutely want to visit: JFA Yume Field Makuhari Onsen Yuraku no Sato. It's a facility boasting an overwhelming location where you can take in a panoramic view of Tokyo Bay from the open-air bath. Soaking in a hot spring while gazing at the spectacular view of Tokyo Bay — a one-of-a-kind experience that exists nowhere else — is waiting for me. The journey has only just begun.