After being rattled by a tattooed gang at Kofuku-yu and cutting my visit short after barely 15 minutes — a failed first set — I made my way to Fukurono-yu, clutching at straws. I felt a little guilty using such a wonderful sauna facility as a refuge of last resort, but I had no choice. I needed to reach totonou, no matter what.
I parked in a nearby lot and walked to the facility. Fukurono-yu is on the basement floor of a commercial building. I passed through an entrance that felt like a doorway to some secret space, and the moment I arrived at the front desk, a wave of relief washed over me. The lobby was spotlessly clean, fragrant, and filled with composed, dignified guests relaxing with easy expressions on their faces. This is, after all, one of Wakayama's premier super sento. There was even a restaurant — I could get a proper dinner here.
After checking in, I headed to the changing room. The lockers were spacious and clean. I stripped off my clothes in seconds and stepped into the main bath area. Since it's on the basement floor, there's no outdoor bath or open-air relaxation space — just a carefully selected free-flowing hot spring, a sauna, a cold plunge bath, and a relaxation area. Simple. Looking closely at the bathtub, I could see it was discolored by the mineral content — a good sign that the spring water is the real deal.
I washed up and eased myself into the source hot spring. According to the posted explanation, the water rises from 1,500 meters underground. The mineral concentration is impressive — it reminded me of Arima Onsen. I slowly lowered my body into the water. This is it. This is exactly what I'd been looking for. The tension drained from my body and I felt genuinely relaxed, from the inside out. No tattooed troublemakers here — just quiet, considerate bathers enjoying their soak. After what happened at Kofuku-yu, I found myself genuinely grateful for the other guests. Thank you, I thought, for keeping the atmosphere so pleasant.
Soaking in the hot spring had warmed me up considerably, so I decided to step into the cold plunge bath. The water here is tap water filtered through Binchotan charcoal. Around 18°C, I'd guess. My body cooled down at just the right pace. The sauna-and-cold-plunge combination is always incredible, but a cold plunge after warming up in a high-quality hot spring hits differently — it's just as good. I toweled off and headed to the sauna room. This one appears to be a dry sauna with far-infrared heaters. The world has gone wild for Finnish-style saunas with löyly, but far-infrared saunas warm the body just as thoroughly. There was a television inside, preserving that good old-fashioned atmosphere.
Because I'd already been through the aborted session at Kofuku-yu, I broke into a sweat almost immediately. Right — this was technically my second set, even if it was at a different facility. There probably wasn't another person in that room who had attempted their first set somewhere else entirely. I was a little surprised at my own eccentricity, but as a dedicated sauna enthusiast, ending the day on a bad note is simply unacceptable. The whole point is to finish the day feeling "That was amazing! Today was the best!" — and stringing those days together is what makes for a happy life. Lost in these thoughts, I started sweating like a waterfall. I'd hit my limit. I stepped out and sank into the Binchotan cold plunge bath. A sense of safety and pleasure wrapped around me, and a wave of pure happiness came rolling in.
Up until now, I'd taken it for granted that sauna and cold plunge would always feel good. Today showed me that isn't a given. Those signs posted at hot spring facilities — "Guests with tattoos are not permitted" — I used to read them as someone else's concern. Now I understand: they're there to protect the atmosphere that makes the whole experience possible.
Afterward, I did two more sets of sauna and cold plunge, and called it a day.
Time to wrap up with a good meal and head back to the hotel.
Whenever I sit down for a meal after sauna and spot ginger pork set meal on the menu, there's a very high chance I'm ordering it. That day was no exception — I ordered the pork ginger stir-fry set at the restaurant inside the facility. At this point, I've eaten enough ginger pork at hot spring facilities to put together a proper ranking. The food arrived and I started with the miso soup. It seeped into my battered, exhausted body like a warm embrace. Then I demolished the main dish — pork ginger stir-fry and rice — in a matter of minutes. Another day, done. I managed to turn it into a happy ending. If Fukurono-yu hadn't been nearby after everything that happened at Kofuku-yu, it would have ended badly without a doubt. I'm genuinely grateful I had a chance to turn things around.
Back at the hotel, I started thinking about tomorrow's plans. Tomorrow is the final day of this trip. I have to get back to Tokushima from Wakayama, which means passing through Nara or Osaka along the way. One facility came to mind. It's a place I walked up to the entrance of during my Shiga-Nara sauna trip in August, only to find it packed beyond capacity and turn back. One of the largest facilities in the Kansai region. Its name: Nara Health Land.
To be continued.
