Day two of my Hokuriku sauna trip started at Yuya FUROBAKKA.
From Toyama Station, I hopped on the local Ainokaze Toyama Railway line and headed for Kurobe Station. Gazing out the window at sweeping rice paddies and the Tateyama mountain range, I arrived at Kurobe before I knew it. There's not much around the station. I looked up the route to Yuya FUROBAKKA and found it would take about 20 minutes on foot. No way could I wait. I wanted to get into that sauna now. A taxi happened to be sitting in the station rotary, so I jumped straight in and said, "Yuya FUROBAKKA, please."
I stood in front of the entrance, grinning like an idiot as I snapped photos of the place. Why was I so worked up? Because the sauna at Yuya FUROBAKKA is almost exactly what I've always dreamed of. My ideal sauna is a dark, silent cabin where you watch the flames dance in a wood-burning stove, listen to the crackling of the wood, breathe in the smoky scent, and drift into a state of meditation.
When I was researching sauna facilities in Toyama Prefecture and came across Yuya FUROBAKKA, I actually muttered to myself, "I've been waiting to find something like this." And now that very sauna was right in front of me. How could I not be excited? I was already convinced it would be incredible before I even stepped inside. Luckily, it had just opened and it was raining, so the parking lot was nearly empty — meaning few other guests. What a stroke of luck. Time to check in and get into that wood-fired sauna.
On my way to the main bath after checking in, my sense of smell was already overtaken. The entire facility was filled with a wonderful scent of burning wood. Along both sides of the corridor, large stacks of firewood were stored for use in the saunas. The atmosphere alone was already perfect. I darted into the changing room, stripped down in seconds, and stepped into the bathing area. Not a soul around. It felt like a private rental. I honestly hadn't expected to have the whole place to myself. I rinsed off and decided to start with the carbonated bath. After soaking for about ten minutes, my body had gradually warmed up. I was ready for the sauna. I dried off and headed to the outdoor area where the saunas awaited.
Yuya FUROBAKKA's main bathing area has two types of saunas. There's the Anagura Sauna, which has the feel of a cave, and the Yamagoya Sauna, designed to evoke a mountain hut. Both are wood-fired saunas.
I headed to the Anagura Sauna first. A cave-like concrete structure came into view. I opened the door — and stepped into another world. The only light inside was the flame of the wood-burning stove and a faint glow leaking through the gap around the entrance. The walls were bare concrete, and it truly felt like being inside a cave. I slowly settled onto the bench. The temperature read 85°C. The heat was remarkably gentle. And on top of that, the scent of the wood, the sound of it crackling, and the sight of the flames provided an almost otherworldly kind of comfort. It felt like sitting around a bonfire in complete darkness. And there was no one else here but me. A chance to have a space like this entirely to myself doesn't come often. I slowly closed my eyes and let my mind go blank. I wasn't thinking about anything — just savoring the sound and scent of the firewood. I must have been in there for about ten minutes. I had slipped into a state of complete meditation. I was sitting in the same spot, yet I felt as though I'd traveled somewhere far away. I've been going to saunas for years, but I'd never experienced anything like this. I was drenched in sweat, so it was time to head for the cold plunge.
Yuya FUROBAKKA's cold plunge bath draws 560 liters of groundwater per minute from Kurobe's rich natural environment, using it generously and without restraint. I slipped into that bath as if drawn in by some invisible force. The thermometer read 13°C. Quite cold — but with the silky smoothness unique to natural groundwater. At 13°C from a tap, I'd never be able to sink in this relaxed. I glanced to the side and saw water gushing in with tremendous force. I couldn't help but grin. Time for what I'd been waiting for — a drink of the water. I cupped both hands full of Kurobe's famous spring water and took a long, slow gulp. Ahh. It was so good. It seeped into my wood-fired-sauna-soothed body. I felt like I was recharging. I stretched out on an outdoor reclining chair and the ultimate relaxation washed over me.
For my second set, I went to the Yamagoya Sauna. Unlike the Anagura Sauna, it has large windows and a bright interior. Through the windows, you can see a large adjacent park — a lush, green view that soothes the soul. And above all, that scent. Incredible. Wood-fired saunas are the best. In the Yamagoya Sauna, you can enjoy self-serve löyly. A large wood-burning stove has a generous pile of stones stacked on top, and you can ladle water right over them. Since I was alone, I did löyly over and over again. I fell into a meditative state here too — fully focused on the sound, the scent, and the flames of the fire. Eventually I'd built up a heavy sweat, so I made my way to the cold plunge a second time. I cooled my body in Kurobe's spring water, then drank some straight from the source. Pure bliss.
After that, I did two more sets each in the Anagura Sauna and the Yamagoya Sauna — six sets in total — and wrapped up my morning sauna session.
After leaving the sauna and getting changed, I lay down in the rest area (pictured in the second photo) and couldn't move for about 30 minutes. I was in a daze — overwhelmed by sheer pleasure and satisfaction. It was the sauna of my dreams, as if someone had gathered every ideal I'd ever had and built it into one place.
When a sauna trip genuinely moves me to the core, I often end up in that blank, dazed state. When that happens, I make a point of just enjoying it — for as long as it lasts. I'm in an unfamiliar place, I don't know anyone here, and I have no reason to worry about how I look. It's a solo trip after all, with no set destinations beyond the saunas themselves. I simply don't move until I feel ready to say, "Alright, time to get going." In everyday life, I spend so much time keeping my own impulses in check — so on sauna trips, I let myself go completely free. I move as I please. That, I think, is what it means to be human.
Eventually my awareness returned in the rest area, and I started feeling like it was time to do something. It was still morning. I had time to kill until evening. How to spend it? No plans whatsoever. I'd figure it out now. That freedom is what makes travel so good. So — where to go? As I looked up Kurobe's attractions, I came across a place called Unazuki Onsen. Apparently there's a hot spring resort town in the Kurobe Gorge, and a trolley train that can take you deep into the gorge. A train ride through untouched nature? Sounds great. Perfect way to pass the time. I decided to explore Unazuki Onsen and then head to tonight's accommodation.
By the way, tonight's accommodation also happened to be a sauna facility I'd had my eye on for a long time. Produced by Mikie Sasano — daughter of the legendary Sauna Shikiji, considered a sacred site of Japanese sauna culture — the facility in question is SPA BALNAGE, located on the 9th floor of Hotel Granmirage in Uozu City, Toyama Prefecture. Another extraordinary sauna was waiting for me tonight.
Brimming with that kind of excitement, and yet — saying goodbye to Yuya FUROBAKKA was genuinely sad. I left the facility with tears in my eyes.
