Until I woke up, I had not made any plans at all. I thought I would spend the weekend at home again this week. But the moment I woke up and opened the curtains, I felt like going on a trip. As usual, I finished my morning routine and got into the car. During the time I had taken a break from traveling, I had re-examined facilities all over Japan and made a list of places I wanted to visit. In particular, as for Kyoto, my next destination, there were several facilities that made me wonder why I had never noticed them before. On this trip, I planned to visit all of them. I drove on, crossed the Naruto Strait, and sped across Awaji Island. After taking a break at a parking area along the way, I made my hotel reservation for tonight. Spontaneous, impulsive, and ad hoc action is a defining feature of my travels. For now, once I have completed the most energy-consuming event of all, the departure, I leave the rest to chance. I also book hotels while on the move. As long as I do not aim too high, there is usually somewhere available to stay. I have taken many trips so far, and I have never once been unable to find a place to stay. Even a trip with no set plan can somehow work out. My first destination, Sukkama Genji no Yu, is in Seika Town, Kyoto Prefecture. It is located south of Kyoto and is apparently designated as part of the Kansai Science City, where the National Diet Library and research facilities of major companies line the streets. If I were a cultured person, I would probably want to see the National Diet Library rather than a public bath, but unfortunately I am not interested. What matters more to me is soaking in an onsen and entering a sauna. After parking the car and stepping outside, I was greeted by the wonderful aroma of burning firewood. Drawn in by that fragrance, I headed toward the calm, wooden building. When I passed through the noren curtain, I found the concept of a town therapeutic bath, combining a Korean Sukkama sauna with a natural hot spring. What exactly is Sukkama, anyway? Simply put, it is a sauna that uses a traditional Korean charcoal kiln called a Sukkama. Originally, the kiln is used to make charcoal, but after the charcoal is removed, the kiln retains intense residual heat stored in the stone walls. Entering it and warming the body all the way to the core is said to be a traditional wellness practice. Sukkama Genji no Yu is a rare facility where you can enjoy this traditional Korean sauna bathing experience. After checking in, I headed to the large bathing area. The interior is extremely spacious, unified with a ryokan-like atmosphere, and just walking through it raises my spirits. In general, you can tell whether a facility will offer the ideal experience without even entering the main bath. The atmosphere the moment you step inside, the staff's demeanor, the cleanliness, the world they have created from the air of the place, all of it gives rise to a near-certainty that this is the real deal. In that sense, it was already guaranteed that I would have a wonderful experience at Sukkama Genji no Yu. After changing in the clean and spacious lockers, I entered the large bathing area. The indoor bath is themed around wood, while the open-air area is themed around rock. In particular, the open-air area has a beautiful garden, and the spacious rock bath, which makes you want to swim in it, is filled with natural hot spring water. After cleansing myself and soaking in the onsen, I could feel my body, stiff from long hours of travel, gradually loosening up. The power of an onsen is amazing. Even more, the open, liberating world of the outdoor bath amplifies the pleasure. Perhaps it was also the special feeling of having this large rock bath all to myself. After warming up for a while, I headed to the sauna. When I opened the door at the entrance to the sauna room, there was a low-temperature sauna with self-löyly on the right and a high-temperature sauna on the left. First, I warmed myself thoroughly in the high-temperature sauna. It had a large sauna stove piled high with stones, and automatic löyly was performed every 30 minutes. The thermometer read 100°C, and it felt very hot indeed. I watched a variety show on the large TV, sweated for a while, and then headed to the cold plunge bath. The cold plunge bath was perfect in terms of size, depth, and temperature. It was large enough for about 10 people, deep enough to submerge the whole body, and the water temperature was 16°C. In addition, the water was constantly circulating, which gave it a clean, fresh feel. In short, it was perfect. In the outdoor air bath area, about 15 chairs were lined up, and the placement was perfect too, since it took only 5 seconds to move there from the cold plunge bath. I immediately wiped off the water droplets on my body, leaned my entire weight back into the chair, and enjoyed the outdoor air bath while bathing in the sunlight and gazing at the beautiful garden. Gradually, I could feel my consciousness growing hazy. Moving back and forth between the real world and the world of unconsciousness, I did nothing until the energy to begin my next action rose from within. That, too, seemed like the most luxurious thing one could do. It was also wonderful that it was still morning. There could hardly be a better start to the day. After that, I repeated the same cycle of sauna, cold plunge bath, outdoor air bath, and onsen, and after a total of 3 sets, I was perfectly totonou.

What was wonderful was not only the onsen and the sauna. The food at the restaurant was also extremely delicious, and looking through the menu, it was clear they also paid a great deal of attention to the ingredients, making it one of the top-level facilities I have visited so far. After finishing my meal and going up to the second floor, I found spaces where you could nap while reading manga or even work, and since I was a little sleepy, I decided to take a nap. When I woke up, it was already evening, so I had to get ready for my next destination soon. By the way, my next destination is Uji Natural Hot Spring Genji no Yu. You have probably already noticed. I was about to visit another branch run by the same company. Since Sukkama Genji no Yu was so wonderful, there is no doubt that I will have an amazing experience at Uji Natural Hot Spring Genji no Yu as well. Filled with that excitement, I got into the car and set off toward my destination.