I woke up at 7 AM. I had gone to bed around 11 PM last night, so I slept soundly for about 8 hours. When traveling for sauna experiences, some hotels offer a good night's sleep while others don't. The hotel I'm staying at, Hotel Kyoto Eminence, has proven to be a good match for me. After getting ready, I took a morning walk and then enjoyed a breakfast buffet. I then savored some coffee at Ogawa Coffee next to the hotel, returned to the hotel to relax, and decided on my first destination. Today, I plan to tour public baths. Kyoto has several public baths that sauna enthusiasts from all over the country visit. Moreover, the public baths are densely packed enough that you can visit several on foot. My first destination is Gokou-yu, a famous public bath that was also featured in the drama 'Sauna Road.' The plan for today is to do 1-2 sessions at Gokou-yu, then move to Hakusanyu Takatsuji, known for its famous water, and enjoy the sauna there again. Just as some people enjoy bar hopping, I plan to do a 'sauna hop.' I've done 'hopping' before, so I know the drill. Let's get started. I parked my car in a nearby parking lot and headed to Gokou-yu. Its exterior perfectly matches that of a neighborhood public bath. Unlike super sento, it stands alone in a densely packed residential area, which is characteristic of public baths. Japan's hot spring culture began with public baths. I bought a ticket from the vending machine near the entrance and handed it to the woman at the reception. Then, I moved to the changing room and got dressed. The retro lockers made me feel like I had time-traveled back to the Showa era. I intended to use the restroom before bathing, and the moment I opened the door, I was startled. A man with full-body tattoos was using the restroom without locking the door. I apologized, saying, "Oh, sorry!" Ideally, the person using a public facility without locking the door is at fault, but avoiding conflict is best. When I apologized, he replied, "Oh, sorry." I felt relieved. Kyoto has many public baths, and many of them allow people with tattoos to bathe. When I visited Hakusanyu Rokujoten last time, there was someone with tattoos everywhere except their face. Being in the same space as such a person can be intimidating, but it doesn't affect the pleasure of enjoying the sauna and cold plunge bath, so I made peace with it. It's the same this time. The large bath at Gokou-yu is two stories, with various bathtubs on the first floor and a sauna, cold plunge bath, and open-air bath on the second floor. There is also a ganbanyoku (stone sauna) available for an extra fee. After cleansing myself, I moved to the second-floor sauna. As expected, the tattooed man I encountered in the restroom was there, but I entered the sauna room without concern. Gokou-yu's sauna has a very interesting design. The sauna room is divided into two sections, separated by glass in the center. You can open the door and move to the other side, with each section having a different temperature. First, I warmed my body in the classic sauna at around 85°C, and after a while, moved to the other side to finish in the banya sauna, which exceeds 100°C. Right outside the sauna is the cold plunge bath. It uses Kyoto's abundant underground water, and both its depth and width are perfect. Water cascades down like a waterfall from above, constantly overflowing the tub, ensuring cleanliness. Most importantly, the water is soft and free of chlorine smell. The clean natural underground water envelops my body. I submerged myself completely, cooling my entire body. Next to the cold plunge bath is the open-air bath, with chairs for resting. The layout is perfect. For a neighborhood public bath to be this well-designed, if I lived nearby, I wouldn't use my home bath. While enjoying the outdoor air bath, I was overwhelmed by the unique refreshing sensation of the underground water cold plunge bath. Strangely, when entering a cold plunge bath with quality underground water, the refreshing feeling on the pores is vastly different from tap water. It feels like being in mint water, with a cool sensation. Gokou-yu's cold plunge bath feels around 18°C, so it's not that cold, but it cools you to the core. It's very pleasant. During the second session, I followed the same rhythm in the sauna, and the tattooed man was there again. We sweated together and returned to the underground water cold plunge bath. Wrapped in the refreshing sensation, I completed two sessions. Ideally, I would like to go for a third or fourth session, but since I'm doing a 'sauna hop' today, I'll end it here. I quickly changed and left the establishment. The next destination, Hakusanyu Takatsuji, is about a 5-minute walk from here. After two sessions at Gokou-yu, an outdoor air bath during the walk, and three sessions at Hakusanyu Takatsuji, the public bath tour will be complete. How luxurious it is to 'hop' between nationally renowned establishments. As I pondered this, the sign for Hakusanyu Takatsuji came into view.