Sauna meshi — sauna food — refers to a meal that seeps deep, deep into the senses sharpened to their absolute limit by the sauna. Even the same dish tastes entirely different when eaten in an ordinary state versus after the body and mind have fully "rebooted" through sauna and cold plunge. Of all foods, the one I love most without question is Chinese food. After sweating buckets in the sauna, with the body craving salt and energy, the punch of a bold Chinese meal is an absolutely perfect match. So just how incredible would it be to enjoy this ultimate sauna meshi right in the heart of Yokohama Chinatown — Japan's largest Chinatown? Just imagining it sends a shiver of anticipation through me. Tonight's sauna session takes place right in the middle of that very Chinatown. The facility is called HARE-TABI SAUNA & INN YOKOHAMA. HARE-TABI SAUNA & INN YOKOHAMA was born with the concept of becoming a sauna facility that serves as a hub for exploring Yokohama. It weaves the city's history and culture brilliantly into the sauna experience — from a herbal cold plunge developed in collaboration with a long-established pharmacy in Chinatown, to a steam engine-inspired sauna stove that evokes Yokohama's legacy as a birthplace of modern industry. I left my hotel near Yokohama Chinatown around 6 p.m. and started walking, taking in the sights along the way. As the main street of Chinatown drew closer, neon signs and mouth-watering aromas enveloped the streets. The cheerful atmosphere, bustling with tourists, nearly tempted me into buying a pork bun or a xiaolongbao on the spot — but I held firm. There's something to be done first. The sauna: pushing my body to its absolute limit. The ticket to the ultimate sauna meshi can only be earned by making it through an exceptional sauna. Amid the lively bustle of Chinatown, a stylish brick facade suddenly appeared before me. HARE-TABI SAUNA & INN YOKOHAMA. The SAUNA neon light glowed beautifully — a genuinely picturesque sight. I suppressed my eagerness, took a proper photo of the exterior, and stepped inside. After checking in and heading to the changing room, I found that the space wasn't exactly vast. Being mindful of other guests, I changed in a compact and lightning-fast manner and pushed open the door to the bathing area. The bathing area has a remarkably simple layout. There are no indoor hot spring baths — the space is composed solely of a sauna, a cold plunge bath, and a rest area. The interior is concrete and brick, giving off the kind of exotic atmosphere that feels very Yokohama, with a rugged industrial edge. The exposed concrete and overhead ducts add just the right character. After a thorough shower, I began the first set. The moment I opened the sauna door, a moist heat and pleasant aroma washed over me. The atmosphere inside was absolutely superb. At the center of the room sits the waterwheel-type sauna stove made by EOS — the first installation of its kind in Japan. Designed to evoke a steam engine as a symbol of Yokohama, birthplace of modern industry, the stove combines heavy gears with stones and radiates an overwhelming presence simply by being there. The thermometer read 85°C — not scorching by any means. But the humidity is kept extremely high, which means you sweat comfortably and at an astonishing pace. A sauna isn't about high temperature alone. The balance of heat and humidity is everything, and this room has that balance exquisitely designed in. After heating my body to the limit, I rinsed off and moved to the cold plunge. This was the herbal cold plunge bath I had been looking forward to. Developed in collaboration with Kouseido, a long-established herbal pharmacy in Chinatown, it contains a blend of around 15 types of herbal medicinal ingredients. I've taken more cold plunges than I can count, but one infused with herbal medicine was a first in my life. The water temperature was around 18°C, with continuous bubbles streaming through it. The moment I submerged, a faint herbal scent and the intensely chilling sensation of the bubbling water pierced through my entire body. Incredible. Once again, I had found a wonderful experience that can only happen here. Out of the cold plunge, I sank deep into an infinity chair in the rest area. A breeze with a gentle, natural sway flowed down from a fan mounted above, caressing my body. I closed my eyes, and gradually the world around me swayed — the blissful state of totonou had arrived. The perfect warm-up for devouring exquisite Chinese cuisine in Yokohama Chinatown. Whatever I eat afterward is sure to be outrageously delicious. Into the second set. HARE-TABI SAUNA has only one type of sauna, so you keep returning to the same room. But I think that, too, is a kind of richness. There's a philosophy that simplicity is the greatest appeal — and this facility embodies it perfectly. Hopping between multiple saunas is fun in its own way, but having one truly wonderful sauna and one carefully crafted cold plunge, repeating the same flow mindlessly, allows for a deep focus on dialogue with oneself. During the second set, I was treated to the automatic löyly that runs every 30 minutes. The waterwheel, modeled on a steam engine, began turning slowly — clunk, clunk — and water poured onto the sauna stones. With a glorious sizzling sound, hot steam billowed throughout the room. After a brief pause, water cascaded from the wheel again. Quite a generous amount. Then a third wave followed in the same fashion, and the steam rolled in like waves with a time delay, mercilessly driving up the perceived temperature. This waterwheel-style stove modeled on a steam engine truly has exceptional design, and even while enduring the heat, it's beautiful enough to keep staring at. Hitting my limit, I burst out of the sauna and again thoroughly chilled my body in the herbal cold plunge for the second set. I breathed in the herbal scent deeply, and as I reached totonou, I basked in the quiet satisfaction of knowing: right now, I am in a sauna right in the middle of Yokohama Chinatown. As I rested in the chair, my stomach began to growl as if sounding the alarm. I was getting seriously hungry. Yokohama Chinatown — great Chinese food — was calling me. Alright, I'll close things out properly with one more set and then head into the night. The third set followed the same mindful flow of sauna, herbal cold plunge, and rest, and today's sauna session was successfully complete. A wide variety of options and grand scale do not necessarily create a rich experience. It is often within simplicity and limited choices that something truly refined and exceptional is born. This facility felt like it was teaching me exactly that truth.

Stepping out of HARE-TABI SAUNA & INN YOKOHAMA, I walked down the main street of Yokohama Chinatown at night. With my body in peak condition after the exceptional sauna and herbal cold plunge, I honestly could have walked into any restaurant and it would have been maddeningly delicious — but I decided to stroll through every street first and then choose a place on instinct. I'm no food critic and can't offer a polished review, but after wandering around aimlessly, I stumbled upon a wonderful restaurant called Ichiraku. Inside, with an atmosphere that spoke of a long-established classic, I quenched my thirst with jasmine tea and devoured outstanding Chinese food with abandon. I could feel the salt, water, and energy consumed in the sauna replenishing every last cell in my body. The food was so good I found myself looking up at the ceiling with a long, involuntary sigh. HARE-TABI SAUNA & INN YOKOHAMA is, of course, an outstanding sauna as a standalone facility. But I wonder if this place only truly comes into its own when you factor in the full experience of the surrounding town — pushing your body to its limit in the sauna, then bursting out into Chinatown to devour incredible Chinese food as your sauna meshi. That rare, singular experience is something you can only find here. I returned to my hotel with a full belly, wrapped in a profound sense of happiness, and drifted off into a deep sleep. Tomorrow, the wonderful sauna journey continues.