I don't like to overuse the phrase 'the best of my life.' However, there are undeniably experiences that can only be described that way, and that afternoon I managed to have, in the span of just a few hours, the best sauna, the best cold plunge bath, and the best outdoor cool-down of my life one after another. When I left the facility, it felt so incredible that I couldn’t help but let out a roar in the car. Tara, Fujitsu District, Saga Prefecture. This town is known as the place where you can see the moon's gravity. Facing the Ariake Sea, which has large tides, the sea comes in as the moon fills and recedes as the moon wanes. In other words, you can visually witness the moon's pull. There is a sauna that carries the romantic name of this land. About an hour's drive by rental car from Takeo Onsen, I arrived at Crab Palace Kanigoten at the appointed time. I completed check-in at the hotel lobby, which had an upscale feel, and followed the directions to the separate large bathhouse. Because it's reservation-only, only five people can enter each time slot. This is the facility's pride, protecting the experience of overnight guests. I walked down the corridor and stood in front of the door. The instant I opened the door, I was speechless. An overwhelming sea view spread out before me. This is what a full ocean view means. The Ariake Sea appeared before me like a mural. Who would have imagined such a scene would rush in the moment you open the bathhouse door? I stopped, dumbstruck. Other guests using the same time slot all echoed, "How wonderful," and their voices only amplified my own amazement. I took in the layout of the facility. Deeper into the bathhouse sits GRAVITY SAUNA. The sauna room's front is entirely glass, allowing you to enjoy the view of the Ariake Sea while in the sauna. Just outside to the open-air area is the cold plunge bath. The entrance is almost level with the ground, and you descend a set of steps; the depth is 150cm. It is designed so you can feel as if you are diving toward the Ariake Sea. Reclining chairs line the outdoor cool-down area next to the cold plunge bath, and of course the Ariake Sea spreads out right in front of them. After cleansing myself, I headed into my first set in the GRAVITY SAUNA. When I opened the door, the warmth of the wood enveloped me. The space, hand-carved by artisans from 350–400-year-old solid spruce, makes you feel the flow of deep time simply by being there. Heat around 90°C quietly emanated from the wood. I stared out at the Ariake Sea framed before me, mesmerized by the beauty of the woodwork. Is it really acceptable to be steamed while enjoying a view like this? I picked up the ladle for self-löyly and poured water onto the sauna stones. Steam filled the room at once and the temperature shot up. I inhaled deeply through my nose. The scent of wood mixed with the steam and stimulated my senses. Within ten minutes, sweat poured out relentlessly. From there I headed to the cold plunge bath. The entrance is nearly level with the ground and you descend steps from there. 16℃ underground spring water circulates quietly. The soft water from the Tara Mountain range constantly flows in an open-fed system. As I descended step by step, the water rose to my neck. The 150cm depth allows you to be submerged to your shoulders, even up to your jaw. It was incredibly smooth. Completely different from tap water, it enveloped my skin without any sting. In addition to the characteristic softness of groundwater, I could sense minerals that made it almost delicious enough to drink. Even though it was 16℃, I could have stayed in forever. Looking out at the Ariake Sea, I soaked up to my neck in that natural water. It blurred the boundary between being in the sea and being in a cold plunge bath. After leaving the cold plunge, I reclined in a chair. A breeze carrying the scent of the tide gently caressed my body, chilled by the plunge. An overwhelming sense of happiness washed over me in a way that can't be quantified. By the way, the outdoor bathing area is completely exposed to the surroundings. I didn't care. I had no time to worry. All I wanted was to focus on this view. A sound escaped me: "This feels unbelievably good..." I couldn't help but laugh. A full-grown adult, sitting in a reclining chair, grinning to himself. To an outsider it might look strange, but I didn't care. Other guests reacted similarly. On my second set there was a fellow guest already inside. From his appearance it was obvious he loved saunas—his skin had that sauna-darkened tone. When I started to do a self-löyly, he quietly spoke to me. He said, "Thanks. I was thinking there wasn't enough steam, so this helps." Ah, I understood that feeling. I was the same kind of person. I said, "No problem. Still, this is unbelievably pleasant." He replied, "It really is. This place is great." When I went into the sauna for the third set, he grinned and said, "I did a löyly for you earlier." I couldn't help but laugh. What a thoughtful fellow. I said, "Thank you! But don't you want even more steam?" He replied, "I thought you might say that, so I held back a bit." Meeting people who you can have conversations like this with, in a place like this, is the real joy of sauna travel. We didn't know each other's names or where we had come from, but in the sauna you can communicate without many words. This is what ichigo ichie—once-in-a-lifetime encounters—are all about. In total, I did five sets. With each set, the Ariake Sea's expression changed. The angle of light shifted, the tides moved, the color of the sky altered. Although I was looking at the same sea, the view was never the same even once. When was the last time I truly didn't want to go home? For the final, fifth set, I delayed getting up from the outdoor chair because I wanted to stay in that place even one second longer. But farewells always come. I said goodbye to this exquisite sauna and left the facility.

On the drive home I found a restaurant named Sampou. It seemed to be famous for sashimi and crab dishes. I resolved to fully enjoy the seafood of this region. I sat down and looked over the menu: sashimi, oysters, turban shell, crab kamameshi, crab miso soup. Ariake Sea delicacies were lined up as if saying take your pick. When the sashimi arrived and I put a slice in my mouth, my cheeks dropped. The oysters gave off a briny aroma and a rich sweetness. The turban shell delivered both chew and umami. The moment the lid came off the crab kamameshi, the scent of crab and dashi rose with the steam. I found myself nodding repeatedly at my table. The people at the next table looked puzzled, but I didn't care. That should give you an idea of how delicious it was. By then it had grown quite dark. The Ariake Sea at night is quiet. Only the sound of the tide could be heard. This Saga trip would end tomorrow, but I still had one more place to visit. Tomorrow's destination was OND HOTEL, a hotel run by the same company behind the famous OND SAUNA, tucked in the heart of the forest in Takeo city. My journey in Saga was far from over.