In the morning, as the first leg of my Hokkaido sauna trip, I had found my balance while gazing at the spectacular view of Lake Shikotsu at Marukoma Onsen Ryokan, and then I drove here to Midori no Kaze Resort Kitayuzawa in Date, Hokkaido. I had come across this property by chance while researching saunas in Hokkaido, and was instantly struck by the urge to go. Two saunas with different concepts, Waves and Water Stream, a cold plunge bath fed by refreshingly clear river water drawn from nature, a vast open-air bath with free-flowing water from the source, and a worldview surrounded by untouched nature. I was captivated by all of it, and had been eagerly looking forward to visiting today. After checking in a little after 3 p.m., I first decided to take a nap in my room. A sauna trip consumes far more energy than you might imagine. By napping and restoring my stamina, I could enjoy the evening session at 100%. I slept deeply for about an hour, and then finally headed to the public bath. That day, men were able to use the sauna area called Waves. The moment I stepped into the changing room, I was stunned by its sheer size. It was so spacious that I felt you could build a small sento just from the space in that changing room alone. Because there was plenty of room, I never had to worry about personal distance from other guests, and I could use the lockers comfortably. When I stepped into the bathing area, an unbelievably vast space unfolded before me, lined with massive tubs. Just one tub could fit several dozen people. In the indoor bath area, there were three huge tubs at different temperatures, as well as a waterfall bath, sauna, cold plunge bath, and relaxation space. What was even more astonishing was that the public bath had a two-story structure. The changing room and indoor baths were on the second floor, and when you went down the stairs to the first floor, there was a second indoor bath, with a huge open-air bath spreading out beyond it. The moment I saw the open-air bath, I was speechless. It might have been the first time I had ever seen an open-air bath this gigantic. Surrounded by mountains and taking in the fresh spring green of the birch trees growing on the grounds, a massive stone bath that looked as if it could hold around 200 people sat at the center of the space. Hot spring water continuously flowed into it. Beyond the rock bath was the Forest Stroll Bath area, where you could enjoy a tour of the baths amid a birch forest, with 20 varieties of aromatic baths scattered throughout. Just confirming the layout of the facility was enough to overwhelm me with how rich the experience was. What is more, because it was a weekday evening, there were only about 10 people in the public bath, so this vast space was practically private. Suppressing my excitement, I first washed up. That day, I decided to structure my visit into two parts: time for the hot springs, and time for the sauna. That is because the hot spring options beyond the sauna were so abundant that it would have been far too much of a waste not to enjoy them all. First, I warmed my body in the indoor natural hot spring, then headed to the open-air bath on the first floor. The huge stone bath was beautifully empty, as if reserved just for me. I moved toward the center of the stone bath, soaked in the hot spring water, looked up at the sky, and gazed at the surrounding forest. I was wrapped in an incredible sense of openness and healing. Just soaking in this stone bath alone made the trip completely worthwhile. The free-flowing hot spring water gently melted away the fatigue of travel. After the stone bath, I enjoyed wandering among the baths surrounded by the birch forest. A row of tubs offered all kinds of aromas, and in every bath I could soak while looking up at the forest. In urban super sento, you sometimes see trees planted in the open-air bath as part of the interior design, but what exists here is a real forest. This is exactly the kind of experience one means when talking about becoming one with nature. After enjoying the hot springs to my heart's content and returning to the sauna area on the second floor, 45 minutes had already passed. In the grandeur of Hokkaido's nature, why not let go of our sense of time? In ordinary life and even in the sauna, I usually keep at least some eye on the clock, but there was no need for that on this trip. I would simply immerse myself in the hot springs and sauna as deeply as I wanted. From here, it was finally sauna time. I opened the door to the sauna room called Waves. Once inside, I was greeted by a quiet darkness centered on black tones and a pleasant wave of heat. The temperature was fairly high at around 90°C, but the humidity was extremely high. There were two reasons for that. First, self-löyly was possible. The other was the object beside the sauna stove, shaped like a suikinkutsu. Hot spring water continuously poured into a hollowed-out section of a giant stone and overflowed, leaving even the surrounding floor covered in water. This water helped keep the humidity in the room at the ideal level. In addition, a light that lit up every 12 seconds marked time like ripples spreading across the water's surface, and the sight of water being poured over the stone had its own charm. There was also a mechanism inspired by the Japanese garden shishiodoshi. When water collected, a bamboo tube tipped over and spilled it, then snapped back with a pleasant kakoon sound. Just feeling the sound of the water and watching the ripples of light allowed my mind to relax deeply. Having a shishiodoshi inside a sauna room was a first for me in all my sauna experiences. I left the sauna room and headed to the cold plunge bath. This cold plunge bath also used natural water. It seemed to draw water from the source of a river near the hotel, allowing me to submerge myself in refreshing water refined by Hokkaido's great outdoors. The water temperature was around 18°C, naturally varying with the seasons. The moment I sank in, my whole body was enveloped by its smooth, soft texture. It was not piercingly cold, but instead the kind of exquisite cold plunge bath you could stay in for a long time. After thoroughly cooling down, I moved to the meditation room next to the sauna, called Zen. This indoor relaxation space offered an even rarer experience. I entered a dim private room kept at around 15°C and lay down on my back on a mat. Then, from a kettle-like device installed above my head, cold droplets began falling onto my forehead, drop, drop. This mechanism was inspired by the Indian traditional therapy called Shirodhara. Each time a drop landed on my forehead, the noise in my mind was washed away, my thoughts became clear, and I felt as though I could reach a complete state of nothingness. I like outdoor air baths in the rain, and this was very close to the pleasant sensation of rain falling on my body after a good cold plunge bath. My senses sharpened, and I was drawn into a deep meditative state. I no longer knew how long I had been doing this indoor relaxation. I had long since stopped looking at the clock. Slowly sitting up, I repeated sauna and Shirodhara-style indoor relaxation for a second and then a third set. After that, I decided to end my sauna activities for the time being. I say for the time being because I intended to come back after dinner. The nighttime atmosphere of that vast open-air bath absolutely had to be experienced.

In the morning, as the first leg of my Hokkaido sauna trip, I had found my balance while gazing at the spectacular view of Lake Shikotsu at Marukoma Onsen Ryokan, and then I drove here to Midori no Kaze Resort Kitayuzawa in Date, Hokkaido. I had come across this property by chance while researching saunas in Hokkaido, and was instantly struck by the urge to go. Two saunas with different concepts, Waves and Water Stream, a cold plunge bath fed by refreshingly clear river water drawn from nature, a vast open-air bath with free-flowing water from the source, and a worldview surrounded by untouched nature. I was captivated by all of it, and had been eagerly looking forward to visiting today. After checking in a little after 3 p.m., I first decided to take a nap in my room. A sauna trip consumes far more energy than you might imagine. By napping and restoring my stamina, I could enjoy the evening session at 100%. I slept deeply for about an hour, and then finally headed to the public bath. That day, men were able to use the sauna area called Waves. The moment I stepped into the changing room, I was stunned by its sheer size. It was so spacious that I felt you could build a small sento just from the space in that changing room alone. Because there was plenty of room, I never had to worry about personal distance from other guests, and I could use the lockers comfortably. When I stepped into the bathing area, an unbelievably vast space unfolded before me, lined with massive tubs. Just one tub could fit several dozen people. In the indoor bath area, there were three huge tubs at different temperatures, as well as a waterfall bath, sauna, cold plunge bath, and relaxation space. What was even more astonishing was that the public bath had a two-story structure. The changing room and indoor baths were on the second floor, and when you went down the stairs to the first floor, there was a second indoor bath, with a huge open-air bath spreading out beyond it. The moment I saw the open-air bath, I was speechless. It might have been the first time I had ever seen an open-air bath this gigantic. Surrounded by mountains and taking in the fresh spring green of the birch trees growing on the grounds, a massive stone bath that looked as if it could hold around 200 people sat at the center of the space. Hot spring water continuously flowed into it. Beyond the rock bath was the Forest Stroll Bath area, where you could enjoy a tour of the baths amid a birch forest, with 20 varieties of aromatic baths scattered throughout. Just confirming the layout of the facility was enough to overwhelm me with how rich the experience was. What is more, because it was a weekday evening, there were only about 10 people in the public bath, so this vast space was practically private. Suppressing my excitement, I first washed up. That day, I decided to structure my visit into two parts: time for the hot springs, and time for the sauna. That is because the hot spring options beyond the sauna were so abundant that it would have been far too much of a waste not to enjoy them all. First, I warmed my body in the indoor natural hot spring, then headed to the open-air bath on the first floor. The huge stone bath was beautifully empty, as if reserved just for me. I moved toward the center of the stone bath, soaked in the hot spring water, looked up at the sky, and gazed at the surrounding forest. I was wrapped in an incredible sense of openness and healing. Just soaking in this stone bath alone made the trip completely worthwhile. The free-flowing hot spring water gently melted away the fatigue of travel. After the stone bath, I enjoyed wandering among the baths surrounded by the birch forest. A row of tubs offered all kinds of aromas, and in every bath I could soak while looking up at the forest. In urban super sento, you sometimes see trees planted in the open-air bath as part of the interior design, but what exists here is a real forest. This is exactly the kind of experience one means when talking about becoming one with nature. After enjoying the hot springs to my heart's content and returning to the sauna area on the second floor, 45 minutes had already passed. In the grandeur of Hokkaido's nature, why not let go of our sense of time? In ordinary life and even in the sauna, I usually keep at least some eye on the clock, but there was no need for that on this trip. I would simply immerse myself in the hot springs and sauna as deeply as I wanted. From here, it was finally sauna time. I opened the door to the sauna room called Waves. Once inside, I was greeted by a quiet darkness centered on black tones and a pleasant wave of heat. The temperature was fairly high at around 90°C, but the humidity was extremely high. There were two reasons for that. First, self-löyly was possible. The other was the object beside the sauna stove, shaped like a suikinkutsu. Hot spring water continuously poured into a hollowed-out section of a giant stone and overflowed, leaving even the surrounding floor covered in water. This water helped keep the humidity in the room at the ideal level. In addition, a light that lit up every 12 seconds marked time like ripples spreading across the water's surface, and the sight of water being poured over the stone had its own charm. There was also a mechanism inspired by the Japanese garden shishiodoshi. When water collected, a bamboo tube tipped over and spilled it, then snapped back with a pleasant kakoon sound. Just feeling the sound of the water and watching the ripples of light allowed my mind to relax deeply. Having a shishiodoshi inside a sauna room was a first for me in all my sauna experiences. I left the sauna room and headed to the cold plunge bath. This cold plunge bath also used natural water. It seemed to draw water from the source of a river near the hotel, allowing me to submerge myself in refreshing water refined by Hokkaido's great outdoors. The water temperature was around 18°C, naturally varying with the seasons. The moment I sank in, my whole body was enveloped by its smooth, soft texture. It was not piercingly cold, but instead the kind of exquisite cold plunge bath you could stay in for a long time. After thoroughly cooling down, I moved to the meditation room next to the sauna, called Zen. This indoor relaxation space offered an even rarer experience. I entered a dim private room kept at around 15°C and lay down on my back on a mat. Then, from a kettle-like device installed above my head, cold droplets began falling onto my forehead, drop, drop. This mechanism was inspired by the Indian traditional therapy called Shirodhara. Each time a drop landed on my forehead, the noise in my mind was washed away, my thoughts became clear, and I felt as though I could reach a complete state of nothingness. I like outdoor air baths in the rain, and this was very close to the pleasant sensation of rain falling on my body after a good cold plunge bath. My senses sharpened, and I was drawn into a deep meditative state. I no longer knew how long I had been doing this indoor relaxation. I had long since stopped looking at the clock. Slowly sitting up, I repeated sauna and Shirodhara-style indoor relaxation for a second and then a third set. After that, I decided to end my sauna activities for the time being. I say for the time being because I intended to come back after dinner. The nighttime atmosphere of that vast open-air bath absolutely had to be experienced.