I woke up at 5:00 a.m. Yesterday, on the first day of my Hokkaido sauna trip, I had thoroughly enjoyed the finest hot spring, sauna, cold plunge bath, and natural surroundings, and the instant I collapsed onto the bed, I seemed to have lost consciousness before I knew it. When I woke up, I felt completely fine. I always feel this during sauna trips, but more often than not, I end up feeling far better during the trip or by the time I finish than I did before it began. This time as well, by the morning of the second day, that effect was already clearly showing. I could feel energy welling up from deep within my body. Now then, there was only one thing to do after waking up: head to the public bath. Midori no Kaze Resort Kitayuzawa opens its large bath as early as 4:00 a.m., so service had already begun. Last night I used the Hamon area, but in the morning the men and women swap, and I could use the Mizusuji area. A sauna space with a concept completely different from last night’s Hamon was waiting for me. Filled with excitement, I stepped into the changing room and found a single slipper placed on the floor. What was this? Someone had woken up even earlier than I had and was already in the sauna. As a sauna enthusiast, I felt a little frustrated, but I quickly recovered, changed clothes in the spacious changing room, and stepped into the public bath. Inside the bath, the layout of the indoor bath, with its rows of massive tubs, was almost the same as it had been the night before. First, I was curious about the new sauna, so I decided to take a peek. The space was completely different in atmosphere from the black-themed Haman of the previous night, instead wrapped in a soft setting of bright, unfinished wood. And inside, one middle-aged man with an air of a hermit sat in seiza-like cross-legged meditation, seemingly at one with the place. He was the very warrior who had arrived at the public bath before me. Since I had confirmed what was inside, I decided to cleanse myself first and enjoy the morning hot spring. After warming my body in the indoor bath, I moved to the open-air bath on the first floor. Compared with last night’s open-air bath on the Hamon side, the one on the Mizusuji side was smaller. Even so, for a typical facility it would still unquestionably rank among the largest in Japan, but because the scale of last night’s open-air bath was so absurd, my standards had become completely warped. I walked all the way to the center of the broad rock bath and warmed myself while gazing at the clear morning sky and the birch forest. In this vast open-air space, I was the only person there at that moment. What luxury. The contrast between the cold morning air and the warm hot spring gently woke up my sleeping cells. When I returned from the open-air bath to the indoor bath, a few more guests had appeared. And that hermit was already gone. It was finally time to enter the Mizusuji sauna. The instant I opened the door, the pleasant scent of unfinished wood and gentle heat enveloped my body. The temperature display showed 80℃, and the humidity was maintained at around 50%. The three-tier bench could probably accommodate about 15 to 20 people. The lighting inside was subdued, and directly ahead there was a beautiful mechanism. Water flowed along copper pipes running beside the wall and poured into a water basin set into a round wooden frame. Then the water spilling out of the basin ran onto the iron plate above the stove, creating automatic löyly. The wood used in the sauna room had been finely and beautifully crafted, and every surface, from the seating to the walls, had a refined design. In that space, all to myself, I slowly warmed my body. I could feel the movement of water through my eyes, my ears, and my skin. It was truly a sauna worthy of the name Mizusuji. On the first set of a morning sauna, sweat never seems to come easily. That is because the cells in the body have not quite fully awakened yet. But there is no need to rush. Once you spend enough time in the sauna, beads of sweat gradually begin to appear, little by little. At the same time, you can feel your body growing more energized from within. Then, as your heart rate steadily rises and you approach your limit, it is time for the cold plunge bath. I left the sauna room and headed to the cold plunge bath. The water temperature was 17℃, about 1℃ lower than in the evening and night before. Since it uses natural spring water drawn from the source of a river flowing near the hotel, it is influenced by the outdoor temperature. This is another charm unique to natural water that you do not get from a cold plunge bath controlled by a chiller. I lowered my body into the soft, clear water and slowly cooled down the heat built up by the morning sauna. There was not the slightest stinging sensation on the skin, and it was so exquisitely pleasant that I felt I could stay in it forever. After the cold plunge bath, I headed to the meditation room Zen, which I had also experienced the night before, to enjoy a traditional Indian therapeutic practice. I entered the dim private room kept at about 15℃ and lay on my back on the cushion mat. From a water pitcher installed overhead, cold droplets fell one by one onto my forehead. Inspired by the Indian practice of shirodhara, this indoor relaxation experience washed away the noise in my brain each time water fell on my brow, making my thoughts clearer and clearer to the extreme. The stimulation of the cool air and water droplets sharpened my senses and led me into a state of complete emptiness. After fully resetting both mind and body, I moved on to my second set. This time, I was lucky enough to encounter the automatic löyly that activates at 0 and 30 minutes past each hour. The water stream traveling along the copper pipes was illuminated by light, and the water overflowing from the basin poured onto the stove. With a satisfying hiss, the steam carrying the fragrance of unfinished wood gently enveloped the entire room. Morning light, the beautiful movement of the water stream, and superb heat. Savoring all of that with every sense, I repeated the cycle of the cold plunge bath and shirodhara meditation. By the time I finished three sets, my body and mind had reached perfect wakefulness.

I woke up at 5:00 a.m. Yesterday, on the first day of my Hokkaido sauna trip, I had thoroughly enjoyed the finest hot spring, sauna, cold plunge bath, and natural surroundings, and the instant I collapsed onto the bed, I seemed to have lost consciousness before I knew it. When I woke up, I felt completely fine. I always feel this during sauna trips, but more often than not, I end up feeling far better during the trip or by the time I finish than I did before it began. This time as well, by the morning of the second day, that effect was already clearly showing. I could feel energy welling up from deep within my body. Now then, there was only one thing to do after waking up: head to the public bath. Midori no Kaze Resort Kitayuzawa opens its large bath as early as 4:00 a.m., so service had already begun. Last night I used the Hamon area, but in the morning the men and women swap, and I could use the Mizusuji area. A sauna space with a concept completely different from last night’s Hamon was waiting for me. Filled with excitement, I stepped into the changing room and found a single slipper placed on the floor. What was this? Someone had woken up even earlier than I had and was already in the sauna. As a sauna enthusiast, I felt a little frustrated, but I quickly recovered, changed clothes in the spacious changing room, and stepped into the public bath. Inside the bath, the layout of the indoor bath, with its rows of massive tubs, was almost the same as it had been the night before. First, I was curious about the new sauna, so I decided to take a peek. The space was completely different in atmosphere from the black-themed Haman of the previous night, instead wrapped in a soft setting of bright, unfinished wood. And inside, one middle-aged man with an air of a hermit sat in seiza-like cross-legged meditation, seemingly at one with the place. He was the very warrior who had arrived at the public bath before me. Since I had confirmed what was inside, I decided to cleanse myself first and enjoy the morning hot spring. After warming my body in the indoor bath, I moved to the open-air bath on the first floor. Compared with last night’s open-air bath on the Hamon side, the one on the Mizusuji side was smaller. Even so, for a typical facility it would still unquestionably rank among the largest in Japan, but because the scale of last night’s open-air bath was so absurd, my standards had become completely warped. I walked all the way to the center of the broad rock bath and warmed myself while gazing at the clear morning sky and the birch forest. In this vast open-air space, I was the only person there at that moment. What luxury. The contrast between the cold morning air and the warm hot spring gently woke up my sleeping cells. When I returned from the open-air bath to the indoor bath, a few more guests had appeared. And that hermit was already gone. It was finally time to enter the Mizusuji sauna. The instant I opened the door, the pleasant scent of unfinished wood and gentle heat enveloped my body. The temperature display showed 80℃, and the humidity was maintained at around 50%. The three-tier bench could probably accommodate about 15 to 20 people. The lighting inside was subdued, and directly ahead there was a beautiful mechanism. Water flowed along copper pipes running beside the wall and poured into a water basin set into a round wooden frame. Then the water spilling out of the basin ran onto the iron plate above the stove, creating automatic löyly. The wood used in the sauna room had been finely and beautifully crafted, and every surface, from the seating to the walls, had a refined design. In that space, all to myself, I slowly warmed my body. I could feel the movement of water through my eyes, my ears, and my skin. It was truly a sauna worthy of the name Mizusuji. On the first set of a morning sauna, sweat never seems to come easily. That is because the cells in the body have not quite fully awakened yet. But there is no need to rush. Once you spend enough time in the sauna, beads of sweat gradually begin to appear, little by little. At the same time, you can feel your body growing more energized from within. Then, as your heart rate steadily rises and you approach your limit, it is time for the cold plunge bath. I left the sauna room and headed to the cold plunge bath. The water temperature was 17℃, about 1℃ lower than in the evening and night before. Since it uses natural spring water drawn from the source of a river flowing near the hotel, it is influenced by the outdoor temperature. This is another charm unique to natural water that you do not get from a cold plunge bath controlled by a chiller. I lowered my body into the soft, clear water and slowly cooled down the heat built up by the morning sauna. There was not the slightest stinging sensation on the skin, and it was so exquisitely pleasant that I felt I could stay in it forever. After the cold plunge bath, I headed to the meditation room Zen, which I had also experienced the night before, to enjoy a traditional Indian therapeutic practice. I entered the dim private room kept at about 15℃ and lay on my back on the cushion mat. From a water pitcher installed overhead, cold droplets fell one by one onto my forehead. Inspired by the Indian practice of shirodhara, this indoor relaxation experience washed away the noise in my brain each time water fell on my brow, making my thoughts clearer and clearer to the extreme. The stimulation of the cool air and water droplets sharpened my senses and led me into a state of complete emptiness. After fully resetting both mind and body, I moved on to my second set. This time, I was lucky enough to encounter the automatic löyly that activates at 0 and 30 minutes past each hour. The water stream traveling along the copper pipes was illuminated by light, and the water overflowing from the basin poured onto the stove. With a satisfying hiss, the steam carrying the fragrance of unfinished wood gently enveloped the entire room. Morning light, the beautiful movement of the water stream, and superb heat. Savoring all of that with every sense, I repeated the cycle of the cold plunge bath and shirodhara meditation. By the time I finished three sets, my body and mind had reached perfect wakefulness.