The second morning of my Okayama sauna trip began with the best kind of awakening. As always, a good sauna session means a truly good night's sleep. And because I sleep so soundly, I never feel drowsy the next day. You enter the sauna and feel wonderful, eat a delicious meal, and drift off into deep sleep. A life centered around sauna provides everything you need to feel genuinely happy as a human being.
After a delicious breakfast at Hotel Route Inn where I was staying, I decided to head out for a morning walk. In Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture, there is a castle called Tsuyama Castle, well known as a prime spot for cherry blossoms. The castle grounds are planted with an extraordinary number of cherry trees, and I found myself wanting to come back again during the blooming season. The castle town below also has a wonderful charm, with streets that carry a deep sense of history. If it weren't for this sauna trip, I might never have come here in my lifetime — and for that chance encounter, I'm truly grateful.
I returned to the hotel from my walk, got some work done, and then checked out. At last, today's sauna activities were about to begin. My destination for the day was kobatoisa cafe&sauna, a sauna facility in Mimasaka City, Okayama Prefecture.
Let me explain a little about kobatoisa cafe&sauna.
First, the name kobatoisa is a blend of the Finnish word kotoisa, meaning "cozy" or "comfortable," and koba, the initials of the operating company Kobayashi Kogyo. The concept they've built around it is "a comfortable place where your heart and body find their totonou." The fact that they've woven in a Finnish word tells you right away just how much of a sauna enthusiast the person who created this place must be.
As for the sauna itself, a wood-burning Harvia stove has been installed inside a sauna cabin designed by a first-class licensed architect. It was that wood-burning stove that drew me all the way out to Mimasaka City. The cold plunge bath uses groundwater pumped up from 33 meters underground, offering a soft, mineral-rich water that's nothing like ordinary tap water. And to finish, you can enjoy an outdoor relaxation session in a private space overlooking the Yoshino River. The quality is everything you could want in a private sauna.
That's all the information I'd gathered beforehand. Whether it truly lives up to the hype — I'd just have to go in and find out for myself.
I parked in the lot and walked into the attached café. A staff member greeted me cheerfully: "Welcome! You're here for the sauna, right?" "Yes!" I replied, "I have a reservation for the sauna starting at 10:30." After a quick rundown of the facility rules and guidelines, I made my way to the private sauna.
I changed in the locker room and stepped into the sauna area, where someone was already there. We exchanged a good morning greeting. The other guest looked like they had already done quite a few rounds of sauna and cold plunge, and seemed to be in a deeply relaxed state. I was thinking about this when they spoke to me.
Other guest: "You've come at just the right time. I'm just finishing up."
Me: "Is that so? How was the sauna?"
Other guest: "Honestly, it was incredible. I've never been in a sauna cabin this calm and relaxing before."
Me: "Really? That good... I'll make sure to enjoy every bit of it then." (laughs)
Other guest: "I'd love to hear what you think, but I'll take my leave now. Take your time!"
With that exchange behind me, I stepped into my first sauna set. The moment I entered, the distinctive scent and sounds of a wood-fired sauna washed over me. I really do love wood-fired saunas. The sauna room, wrapped in the warm fragrance of burning wood, had no one else in it but me. No — not just the sauna room. Outside the sauna too, there was no one but me. I had the entire place completely to myself, and I was about to enjoy it to the fullest.
I lay down on the bench inside the sauna room. One of the great things about a private sauna is that you can stretch your legs out on the bench, or lie down flat, without a second thought. There's no one else to worry about. Wrapped in gentle heat, I could feel my body slowly warming up. And the soft crackling of the burning firewood continued on, endlessly. All that existed in this space was the sauna cabin, the wood stove, my own body, and the view of the Yoshino River through the window. Nothing to disturb this supreme moment. Can there really be such a luxurious way to spend one's time?
After thoroughly heating my body, I plunged right into the cold plunge bath fed by a continuous flow of groundwater. I dropped into the bath — a large whiskey barrel repurposed as a cold plunge — with a satisfying splash. The soft water unique to natural groundwater enveloped my body. The temperature was around 18°C, cool enough to stay in for a good while. I zoned out, gazing up at the sky from inside the cold plunge as time emptied itself out. After getting out, I settled into an outdoor relaxation session with the Yoshino River in view, tuning in to the chirping of birds and the murmur of the flowing water, and felt the vivid fact of being alive. What a perfect start to the day — I felt genuinely happy to be in such a wonderful sauna, first thing in the morning.
For my second set, I again lay alone in the sauna room, letting the gentle heat of the wood stove sink into every part of my body. Every now and then I'd sit cross-legged and watch the flames slowly dance. Even so, I couldn't stay in a state of pure emptiness forever — before long, other thoughts would drift in. Then I'd bring my attention back to the flames and the crackling sound. That's how it always goes in the sauna room. And it's precisely that back-and-forth that delivers a deep, deep sense of relaxation.
In the end: four full sets of sauna, cold plunge, and outdoor air bath. I savored every last moment of having an entire private sauna all to myself.
Up until now, I'd always enjoyed sauna in large communal baths packed with other people. Private saunas had caught my interest, but I kept hesitating, never quite working up the nerve to try one. That version of me is gone now. From here on, whenever I want to sit quietly in a sauna on my own, I'll head straight to a private sauna without a second thought.
After the sauna, I decided to have lunch at the attached café. I ordered a dish called pho, made with chicken and shrimp from Okayama Prefecture. Pho is a Vietnamese rice noodle soup — flat noodles made from rice flour are served in a clear broth simmered with chicken bones or beef bones, typically garnished with cilantro, basil, lime, and chili peppers. I'd never eaten it before in my life, so it was a bit of an adventure, but it was absolutely delicious. The broth brought welcome moisture back to a body dried out by the sauna.
After the meal, I added a coffee and cake set to my order and spent an unhurried, graceful lunchtime. There was nothing left undone at kobatoisa cafe&sauna. Since it was Sunday, the question was: go straight home, or head to another facility? If you're a regular reader of this site, you already know what kind of choice I'd make. I was in the middle of a sauna trip, after all. Why not go to one more?
Time to think about the next destination.
Mimasaka City in Okayama Prefecture sits on the side of the prefecture closest to Hyogo Prefecture. That means easy access to Himeji City and Miki City in Hyogo. And with that in mind, there's one particular facility I've been curious about. In a book I read some time ago, Takahashi from the comedy duo Savanna gave it glowing praise. That facility is Nest Resort Kobe Noten Spa / Jikkai no Yu (ZIKKAI SPA) in Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture.
My next destination was decided.
