My body was craving to go to that place. Even though it had only been 10 days since my last visit, I couldn't stop thinking about that facility. Even while working, it was always on my mind. "Ah, I want to go to Kobe Sauna." On Friday, January 9th, I finally reached my limit and left work early. I immediately made a reservation and got into my car. Usually, when I use Kobe Sauna, it's just for the sauna, but to calm this desire, I thought staying in a capsule and enjoying the sauna all night would be best. Driving with an unusually high level of excitement, I headed towards Kobe Sauna. I always think that the thrill of starting a trip on a Friday evening is hard to explain logically. The moment I get into the car, I can't help but let out a roar. ■ January 9th, 18:30 I arrived at Kobe Sauna. I informed the reception that I would be staying in a capsule and completed the check-in process. I was slightly out of breath, eager to get into the sauna. The receptionist, with a puzzled expression, asked, "Would you like a massage?" Indeed, the massages at Kobe Sauna are good, but that's not what I need right now. I want to get into the sauna as soon as possible. I told her, "No, thank you." I quickly changed in the locker room and headed to the large bath. Finally, it's my first visit to Kobe Sauna in 2026. As always, I cleansed myself, brushed my teeth, and soaked in the natural hot spring. Every time, I think how pleasant the natural hot spring at Kobe Sauna is. The silky texture of the water seeps into my tired body. After warming up for a while, I headed to the main sauna. The main sauna, which has become even more refined after renovations, is incredibly comfortable, and the aroma of lemongrass is soothing. I was aware that a large amount of dopamine was being released in my brain. After the main sauna, I entered the cold plunge bath at 11.7°C. It tightened my body sharply and crisply. Then, I relaxed on a bench in the outdoor air bath area. Oh, how good it feels. Being nighttime, the scent from the restaurants in Sannomiya was particularly savory. Personally, I think Kobe Sauna is the best sauna facility in Japan. I have visited many famous facilities, but I find Kobe Sauna to be the most comfortable and enjoyable. It's fortunate that this top facility is within driving distance. For the second session, I went to the Finnish sauna in the open-air area. This sauna is exquisite. Using "Kelo," known as the jewel of wood, for all the wood in the sauna room, the space is modeled after a Finnish sauna cabin, with only minimal lighting and light coming in through small windows. The convection of heat and steam is excellent, and when I did a self-löyly, the steam gently enveloped my body. Above all, the scent of Kelo is wonderful. Its rich aroma never fades, even after years. This sauna has made me addicted. I repeated the Finnish sauna for the third session and decided to enter it again for the fourth session. Upon entering the sauna room, a group of young people was gathered, talking loudly. It was very noisy. This behavior deviates greatly from the concept of a Finnish sauna. If they want to chat, they should go to the main sauna. I was about to become annoyed, so I decided to leave the sauna room. Just then, the man next to me stood up and started a self-löyly. He repeatedly poured ladles full of water onto the sauna stones. By the time he finished four rounds of löyly, a large amount of steam had spread throughout the sauna. It was quite hot, even for me, who had just entered the sauna. As a result, the group of young people couldn't withstand the intense heat and all left the sauna room. It was an unspoken punishment by löyly. After they left, the man who did the löyly snorted and muttered quietly, "Noisy." Thanks to him, I was able to enjoy an excellent sauna bath for the fourth session. Having had an incredibly pleasant time since arriving at Kobe Sauna, I decided to have dinner at the restaurant. After refreshing my body in the sauna, I would enjoy a delicious meal and then sleep. Since I'm staying in a capsule, I can enter the sauna 24 hours a day. I don't know if I'll sleep soundly in the capsule hotel, but I can always enter the sauna again whenever I wake up.

■ January 10th, 2:00 AM When I woke up, I was sweating profusely. It was because of the heating in the capsule room. At the same time, I could hear loud snoring. I also heard the sound of a big fart and laughter. It seemed that someone who was high in the middle of the night was having fun with mischief. It's really troublesome. As expected, I couldn't get quality sleep in the capsule room. I tried to sleep again but ended up spending about 30 minutes awake, doing nothing. Then it occurred to me. This is Kobe Sauna. If I can't sleep anyway, I might as well enter the sauna in the middle of the night. When I went to the large bath, it was almost like having it to myself. There were only a few users. I took a shower and soaked in the natural hot spring. I could feel my sleeping body waking up. After that, I entered the Finnish sauna. There was no one there. It was like having it all to myself. The pleasant scent of Kelo was in the air. Just the smell alone made me feel great. Since I had just woken up, I decided not to do a löyly and instead warmed my body slowly. A space all to myself. The excitement of having Kobe Sauna's Kelo sauna all to myself. Even if I wake up in the middle of the night in the capsule room, this experience makes up for it. I entered the cold plunge bath and did an outdoor air bath. It was 3:00 AM, but I could hear laughter and car noises from outside, like the BGM of the bustling downtown. Knowing that there were people actively enjoying themselves at this time made me feel like I was one of them, enjoying the sauna at this hour. Just when I was thinking of doing another session, it was time for the main sauna's löyly. It didn't matter that it was the middle of the night. At Kobe Sauna, there is a löyly service by the staff every 30 minutes. There were only two users, including myself. Even with a small number of people, the staff greeted us as usual, poured aromatic water on the stove, and sent a pleasant breeze. I thought it was my first time experiencing an aufguss at 3:00 AM as I felt the heat wave. When I returned to the capsule room from the large bath, I naturally felt sleepy. Repeating the sauna and cold plunge bath must have regulated my autonomic nerves and prepared me for sleep. I slowly closed my eyes and drifted into a dream. ■ January 10th, 8:00 AM I woke up feeling refreshed. When I checked the clock, it was 8:00. Well, it's time to enter the sauna. I am truly enjoying my favorite Kobe Sauna for 24 hours. It was already bright outside, and the sunlight was illuminating the large bath. This was my third bath, but each time of day offered a different view. It's because I'm staying overnight that I can see this scenery. I cleansed myself and enjoyed the Finnish sauna for the first and second sessions. The last third session coincided with the löyly service time. I entered the main sauna, where the löyly was performed with orange aroma. The heat wave hit my waking body, and it felt like each cell was waking up as sweat poured out. Starting the day with löyly isn't bad. With such thoughts, I finished my morning sauna. Now, where should I go next? Yesterday, I impulsively came to Kansai just to enter Kobe Sauna. However, since I'm here, I might as well visit a facility I've been curious about. The first place that came to mind was Rumor Plaza, located in the heart of Kyoto Gion, which is highly regarded as the No.1 facility in Kyoto. With my destination decided, I checked out and drove towards Kyoto.