The sauna and cold plunge bath were so incredible that I ended up coming back here two days in a row.
My sauna travels are built around the idea of one-time encounters. Normally, I make the most of a single visit, and once that experience is complete, I move on to the next place. But when it came to Kominka Sento Koyanoguchi-no-yu, I was seized by a powerful urge to experience it one more time. And before I knew it, I was standing right in front of the entrance.
That morning, I woke up at 5 a.m. It was the best kind of waking up. The night before, I had thoroughly restored my body at Kominka Sento Koyanoguchi-no-yu and drifted off to sleep right after. About seven hours of ideal rest — the moment I opened my eyes, I felt ready to bench press and squat.
I headed out for my usual morning walk, then showered at the hotel's large communal bath and loaded up on energy at the breakfast buffet. It was only 7 a.m. by that point. I got ready, checked out of the hotel, and set off for Koyasan — about an hour's drive away. Along the way, I stopped at a 7-Eleven to grab a coffee, breathed in the aroma as deeply as I could, and let my excitement build. In the car, I blasted music and sang at the top of my lungs until my voice was nearly gone. Still only 7:30 in the morning. I navigated the steep mountain roads with ease and arrived at Koyasan at 8:30 a.m.
First, I visited Kongobuji Temple, then made my way to Okunoin. Okunoin is the sacred site of Kobo Daishi (Kukai) and one of the greatest spiritual grounds in Japanese Buddhism. Along the roughly 2-kilometer approach, hundreds-of-years-old cedar trees line the path alongside over 200,000 gravestones and memorial towers, serving as a place of prayer for everyone from warlords and feudal lords to ordinary people. The cedar forest's negative ions and the spiritual energy from countless souls mingle together to create an overwhelmingly mystical atmosphere. There are plenty of tourists around, which is reassuring, but if someone told me to walk through here alone at night, I'd probably end up shaking and wetting myself halfway through. After completing the 4-kilometer round trip through that mystical space, feeling spiritually cleansed, I made my way to the sacred site known as Sanmido.
Sanmido is a place of ascetic practice and prayer for quieting the mind and drawing closer to the teachings of the Buddha — one of the most deeply venerated spots on Koyasan. The friendship bracelets you receive here are not mere decorations. Each one is tied with a wish woven into it, becoming a kind of protective charm for daily life. I picked up one of those bracelets (and bought it), and offered a quiet prayer: "May everyone around me live each day in good health and happiness. And for my personal wish — may I be able to walk through life while traveling from sauna to sauna."
Having cleansed my spirit on Koyasan, I got back in the car and drove toward Kominka Sento Koyanoguchi-no-yu to soothe the fatigue from all that walking. I reached my destination in about 30 minutes. Time for a morning sauna. Since I had already visited the day before, there was no need to figure out the layout. I checked in like a regular, stripped off my clothes at lightning speed, and stepped into the bathing area. There were only two other customers. Practically a private session.
I washed off the sweat from the walk and soaked in the carbonated spring. I could feel my muscles unwinding. After warming up in the bath for a while, it was time for the moment I'd been waiting for — the sauna. Just like the day before, a wonderful fragrance filled the room. As I sat in quiet meditation, sweating away, another customer came in. He looked to be about my age. He seemed to be a fellow traveler. Almost as soon as he walked in, he asked me, "Has the automatic löyly already finished?" I answered, "Not yet. It should come in about another minute." I knew because I'd been here the day before. He said, "Oh good! This is actually my first time here." I replied, "Is that right? This is my second visit — I came last night and was really moved." He smiled and said, "So you're not a regular? Ha, I totally thought you were one." I laughed and said, "Do I give off that vibe? I'm just a traveler passing through." He asked where I'd come from. I told him, "I'm usually based in Tokushima, but I stayed in Wakayama last night. Where have you come from?" He said, "I've come from Nagoya." "Nagoya! Great city," I said. "I was at Wellbe Sakae just last Sunday." He looked surprised. "Actually, so was I! We might have been in the same room at the same time." The atmosphere between us turned warm. I was getting close to my limit, so I said, "Well then, here's to a great sauna journey for both of us," and headed for the cold plunge bath.
The morning cold plunge bath was exceptional — perfect water quality and temperature, wrapping my whole body in an overwhelming sense of refreshment. During the outdoor rest, soothed by the scent of incense, I nearly drifted out of consciousness. I repeated this for 3 sets. The fatigue from the early-morning Koyasan visit seemed to have vanished somewhere. On my way out, I thanked a different staff member from the day before and left Kominka Sento Koyanoguchi-no-yu behind. I have a feeling I'll be back. My body will crave this sauna and cold plunge bath again. I thought about that as I walked back to the parking lot.
Now then — after the sauna comes the sauna meal.
Just a few minutes' walk from Kominka Sento Koyanoguchi-no-yu, there was a ramen shop. Tori paitan ramen seemed to be their specialty. I had no idea if it was good and hadn't checked any reviews. I was just hungry. Why not give it a try? When I travel, I never look up restaurants in advance. I wander into a place by chance, pop into whatever catches my eye during a stroll around town. I prefer a style of traveling that follows my own instincts rather than other people's opinions.
I walked in, took a seat at the counter, and ordered the tori paitan ramen. I don't usually go out of my way to eat ramen, but after a sauna, that's a different story. There is nothing quite like ramen broth for seeping into a body that's been restored by sauna and groundwater. The moment I slurped that first mouthful, a jolt of electricity ran through my sauna-and-spring-water-revived body. Delicious. I then demolished the entire bowl with single-minded focus and drank down every last drop of the broth. I paid, called out a grateful "Thank you for the meal!" and stepped outside.
Now I had absolutely no plan. Fortunately, I had one more night available. I asked my own instincts: keep traveling, or head home? The answer came in an instant. I would keep traveling. The reason was that there was a sauna in Wakayama City that I'd had my eye on — another historic sento, apparently with a cold plunge bath fed by free-flowing groundwater. From what I'd gathered online, it sounded like an extraordinary cold plunge experience. There was no question: I had to go.
I stepped into a nearby cafe, enjoyed some delicious scones and coffee, and booked a hotel in Wakayama City. That night, I would have my first bitter experience of this sauna journey. Blissfully unaware of what was coming, I sang my throat raw in my car with the music blasting, heading toward Wakayama City.
To be continued.
