The morning began with a comfortable awakening at Toya Lake Onsen. Leaving the inn behind, I steered my car toward Jozankei Onsen. The journey was now reaching its peak. Looking back, I had started this trip at the mystical Lake Shikotsu, then moved on to Noboribetsu Onsen where I felt the breath of Jigokudani, and from there to Toya Lake Onsen with its pleasant lakeside breeze — a tour of the finest hot springs that Hokkaido, and indeed the world, has to offer. When I first completed the plan for this Hokkaido trip, I could barely contain my excitement. And Jozankei Manseikaku Hotel Milione, my next destination, is one more pinnacle of what this northern land has to offer. As I gazed out at the majestic mountains rolling past the car window, thrilling with anticipation for scenery I had yet to see and a sauna experience to match, the destination gradually drew near. I arrived at Jozankei Manseikaku Hotel Milione right on schedule at noon. Stepping through the entrance, I was greeted by a grand, spacious lobby that gently embraced the fatigue of travel. I checked in smoothly at the front desk and headed straight to the large communal bath on the third floor. Along the way, there was a Book Lounge — a beautifully curated space lined with books, where guests could settle in and read at their leisure. Passing through the noren curtain into the bathing area, I found a spotlessly clean changing room, and guided by its refined layout, I entered the main bath hall, barely able to contain my excitement. The moment I stepped into the bathing area, an impressive layout opened up before me. To the left of the entrance was the sauna room. Right beside it sat a 14°C cold plunge bath drawing from Jozankei's groundwater, and in the center, a spacious vibrating cold plunge bath at 21°C large enough for around ten people. The anticipation of alternating between two cold baths was already building. At the far end of the indoor bath area, a massive tub filled with the celebrated waters of Jozankei Onsen spread out before me, with large windows offering a panoramic view of Jozankei's lush green mountains. On the wall of the semi-outdoor space, a beautiful mural was painted, allowing guests to appreciate artistic craftsmanship while soaking in the hot spring. Venturing further, I came upon a charming rock-hewn outdoor bath. Here too, the clear, colorless waters of Jozankei Onsen flowed generously. The outdoor space featured six reclining chairs arranged at perfect intervals, where one could sit and enjoy an outdoor cooling session while gazing directly at the fresh green curtain woven by Jozankei's nature — a truly perfect design. First, I sank into the celebrated waters of Jozankei Onsen. The spring water here is a sodium chloride spring, also known as the "hot spring of heat." Colorless and clear with a mild saltiness, it warms the body from its core by causing salt to cling to the skin and preventing sweat from evaporating. The soft, enveloping texture of the water let the fatigue of the long journey drift away like steam. After more than enough warming up in the hot spring, it was finally time for the sauna. Opening the sauna door, I entered a space unified in dark modern style. The U-shaped bench offered seating for around twenty people with room to spare. At the center stood a ZIEL heater by Metos, commanding the space with quiet authority. There are no windows in this sauna room. I do enjoy glass-walled saunas with a view, but there is something equally extraordinary about a slightly dim, underground-bunker-like space where you confront yourself in silence. After sweating quietly for a while, the auto-löyly — set to trigger every eight minutes — activated. A generous shower of water cascaded down over the sauna stones from above the stove. The volume of water was substantial, and it ran for a satisfyingly long time. This bold löyly is what maintains the ideal humidity inside the sauna room. There was no sharp, painful heat at all — instead, the rich steam raised the heat conductivity and drew out large beads of sweat efficiently from every inch of my body. I pushed my body to its limit and stepped out of the sauna, heading straight to the cold plunge bath right beside it. This is no ordinary cold plunge bath. It is built to a depth of 1.1 meters — deep enough to submerge yourself up to the shoulders while standing. What's more, it uses pure Jozankei groundwater and maintains a temperature of 14°C without any chiller. The smooth, gentle feel of natural water against the skin, combined with the invigorating sensation of the whole body being pulled taut. The saying that great water means a great sauna held true here as well. After cooling down thoroughly, I made my way to the outdoor space. I settled deep into a reclining chair and looked up at the fresh green curtain of Jozankei. A refreshing breeze caressed my skin, and I could feel my edges slowly dissolving, consciousness gradually drifting away. Saunas by the sea or a lake are wonderful, but the mountains have their own magic. Mountains offer a grand, three-dimensional green landscape you simply cannot find by the sea, and if you are right by a valley, the sound of a waterfall or a babbling stream becomes your natural soundtrack. The air is entirely different too. Drawing a deep lungful of the cool, negative-ion-rich mountain air — unique to the mountains — pairs irresistibly with a body flushed from the sauna. A place that encompasses all the blessings of the mountains — that is Jozankei Onsen. With renewed energy, I began my second set. I stepped back into the wonderfully atmospheric sauna room and claimed a spot on the top bench. As I warmed myself up while gazing at the central stove, the auto-löyly triggered once again. The high frequency of every eight minutes is something I am truly grateful for. In the moment when the hot steam of the löyly envelops your entire body, is it only me who feels as though I have reached a new level as a sauna enthusiast? The sense of immersion and the intensity of sweating both increased further, and enduring that heat made the sensitivity of the cold plunge that followed feel doubled. I pushed my body even beyond its limit, then cooled off sharply once more in the 1.1-meter-deep natural water cold plunge bath. Having savored a cold plunge of this quality, I am certain that the next time I step into a tap water cold plunge bath in the city, I will notice the difference in water quality instantly. Afterward I continued to enjoy the superb outdoor cooling, and finally sank once more into the Jozankei Onsen — the "hot spring of heat" — in the outdoor bath. I finished off the hot-cold alternation cycle with one last quick dip in the cold plunge bath, bringing my daytime sauna session to a close. The profound sense of totonou lingered.

A hot spring and sauna journey is always a journey into new worlds. It never gets old. At every destination, fresh stimulation and excitement await — in the local water, the air, the mineral composition of the hot spring, and the unique setting of the sauna room. If we accept the premise that experiences and memories are the true treasures of life, then every time I travel to an unfamiliar sauna like this, the treasury of my heart grows a little richer. I emerged from the large bath with a pleasant sense of fatigue, and the clock had already passed 2 p.m. Check-in time at today's lodging was drawing near. I slurped a late lunch of ramen at a charming noodle shop in the hot spring district, then savored a post-meal coffee at an old-fashioned café as 3 p.m. check-in time crept closer. This was finally the last destination of this Hokkaido sauna journey. I would stay the night there, with plans to indulge fully in its celebrated waters and sauna — that evening, the following morning, without holding back. The facility carries a beautiful legend: long ago, the monk Bisen Jozan discovered wild deer healing their wounds in a naturally bubbling hot spring, and that discovery gave the facility its name. Moreover, among the many inns lining the Jozankei Onsen district, this is the only one to bear its own distinctive name with the designation "no yu" — its own named spring. Leaving the café and walking onward, that storied facility now stood before me in all its grandeur. The final destination to crown this Hokkaido hot spring and sauna journey. It was Jozankei Shikanoyu.