"If you were to die tomorrow, which sauna would you want to visit one last time?" If someone asked me this question, I would answer "Ogaki Sauna" without hesitation. That's how extraordinary this place was. Typhoon No. 18 had struck the Kinki and Tokai regions that morning. I was staying at Kobe Sauna, and after finishing my morning sauna session and breakfast, the rain had stopped. "Alright, let's head to Ogaki Sauna," I said with determination as I made my way to Shin-Kobe Station. When I tried to purchase a ticket, I saw the words "Tokaido Shinkansen Service Suspended." The typhoon had hit directly, causing torrential rain in Aichi Prefecture. I asked the station attendant, "I'd like to get to Ogaki Station in Gifu Prefecture." She kindly explained, "Normally it's faster to transfer to local trains at Nagoya, but today I think it would be better to get off at Maibara and transfer to the local line bound for Ogaki." Maibara wouldn't be affected by the suspension. I immediately purchased a ticket for that route and boarded the shinkansen. I thought the journey would go smoothly, but we got stuck at Shin-Osaka Station. The Tokaido Shinkansen operates many trains per hour. When service is suspended on a specific section, trains start backing up from the front, and this ripple effect reaches subsequent trains as well. In this case, although the suspended section was around Toyohashi in Aichi Prefecture, trains departing from Shin-Osaka were also significantly delayed. I could have canceled the shinkansen and taken local trains to Maibara, but there's no point in panicking in situations like this. The best approach is to stay calm and wait. While researching plans for the following days and sauna facilities, an announcement came that service had resumed. About an hour had passed. I had managed to turn it into productive research time. I boarded the shinkansen again and headed to Maibara. At Maibara, I transferred to a local train bound for Ogaki and arrived at Ogaki Station 30 minutes later. Ogaki Sauna was featured in the drama "Sauna Dou." There's a scene in the opening where Harada Taizo and Miyake Hiroki walk from Ogaki Station toward the city center, and I did exactly the same thing. Then I got in a taxi and headed to Ogaki Sauna. A few minutes later, the Ogaki Sauna building came into view. The same scenery I had seen in the drama was now spread out before my eyes. I was already at maximum excitement before even entering. At the reception, instead of receiving a shoe locker key, I had to hand over my actual shoes and received a locker key in return. The receptionist had apparently seen me arrive by taxi and asked, "Where have you come from?" I replied, "I came from Tokushima Prefecture." She responded warmly, "My, thank you for coming from such a far place. Please take your time and relax to your heart's content." My heart was already captured before I even entered. However, what really mattered was the sauna and cold plunge. What would the texture of this water, called miraculous, feel like? How refreshing would it be after getting out of the cold plunge? While imagining a world I had never experienced before, I undressed and headed to the bathing area. Upon entering the bathing area, I found the layout exactly as I had seen in the drama, with the sauna room and two baths. The bath in front was the cold plunge, fed by flowing groundwater. Water was constantly overflowing, maintaining cleanliness. According to a newspaper article posted at the reception, the water in Ogaki Sauna's cold plunge is even drinkable. Suppressing my eagerness to get in, I first cleansed myself. Then I headed straight to the sauna room. The moment I entered, I felt "This is hot." The thermometer read 110°C. However, since it's a stone-type sauna, I didn't feel any pain. Within less than five minutes, sweat started pouring out all at once. When I reached my limit, I exited the sauna room. I rinsed off the sweat with a shower, and finally, it was time for the cold plunge. The moment I entered the cold plunge, I had the illusion of stepping into a pool of lotion. It was that smooth and soft. As if the cold plunge were a living creature, it enveloped and soothed my body. The water temperature was 14°C. With ordinary tap water, you'd feel a piercing coldness that would make it difficult to stay in long. However, I stayed in Ogaki Sauna's cold plunge for about two minutes. Despite being immersed in cold water, there was an exquisite sense of relaxation. While soaking, I also tried drinking the flowing water. It was cold, smooth, and delicious. After getting out of the cold plunge, I sat on a chair placed in the corner of the bathing area. The real amazement began here. The refreshing sensation was incredible. Every pore in my body was crying out with joy. My skin felt so cool and tingly, as if I had been in mint water. Furthermore, having drunk the flowing water, the inside of my body was filled with the same refreshing sensation. I had never experienced a cold plunge that felt this good. While feeling my body's reaction, I slowly closed my eyes. Even though this was only my first set, I think I lost consciousness for about 5-10 minutes. After finishing the moving first set, I repeated the same flow for the second and third sets. When I finished the third set, I put my palms together and gave thanks for my own happiness. After the sauna, I naturally had to have some sauna food. Since I had come to Ogaki Sauna, there was only one menu item I could order.

After changing into the facility's clothing and going up to the second floor, a retro space spread out before me. The space that has been loved by many people for about 60 years since its founding remains intact. The atmosphere of the dining hall is also excellent. I sat at a seat by the wall and ordered the "Pork Loin Ginger-Grilled Set Meal." In the drama "Sauna Dou," they also had the ginger-grilled set meal after the sauna. When the food arrived, I first sipped the red miso soup. It permeated through my body, which had been perfected by the sauna and cold plunge. Then I took a big bite of the thick-cut ginger-grilled pork. How delicious it was! The rice was also delicious. As written on the flyer, it was homemade Koshihikari rice. Not only was my body healed by the exquisite cold plunge, but my stomach was also completely won over. I had become a believer in Ogaki Sauna. After the meal, I took a nap for about two hours in the reclining room while reading magazines. I had slept quite deeply. Although I had taken naps at sauna facilities before, I had never slept this soundly. This must be testament to the tremendous power of the sauna and cold plunge. Having slept for two hours, my energy was completely restored. It was 5 PM. Before I knew it, I was in the sauna room. Round two had begun. Round two was also three sets of sauna and cold plunge. As the sun had started to set, the atmosphere in the bathing room was different from during the day. The water seemed to have gotten colder as well. Three sets of the blazing hot sauna and exquisite cold plunge. I achieved perfect totonou. Without a doubt, this was the most pleasant cold plunge experience of my entire life. Honestly, I didn't want to leave yet, so I decided to have dinner at Ogaki Sauna as well. How attached could I get? I savored miso katsu and horse sashimi yukhoe, and had fresh honey juice for dessert. On my way out, I purchased Ogaki Sauna's commemorative T-shirt, sweatshirt, and towel. I make it a point to buy something from facilities that move me. However, this was the first time I had purchased so many items. That's how much Ogaki Sauna impressed me and made me a fan. Since it's far away, I don't know when I'll be able to come again, but I definitely want to return. At the very least, I'll come back once more before I die. With that determination in my heart, I got in a taxi heading to my hotel for the night. Tomorrow's destination is the holy land "Sauna Shikiji." To be continued.