Spa Metsa Otaka Ryusenji no Yu is located in Nagareyama City, Chiba Prefecture.
I boarded the Tsukuba Express from Akihabara Station and headed for Nagareyama Otakanomori Station. It felt strangely nostalgic — back when I lived in Tokyo, I used to ride the Tsukuba Express all the time. I had rented an apartment along that line. On a whim, I decided to stop by the place I used to live. I got off at Musashino-Rakuen — wait, no — at Rokuchoume Station and made my way to my old apartment. The familiar streets hadn't changed at all.
The apartment was still there, exactly as I remembered it. Standing in front of it, memories came rushing back with vivid clarity — what kind of mindset I had back then, what expression I wore going about my daily life. Comparing my past self to who I am now, I could feel how much I've grown. The many events of my life are all connected, shaping the person I am today. Returning to a place where you once existed is a way of feeling, deeply and truly, that life is a story.
After soaking in the memories, I got back on the train and got off at Nagareyama Otakanomori Station. I checked into my hotel for the night, then walked over to Ryusenji no Yu. Before long, the sign came into view. Even from the outside, you could tell the place was enormous. I made my way up to the second-floor reception area and stepped inside to find a spacious lounge dedicated to stone sauna (ganban'yoku). Quite a sizable area. Since I wasn't planning to use the stone sauna, I headed downstairs to the first floor. The entrance to the large communal bath came into view. I undressed in the locker room, and my evening sauna session was officially underway.
Just inside the bathing area was the signature Dragon Sauna. It's famous for the Dragon löyly — a spectacle where all five iki stoves fire simultaneously every hour. Right outside the sauna are two cold plunge baths: one at 8°C and one at 16°C. I'd heard they use groundwater, and I was curious to see how the quality would hold up. In the center of the indoor bath area sits a massive carbonated spring that could easily fit twenty people, with the benefits of carbonated bathing listed prominently on the wall. Flanking the carbonated spring are a thermoneutral natural hot spring bath and an electric bath. Out in the open-air area, there's a large natural hot spring tub, a salt mist sauna, a meditation sauna, and a cold plunge — a well-rounded lineup.
Having mapped out the full layout, I started my first set in the Dragon Sauna. The room is impressively large, arranged in four tiers. The temperature difference between the top and bottom rows is substantial, making it welcoming for everyone from beginners to seasoned sauna-goers. Up front, five iki stoves stand in a row — their presence is nothing short of commanding. With no TV in sight, it becomes a quiet space where you can be completely alone with your thoughts. A sign on the wall reads: "If you talk, please leave." On top of that, humidity control is taken seriously. Wooden boards line the walls of the sauna room, with water constantly flowing over them — keeping moisture in the wood and humidity high. I let myself warm up thoroughly in that wonderful sauna.
After stepping out of the sauna room, I slipped into the 16°C cold plunge bath fed by groundwater. Wide, deep, and perfectly tempered — the water felt silky smooth. It's my personal theory that high-quality groundwater cold plunges offer a distinctly different freshness after you get out compared to tap water. I moved to the outdoor rest area and let my body respond. A wave of refreshing sensation washed over me — like I'd just stepped into mint water. That feeling during the outdoor rest is, without exaggeration, the most blissful moment life has to offer.
For my second set, I tried the meditation sauna in the open-air area. It's a compact space seating around eight people, where you can enjoy self-service löyly. It was already full, and I sat down feeling just a little cramped. The temperature was on the lower side, around 80°C. Compared to the Dragon Sauna — which runs hotter, is more spacious, has no TV, and enforces a no-talking rule — the meditation sauna felt a bit redundant for the actual meditation experience. Right outside the outdoor meditation sauna was a cold plunge. Having the cold bath immediately after the sauna is one of Ryusenji no Yu's genuine strengths. I cooled down thoroughly and headed into my second outdoor rest.
Now for the final set. I decided to end with the Dragon löyly experience. I timed my entry and settled into the sauna room. It was 8 p.m. The lights shifted, and a BGM with a satisfying rhythm began to play. Water was poured into the iki stoves one by one from the leftmost, until all five had received their löyly. Then a blower kicked in, sending waves of heat surging through the room — front and back of my body, both scorching hot. I thought that was it, but a second round of löyly began immediately. All five stoves received water again, and another blast of heat rolled through. Absolutely overwhelming. I took it full-body and made a beeline for the cold plunge.
With my body thoroughly heated from the löyly, I went back and forth between the 8°C and 16°C cold plunges, cooling down with total commitment. After the 8°C, the 16°C plunge didn't feel cold at all — if anything, it felt wonderful. This cold-to-cold alternating bath is one of the true joys of the sauna experience.
After getting my body in order at Chiba's number one facility, I needed to fill my stomach with something good. I headed to the restaurant inside and ordered a katsudon and sashimi. A sullen waiter greeted me and steered me straight to a counter seat. There were plenty of empty tables I would have happily spread out at, but there was nothing to be done.
The food arrived and I dug in without thinking. The rich broth of the katsudon and the juiciness of the pork soaked into every part of me. Objectively, the cooking probably wasn't anything extraordinary — but when you've just come out of a sauna, everything tastes incredible. Food tasting good is proof that you're living a happy life. Sauna really does enrich your existence. Carrying that thought with me, I wrapped up my sauna session at Ryusenji no Yu.
Back at the hotel, I checked my plans for tomorrow. In the morning, I'm scheduled to visit a well-known facility in Saitama Prefecture — a legendary spot that appeared in the drama Sado, drawing sauna enthusiasts from all over the country. That facility is Yunoizumi Soka Health Center.
