This was my very first visit to Saga Prefecture. While researching hot spring and sauna facilities across Japan, I noticed that Saga Prefecture is home to several exceptional venues that sauna enthusiasts from all over the country have their eyes on. That discovery sparked my travel plans, and I finally made it here. I boarded a limited express train from Hakata Station in Fukuoka Prefecture bound for Takeo Onsen, and arrived at Saga Station in about 45 minutes. Crossing from Fukuoka into Saga, I felt a giddy rush of excitement. Stepping into a place I've never been before gives me that thrill of entering an unknown world. Through the train window, peaceful rural scenery stretched out before me, and I almost forgot I'd been in the bustling metropolis of Hakata just a short while ago. After checking into a hotel near the station and strolling around the area, the time had finally come to take a dip. Tonight's destination: Saga no Yudokoro KOMOREBI. The facility opened on April 26, 2022, and is one of the largest hot spring complexes in Saga Prefecture. The interior follows a calm, cohesive design centered on the warmth of natural wood, and true to its name — komorebi, meaning the dappled light filtering through leaves — the concept is a space that feels bathed in soft, gentle light streaming through the trees. Once I changed and stepped into the main bathing area, it was exactly the kind of world you'd call a relaxation space for adults. The indoor and outdoor baths flow seamlessly into one another in an open layout, and a beautiful bamboo grove spreads out beyond the outdoor section. The bamboo leaves rustled softly in the night breeze, and time moved at a pace far removed from any urban noise. It felt less like a bathing facility and more like wandering into the garden of a refined, high-end inn. After cleansing myself, I slowly lowered my body into the free-flowing hot spring water rising from 1,126 meters underground. The spring temperature at the source is 45°C and flows directly without dilution, so it felt quite hot at first — but the water was silky and seemed to melt right into my skin. Gazing at the bamboo grove while surrounded by the hot spring, I could feel the fatigue of travel quietly unraveling. Once my body was thoroughly warmed, it was finally time to head to the sauna. The sauna, named the ISO Sauna, runs at around 90°C and boasts an overwhelming size that could comfortably fit around 70 people. I couldn't help thinking, you could practically hold a comedy show in here. A sauna this large is a rarity anywhere in Japan. Incidentally, ISO apparently means large in Finnish — and true to that name, the stadium-style tiered sauna room has two large screens showing television footage. Even with a big crowd inside, it never feels cramped, and you can take your time warming up thoroughly in the generous space. After getting thoroughly heated, I headed to the cold plunge bath. This was equally superb. The water temperature was a perfect 16°C. And again, the size was astonishing — designed to fit up to 20 people. In most typical Japanese facilities, room for 10 is considered large, but here there's twice that space. You can fully stretch out and cool your entire body, and the sense of openness is extraordinary. No need to worry about crowds — being able to cool down at your leisure was a real luxury. After properly cooling down, I moved on to the outdoor cooling-off area. More than 25 reclining chairs were lined up in a quiet space with the bamboo grove right in front of you, where you could look up at the night sky and let your body rest. That night happened to be a full moon. Feeling the gentle night breeze and basking in the moonlight during the outdoor rest — it was pure bliss. When I'm resting outside, I sometimes find myself quietly offering a prayer that my own life and the lives of those around me continue moving in a better direction. That night too, gazing up at the moon, I silently wished: may I stay healthy and keep traveling to wonderful places. Sauna, cold plunge, outdoor rest. Repeating this cycle again and again, my body reached a state of complete totonou. Before I knew it, I had finished three full sets. The embracing scale of the giant sauna, the openness of the cold plunge bath, and the stillness of the outdoor rest surrounded by bamboo — everything came together, and I had completely lost track of the time. What finally told me it was time to leave was hunger. I was absolutely starving. Time to wrap up and treat myself to a good meal.

This was my very first visit to Saga Prefecture. While researching hot spring and sauna facilities across Japan, I noticed that Saga Prefecture is home to several exceptional venues that sauna enthusiasts from all over the country have their eyes on. That discovery sparked my travel plans, and I finally made it here. I boarded a limited express train from Hakata Station in Fukuoka Prefecture bound for Takeo Onsen, and arrived at Saga Station in about 45 minutes. Crossing from Fukuoka into Saga, I felt a giddy rush of excitement. Stepping into a place I've never been before gives me that thrill of entering an unknown world. Through the train window, peaceful rural scenery stretched out before me, and I almost forgot I'd been in the bustling metropolis of Hakata just a short while ago. After checking into a hotel near the station and strolling around the area, the time had finally come to take a dip. Tonight's destination: Saga no Yudokoro KOMOREBI. The facility opened on April 26, 2022, and is one of the largest hot spring complexes in Saga Prefecture. The interior follows a calm, cohesive design centered on the warmth of natural wood, and true to its name — komorebi, meaning the dappled light filtering through leaves — the concept is a space that feels bathed in soft, gentle light streaming through the trees. Once I changed and stepped into the main bathing area, it was exactly the kind of world you'd call a relaxation space for adults. The indoor and outdoor baths flow seamlessly into one another in an open layout, and a beautiful bamboo grove spreads out beyond the outdoor section. The bamboo leaves rustled softly in the night breeze, and time moved at a pace far removed from any urban noise. It felt less like a bathing facility and more like wandering into the garden of a refined, high-end inn. After cleansing myself, I slowly lowered my body into the free-flowing hot spring water rising from 1,126 meters underground. The spring temperature at the source is 45°C and flows directly without dilution, so it felt quite hot at first — but the water was silky and seemed to melt right into my skin. Gazing at the bamboo grove while surrounded by the hot spring, I could feel the fatigue of travel quietly unraveling. Once my body was thoroughly warmed, it was finally time to head to the sauna. The sauna, named the ISO Sauna, runs at around 90°C and boasts an overwhelming size that could comfortably fit around 70 people. I couldn't help thinking, you could practically hold a comedy show in here. A sauna this large is a rarity anywhere in Japan. Incidentally, ISO apparently means large in Finnish — and true to that name, the stadium-style tiered sauna room has two large screens showing television footage. Even with a big crowd inside, it never feels cramped, and you can take your time warming up thoroughly in the generous space. After getting thoroughly heated, I headed to the cold plunge bath. This was equally superb. The water temperature was a perfect 16°C. And again, the size was astonishing — designed to fit up to 20 people. In most typical Japanese facilities, room for 10 is considered large, but here there's twice that space. You can fully stretch out and cool your entire body, and the sense of openness is extraordinary. No need to worry about crowds — being able to cool down at your leisure was a real luxury. After properly cooling down, I moved on to the outdoor cooling-off area. More than 25 reclining chairs were lined up in a quiet space with the bamboo grove right in front of you, where you could look up at the night sky and let your body rest. That night happened to be a full moon. Feeling the gentle night breeze and basking in the moonlight during the outdoor rest — it was pure bliss. When I'm resting outside, I sometimes find myself quietly offering a prayer that my own life and the lives of those around me continue moving in a better direction. That night too, gazing up at the moon, I silently wished: may I stay healthy and keep traveling to wonderful places. Sauna, cold plunge, outdoor rest. Repeating this cycle again and again, my body reached a state of complete totonou. Before I knew it, I had finished three full sets. The embracing scale of the giant sauna, the openness of the cold plunge bath, and the stillness of the outdoor rest surrounded by bamboo — everything came together, and I had completely lost track of the time. What finally told me it was time to leave was hunger. I was absolutely starving. Time to wrap up and treat myself to a good meal.