"There's a cold plunge where you can enjoy flowing Mount Fuji spring water—would you be interested?" If asked this question, any saunner would say YES without hesitation. But does such a dreamlike place really exist? It does. The name of that facility is "Mount Fuji Natural Water SPA Sauna Taka-no-Yu." On this day, I had visited the holy land "Sauna Shikiji" in the morning and thoroughly savored the drinkable cold plunge. My body was already perfectly balanced, both inside and out. However, I couldn't end this day without experiencing the Mount Fuji natural water flowing cold plunge. I took a taxi from "Sauna Shikiji" to Shizuoka Station, then took a local train to Fuji Station. From there, I got in a taxi and said, "Please take me to Mount Fuji Natural Water SPA Sauna Taka-no-Yu." The driver looked confused for a moment. "Sorry, could you say that again?" he replied. "I want to go to a hot spring called Taka-no-Yu... Let me give you the address. Shizuoka Prefecture, Fuji City, Hisazawa..." At this point, he finally seemed to understand. "Ah, that place! Got it." Now I could get to my destination. We drove for about 15 minutes. Going up a slope, heading toward the mountain. Throughout my life, I had only seen Mount Fuji from the shinkansen, but seeing it up close, it had incredible presence. If it's this big, the spring water must feel amazing too. As I was grinning to myself, the driver's voice brought me back to reality: "Sir, we've arrived." "Ah, thank you," I said gratefully and entered the facility. After completing reception and going to the changing room, I stripped naked at lightning speed, cleansed myself, and headed to the barrel sauna in the outdoor area. This barrel sauna was set at 100°C with auto-löyly every 12 minutes—quite an intense sauna. Sweat started pouring out the moment I entered. There was no TV, so it was time to face myself. I sat cross-legged, put strength in my lower abdomen, and warmed myself from my core. When my heart rate reached its limit, I exited the sauna. Now, which cold plunge should I enter? "Mount Fuji Natural Water SPA Sauna Taka-no-Yu" has three types of cold plunges. One is a huge cold plunge in the indoor area with a water temperature of 12-13°C. The second is a hinoki cypress cold plunge in the outdoor area at about 14°C. The third is a huge barrel bath in the outdoor area (could fit about 8 people) at about 16°C. All of them use flowing Mount Fuji spring water. Based on personal preference, I chose the hinoki cold plunge. Being a single-person cold plunge, a large amount of water overflowed the moment I entered. But since it was a flowing cold plunge, it filled up again in no time. It was so cold. But soft. Like the sensation I experienced at Ogaki Sauna—cold but smooth, with the feeling that I could stay in forever. I soaked for about two minutes and was cooled to my core. Next was the long-awaited outdoor air bathing. Multiple chairs for achieving totonou were lined up next to the barrel sauna. What perfect flow! I entrusted my full weight to the chair and closed my eyes. The same sensation I felt at "Ogaki Sauna" and "Sauna Shikiji"—that long-lasting tingling sensation in every pore. The sensation that occurs when entering natural cold plunges like groundwater, clearly different from tap water cold plunges. To describe it, it's like getting a refreshing sensation as if you had entered mint water. Moreover, the skin texture is different. It's smooth and has a bouncy feel. Since natural water is rich in minerals, just by entering the cold plunge, the skin probably absorbs those components. I could feel my whole body rejoicing. Sitting in the chair, I thought about what a happy day this was. In the morning at the holy land "Sauna Shikiji," and in the evening achieving totonou at "Mount Fuji Natural Water SPA Sauna Taka-no-Yu." Such luxurious sauna hopping is probably unique to sauna travel. I had planned to finish after 3 sets, but the water felt so amazing that I developed "don't want to go home syndrome," and before I knew it, I had finished 5 sets. I was starving. Time for sauna food.

For the meal, I ordered motsunabe (offal hot pot) and karaage at the facility's restaurant. Hot pot after sauna is the ultimate pinnacle. I closed my eyes and sipped the soup. I nodded repeatedly like a food reporter, savoring it. I wasn't putting on an act. I was tasting it with my whole body. Nutrition spread through my body that had completed a total of 8 sets. I felt like I could go another 3 sets. But I restrained myself. The journey would continue tomorrow and beyond. After finishing the meal, I bought a badge at the goods shop. It had Mount Fuji's logo with "SAUNA TAKANOYU" printed on it—so cute. I make it a point to buy something from facilities that move me. Every time I see that item, I can remember the emotion from that time and feel happy. Besides, living in Shikoku, I can't frequently come to Shizuoka. This might be my first and last visit. Thinking that way, I want to leave "proof" of having been here in my life. "Mount Fuji Natural Water SPA Sauna Taka-no-Yu" was definitely top-class among all the facilities I've visited. On the way to Fuji Station by taxi, I resolved, "I'll definitely come back again." Well, today's activities end here. Or so I'd like to say, but it's not over yet. If you heard where I was staying tonight, you'd understand why. Tonight's accommodation is at one of Shizuoka's premier sauna facilities, "Suruga Health Land." To be continued.