Staying overnight at a sauna facility. Is there any greater luxury than this? At night, you soak in the sauna, eat a delicious meal, and sleep soundly. In the morning, the moment you wake up, you step straight into the sauna. No commute, no hassle. You wake up, and the sauna is right there. To savor this luxury, I'm spending tonight at Shinshu Kenko Land. This morning, at the Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Hotel in Chino City, I was so utterly captivated by the stunning view of Lake Shirakaba that I ended up doing six sets. Still riding that afterglow, I headed from Chino Station by JR toward Shiojiri Station. But a passenger accident had thrown the timetable into serious disarray. I arrived at Chino Station at 4 p.m., only to be told that the train scheduled to depart at 2 p.m. still hadn't come. When I asked a station attendant, "I'm trying to get to Shiojiri Station," he replied, "The 2 o'clock train should be here any minute — just get on that one!" I'm not sure whether it's appropriate to call anything lucky when a passenger accident has occurred, but for me, it was a remarkable stroke of fortune. I bought my ticket on the spot and headed down to the platform, just as the train slid in. I jumped on. Stepping off at Shiojiri Station, I could see the ridgeline of the North Alps in the distance. And there too was my destination, Shinshu Kenko Land. After a short walk, I arrived at the entrance. It's a large facility. Locals and tourists mingled together, and the whole building buzzed with energy. I checked in and made my way to my room. It was a simple space — a notch below a business hotel in quality. But somewhere inside this building were exceptional saunas, good food, and a reasonably priced bed for the night. I had no right to complain. I rested in the room for a while, and as the sun went down, I headed to the large communal bath. The moment I stepped into the bathing area, I was overwhelmed by the scale of it. A long row of enormous, varied baths stretched out before me. And four saunas. Two cold plunge baths. A dream lineup for any sauna lover. I washed up and started with a medicinal herb bath to warm my body. The scent of the herbs tickled my nose as my temperature gradually rose. Ready. First set. I went straight for Shinken SAUNA without a second thought. The moment I opened the door, I found exactly the kind of space I love. No TV. No thermometer. No background music. Just indirect lighting in a dark, modern room. All unnecessary information stripped away. This is a room designed solely for confronting yourself. Self-löyly is available, and the humidity is extremely high. Without a temperature display I can't say for certain, but it felt close to 90°C. The humidity had sweat pouring out of me in waves. And by some stroke of luck, I had the place entirely to myself. "This is incredible!" The words escaped me. With no one around, I said it again. "This is incredible!" Saying it out loud only made the feeling grow. I'd been shouting at Lake Shirakaba too — and here, I couldn't stop either. I poured water over the sauna stones with self-löyly, adding a burst of steam, and slowly let my body soak up the heat. Among all four saunas, I was convinced this one was the best. On to the cold plunge. I sank into the Alps Cold Spring, right outside the Shinken SAUNA. A single-person cold plunge bath made of Shigaraki ware, with natural groundwater from the North Alps flowing through it continuously. 14°C. The moment I submerged, a rush of cool, almost minty freshness surged through my entire body. Unbelievably good. This was a different power entirely from the Tateshina mountain spring water I'd soaked in at the lakeside this afternoon — this was the force of the North Alps. And since it's a single-person bath, I didn't have to worry about anyone else. I had this extraordinary cold plunge all to myself. I moved to the outdoor area for some fresh air. I reclined in a chair and looked up at the night sky. A crescent moon shone brightly. Stars were clearly visible. The night breeze brushed across my skin. The daytime panorama of Lake Shirakaba had been breathtaking, but cooling down under the starry Shinshu sky was something else entirely. The best day imaginable, and it was still going. Second set: I went into Reiwa Strong 90. The interior uses Nagano-grown cypress, and two sauna stoves are installed. 90°C. A wide, open space — but there's a TV. The humidity was lower than Shinken SAUNA, leaning a bit on the dry side. It took longer for the sweat to come, but I let my body warm through slowly. For the cold plunge, I chose Niagara. True to its name, it's a massive cold plunge bath with water cascading down like a waterfall. 18°C. Deep enough that diving under is clearly part of the design. I didn't hesitate — I submerged all the way to my head. A cold plunge you can dive into is genuinely wonderful. Your whole body cools in an instant. There was, however, a noticeable chlorine smell. The water quality was clearly different from the Alps Cold Spring. It's described as flowing natural groundwater, but this bath is almost certainly recirculated and filtered. Even so, the sheer pleasure of being able to submerge in something this large and this deep is something else. I went back out and looked up at the starry sky for another round of fresh air. The crescent moon had shifted position slightly since earlier. Third set. The final one. I returned to Shinken SAUNA. Completely different from the first set — the room was full. As I sat on the upper bench, someone started a self-löyly session. Water hissed onto the sauna stones and steam instantly engulfed the room. Voices from all around called out in reaction to the heat. I couldn't help but laugh. There's a kind of unity in a packed room doing self-löyly together. Strangers, wrapped in the same steam, all reacting the same way. I love that. I finished with the Alps Cold Spring. The natural water of the North Alps quietly washed away the fatigue of a full day's journey.

Staying overnight at a sauna facility. Is there any greater luxury than this? At night, you soak in the sauna, eat a delicious meal, and sleep soundly. In the morning, the moment you wake up, you step straight into the sauna. No commute, no hassle. You wake up, and the sauna is right there. To savor this luxury, I'm spending tonight at Shinshu Kenko Land. This morning, at the Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Hotel in Chino City, I was so utterly captivated by the stunning view of Lake Shirakaba that I ended up doing six sets. Still riding that afterglow, I headed from Chino Station by JR toward Shiojiri Station. But a passenger accident had thrown the timetable into serious disarray. I arrived at Chino Station at 4 p.m., only to be told that the train scheduled to depart at 2 p.m. still hadn't come. When I asked a station attendant, "I'm trying to get to Shiojiri Station," he replied, "The 2 o'clock train should be here any minute — just get on that one!" I'm not sure whether it's appropriate to call anything lucky when a passenger accident has occurred, but for me, it was a remarkable stroke of fortune. I bought my ticket on the spot and headed down to the platform, just as the train slid in. I jumped on. Stepping off at Shiojiri Station, I could see the ridgeline of the North Alps in the distance. And there too was my destination, Shinshu Kenko Land. After a short walk, I arrived at the entrance. It's a large facility. Locals and tourists mingled together, and the whole building buzzed with energy. I checked in and made my way to my room. It was a simple space — a notch below a business hotel in quality. But somewhere inside this building were exceptional saunas, good food, and a reasonably priced bed for the night. I had no right to complain. I rested in the room for a while, and as the sun went down, I headed to the large communal bath. The moment I stepped into the bathing area, I was overwhelmed by the scale of it. A long row of enormous, varied baths stretched out before me. And four saunas. Two cold plunge baths. A dream lineup for any sauna lover. I washed up and started with a medicinal herb bath to warm my body. The scent of the herbs tickled my nose as my temperature gradually rose. Ready. First set. I went straight for Shinken SAUNA without a second thought. The moment I opened the door, I found exactly the kind of space I love. No TV. No thermometer. No background music. Just indirect lighting in a dark, modern room. All unnecessary information stripped away. This is a room designed solely for confronting yourself. Self-löyly is available, and the humidity is extremely high. Without a temperature display I can't say for certain, but it felt close to 90°C. The humidity had sweat pouring out of me in waves. And by some stroke of luck, I had the place entirely to myself. "This is incredible!" The words escaped me. With no one around, I said it again. "This is incredible!" Saying it out loud only made the feeling grow. I'd been shouting at Lake Shirakaba too — and here, I couldn't stop either. I poured water over the sauna stones with self-löyly, adding a burst of steam, and slowly let my body soak up the heat. Among all four saunas, I was convinced this one was the best. On to the cold plunge. I sank into the Alps Cold Spring, right outside the Shinken SAUNA. A single-person cold plunge bath made of Shigaraki ware, with natural groundwater from the North Alps flowing through it continuously. 14°C. The moment I submerged, a rush of cool, almost minty freshness surged through my entire body. Unbelievably good. This was a different power entirely from the Tateshina mountain spring water I'd soaked in at the lakeside this afternoon — this was the force of the North Alps. And since it's a single-person bath, I didn't have to worry about anyone else. I had this extraordinary cold plunge all to myself. I moved to the outdoor area for some fresh air. I reclined in a chair and looked up at the night sky. A crescent moon shone brightly. Stars were clearly visible. The night breeze brushed across my skin. The daytime panorama of Lake Shirakaba had been breathtaking, but cooling down under the starry Shinshu sky was something else entirely. The best day imaginable, and it was still going. Second set: I went into Reiwa Strong 90. The interior uses Nagano-grown cypress, and two sauna stoves are installed. 90°C. A wide, open space — but there's a TV. The humidity was lower than Shinken SAUNA, leaning a bit on the dry side. It took longer for the sweat to come, but I let my body warm through slowly. For the cold plunge, I chose Niagara. True to its name, it's a massive cold plunge bath with water cascading down like a waterfall. 18°C. Deep enough that diving under is clearly part of the design. I didn't hesitate — I submerged all the way to my head. A cold plunge you can dive into is genuinely wonderful. Your whole body cools in an instant. There was, however, a noticeable chlorine smell. The water quality was clearly different from the Alps Cold Spring. It's described as flowing natural groundwater, but this bath is almost certainly recirculated and filtered. Even so, the sheer pleasure of being able to submerge in something this large and this deep is something else. I went back out and looked up at the starry sky for another round of fresh air. The crescent moon had shifted position slightly since earlier. Third set. The final one. I returned to Shinken SAUNA. Completely different from the first set — the room was full. As I sat on the upper bench, someone started a self-löyly session. Water hissed onto the sauna stones and steam instantly engulfed the room. Voices from all around called out in reaction to the heat. I couldn't help but laugh. There's a kind of unity in a packed room doing self-löyly together. Strangers, wrapped in the same steam, all reacting the same way. I love that. I finished with the Alps Cold Spring. The natural water of the North Alps quietly washed away the fatigue of a full day's journey.