On Friday afternoon, I was faced with the decision of whether to start my sauna journey tonight or the following morning. I had already listed the facilities I wanted to visit, so I decided where to go this week, considering travel time from home to the destination, hotel prices, and finally made my decision. This week, I planned to have a sauna journey in Hiroshima Prefecture, with four facilities I wanted to visit. With that number of facilities, it wouldn't be a problem to start on Saturday morning, but the weather forecast was a bit concerning. A major cold wave was expected to hit on Sunday, potentially affecting transportation. In that case, it seemed optimal to enjoy the sauna journey from Friday and return home early on Sunday. With that thought, I wrapped up work and set off from home. I drove from home to Utazu Station in Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture, then took a train to Okayama Station, and from there, headed to Hiroshima Station by Shinkansen. I hadn't decided on a hotel yet, so during the Shinkansen ride, I booked a two-night stay at the Hiroshima Pacific Hotel. Why did I choose this hotel? Because it has a great sauna. The Hiroshima Pacific Hotel has a men's-only sauna facility called Kame no Ie. Today, I decided to thoroughly enjoy the sauna here. I arrived at the hotel at 21:00 and headed straight to the sauna. After changing in the clean locker room, I entered the large bath area. As I walked in, I found a simple setup of a sauna room, cold plunge bath, and hot bath. It wasn't as extensive as a super sento, but having many options doesn't necessarily lead to a comfortable sauna experience. Sometimes simplicity creates the ultimate experience. The crucial sauna room was close to 100°C, delivering powerful heat. However, it was comfortable due to the sufficient humidity. This was thanks to the automatic löyly every 15 minutes. The atmosphere in the sauna room was pleasant, with dim lighting creating a dark space that naturally made me want to close my eyes. The bench seats were wide, allowing for relaxed sitting, which was a big plus. After warming up for a while and reaching my limit, I decided to enter the cold plunge bath. The cold plunge bath was around 13°C, extremely cold, allowing for a rapid cooldown of my body heated in the nearly 100°C sauna. Afterward, I sat on a chair next to the cold plunge bath, indulging in overwhelming pleasure. Although I lead a life unrelated to business trips, if I ever had a job that took me around the country and had the chance to visit Hiroshima, I would definitely stay at the Hiroshima Pacific Hotel. With such a great sauna, any fatigue from business trips would surely vanish. I repeated the sauna → cold plunge bath → rest cycle for two, three, and four sets. The simple and compact space allowed for focused sauna bathing, and being a hotel sauna, there were few people, which was wonderful. By the time I finished the fourth set, the words "This is the best!" naturally came out. After that, I returned to my room, ready to have a wonderful dream.

The next morning, I woke up at 6:00. After the sauna last night, I relaxed while watching TV and fell asleep before I knew it. Now, let's have a morning sauna. The Hiroshima Pacific Hotel's sauna is also available in the morning (5:00-9:00). I did one set of sauna and cold plunge bath as a wake-up call. While I enjoy multiple sets during the night sauna, I finish with just one set for the morning sauna. This way, I can stimulate my brain and body. Even when I'm sleepy and my body feels sluggish, doing one set of morning sauna completely switches me on. Plus, having a morning sauna makes breakfast taste even better, which is one of my favorite points. After breakfast, I enjoyed a morning coffee at a nearby café before heading to the next facility.