I woke up. The sky was clear. In that instant my body was already moving. I wanted to bathe while looking at the sea. That was reason enough. A top Kansai facility with an open-air bath overlooking the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge was waiting for me across the span. "Unplanned and impulsive" is my motto. I decide destinations on a whim when I wake up. Sometimes I do nothing at all. Because I don't plan ahead, I sometimes encounter great moments of inspiration at a destination, or have a wonderful experience at a place I stopped by without thinking. Planned trips bring a sense of security. But in exchange for that security, I feel like you lose that "unexpected thrill." I got in the car without even tidying my room. I felt like I was just stepping out for a little while. I crossed Awaji Island and approached the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. Whenever I'm crossing this bridge I'm always at maximum excitement. I opened the window to let in the sea breeze and looked down at the Seto Inland Sea spreading below. Soon I'll be in a sauna looking at that sea. Just thinking about it made my foot press harder on the accelerator. About an hour and a half later I arrived at SPA Sen Taihei no Yu. It was my second visit, so I knew the flow. Since it was early morning the parking lot was empty and there were few guests. It looked like I'd be able to use the facility comfortably. I headed straight for the main bathing area. Morning sunlight streamed into the bathing area, and through the glass I could see the open-air bath with the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge floating in the morning light beyond. The sea was very beautiful. Just seeing this view made the visit worthwhile. After cleansing, I headed for the carbonated spring bath in the open-air area. While doing a half-body soak, I zoned out and watched the sea view. Boats came and went, and cars ran across the bridge. I had been driving over that bridge just a short while ago. Now I was immersed in hot water, gazing at it. It felt strange. I left the carbonated bath and leaned against the fence of the open-air area. I had a full view of the Akashi Strait. The blue of the Seto Inland Sea, the silhouette of Awaji Island, and the bridge cables reflected the morning light and sparkled. It was truly beautiful. I couldn't move for a while. The first set was the indoor high-temperature sauna. At about 90°C with very high humidity, automatic löyly is released regularly. You can feel the moisture in the sauna air. It seemed aufguss events were also active, as there were posters announcing them in the bathing area. But what makes this sauna most wonderful is the mats. The seating surfaces in the sauna get hot, so mats are laid out, and those mats are plush. When you sit down your butt sinks into them. The backrest area is also covered with soft mats, so you can lean back comfortably. The benches are wide, so you can sit cross-legged in comfort. That attention to detail is truly appreciated. Temperature and humidity matter, but seating comfort directly affects the quality of the experience. This sauna has it all. After heating my body thoroughly I went into the cold plunge bath. At an ideal 15°C, I submerged my whole body in the wide, deep cold plunge bath to cool down. Lying back in a chair in the open-air space, sunlight poured down from the clear sky and the sea breeze brushed my skin. The sea and the bridge stretched out before me. I felt my consciousness drift. Letting myself go with the flow of time, I couldn't move for a while. After regaining my senses I got up and decided to move on. Even in the first set I was already totonou (state of perfect relaxation). Thanks to the best scenery and the best facilities. The second set was the outdoor steam sauna. The moment I opened the door I was enveloped by the scent of medicinal herbs. You could see the Akashi Strait from the window, but the room was white with steam so the sea looked hazy and dreamlike. I warmed my body for a while. It's nice to heat hard and cool hard, but it's also pleasant to heat moderately, cool with a cold shower, and move to an outdoor cool-down. That's my routine when I enter a steam sauna. Once again, enjoying an outdoor cool-down while gazing at the sea made for a luxurious time. For the final third set I returned to the high-temperature sauna. I sat on the plush mat and took the steam from the automatic löyly over my whole body. After heating thoroughly I finished in the cold plunge bath. In the final outdoor cool-down I burned the spectacular view seen from the open-air bath into my memory, and my morning sauna session came to an end.

I ate at the on-site restaurant to replenish my energy. So far the morning had been perfect. The problem was that I had no plans for after this. I had rushed out of the house with the mindset of just going out for a bit, so I hadn't tidied the room and had only minimal clothes. Still, having crossed the bridge to Kansai, I wanted to leave some kind of mark. I had two candidate destinations: Gifu or Wakayama. I checked hotels in Gifu but found few vacancies and couldn't secure a reservation. On the other hand, Wakayama had hotels readily available. At times like this you should go where the fit is better. The destination was Wakayama. It also matched this trip's theme of bathing while looking at the sea. There was a facility where you can enjoy an open-air bath with a view of Shirahama. You can enjoy the hot spring source of Shirahama Onsen, the sauna and cold plunge bath are excellent, and the hotel has a high level of prestige. The facility is called Nanki Shirahama Onsen Hotel Kawakyu. The impulsive trip that started on a whim continued impulsively. No plans are necessary. Just go where your body tells you to go.