It was pouring rain. The hotel where I was staying had a large communal bath. And just a few minutes' walk away, there was another super sento. Despite all that, calling a taxi just to go soak in a different bath is something only a true hot spring and sauna enthusiast could understand. But for me, knowing that this place had three kinds of cold plunge baths, a natural groundwater flow-through bath, the Ikeda Yuge Onsen, and two types of saunas — heavy rain was no obstacle at all. If anything, I was almost hoping the bad weather might mean fewer crowds. Rain was hammering against the taxi window. As I mentioned in the previous entry, bad weather is actually a positive factor for me. When I arrived, the place did indeed seem relatively quiet. Yudokoro Minori is a popular facility, so under normal circumstances it would be much more lively. After checking in, I headed to the main bath area. Immediately to the right upon entering was the main sauna, with two cold plunge baths sitting side by side right next to it. Both use groundwater — one at 12°C and one at 18°C. What a combination. I made a mental note to enjoy some alternating cold plunges later. The indoor baths were also well-stocked, with an herbal bath and jet bath. Stepping out to the open-air area, there were plenty of reclining chairs for rest, plus a carbonated spring bath, a rock bath fed by the Ikeda Yuge Onsen, a Finnish sauna, and a natural groundwater flow-through cold plunge. Plenty to enjoy. The space itself was generous, and the facilities were genuinely impressive. First, I eased into the outdoor Ikeda Yuge Onsen rock bath. Soaking in a hot spring while heavy rain falls around you has its own kind of charm. The water had a slippery, silky quality — I could actually feel my skin getting smoother as I soaked. The rock bath itself was thoughtfully designed too: the backrest wasn't at a rigid right angle but angled just enough to lean against comfortably. You could look up at the night sky in a fully relaxed position. Rock baths always have atmosphere, but the fact that they'd even considered the backrest angle spoke to the care and quality behind this place. With my body nicely warmed by the hot spring, it was time to start the first set. I stepped into the outdoor Finnish sauna. It fits about six people, with a room temperature of around 90°C, and a lovely hojicha aroma drifting through the air. Personally, I'm a fan of tea scents in a sauna. What makes this sauna interesting is the system: after doing a self-service löyly, there's a button called the "extra steam button" — press it and a powerful blast of air comes through the panka louver, instantly filling the small space with an intense wave of heat. The rule is to do the löyly once the hourglass runs out. After a while, another guest did the löyly and then pressed the extra steam button. In such a tight space, the heat wave hit instantly. But it was a pleasant steam — hojicha fragrance filled my nostrils, and it was wonderful. Thoroughly steamed, I headed for the cold plunge. I sank into the natural groundwater flow-through cold plunge bath. The perceived temperature felt around 18°C, but the bubble jets made it feel colder than it actually was. Being groundwater, the temperature probably varies by season. But more than anything, it was the water quality. So pleasant. So soft. The kind of effortless comfort you could stay in forever. That refreshing sensation on the skin that only groundwater can give — I felt it clearly. The layout was also excellent: the cold plunge is right at the sauna exit, so there's zero travel time to cool down. I stretched out on a recliner in the open-air space, and already after the first set, I was in a perfect state of totonou. For the second set, I went to the indoor main sauna — a five-tiered tower sauna with a wonderful cypress fragrance. Little bags of cypress chips were hanging in the sauna room; that must have been the source. The outdoor sauna had hojicha, and this one had cypress. Not only were the scents soothing, but the temperature and humidity in the room were superb. There was a large stove at the front, and auto-löyly ran either constantly or at irregular intervals, keeping the humidity consistently high. At the top tier with temperatures around 95°C plus that humidity, you could work up a serious sweat. Once the intense heat had thoroughly warmed my body, it was time to get into the 12°C cold plunge. The indoor flow was just as perfect. The cold plunge was right in front of the sauna door. I rinsed off, plunged into the 12°C bath to cool down properly, then hopped over to the adjacent 18°C bath. After being chilled to the core at 12°C, the 18°C should have still felt plenty cold — and yet, strangely, it felt warm. This alternating cold plunge routine could easily become addictive. I moved to the open-air relaxation area and reached totonou while the rain fell around me. Third set. For the final round, I returned to the outdoor Finnish sauna. Two other guests were already inside. The hourglass had run out, so I said, "I'll do the löyly, if that's alright?" — and they immediately said, "Please do!" So I went ahead. Steam rose up, and I followed it by hitting the extra steam button. The red light came on and the heat wave rolled in. The two guests were visibly startled. "I didn't know this feature existed!" they said, clearly excited. We started chatting a bit, and they asked, "Are you a regular here?" I told them it was my first time, which surprised them even more. "I totally thought you were a regular!" they laughed. Do I really give off that much of a seasoned-regular vibe? Well, I do go to saunas with the dedication of someone thoroughly addicted, so perhaps that tracks. I refreshed myself one more time in the natural groundwater flow-through cold plunge, and that was a wrap for the sauna session.

It was pouring rain. The hotel where I was staying had a large communal bath. And just a few minutes' walk away, there was another super sento. Despite all that, calling a taxi just to go soak in a different bath is something only a true hot spring and sauna enthusiast could understand. But for me, knowing that this place had three kinds of cold plunge baths, a natural groundwater flow-through bath, the Ikeda Yuge Onsen, and two types of saunas — heavy rain was no obstacle at all. If anything, I was almost hoping the bad weather might mean fewer crowds. Rain was hammering against the taxi window. As I mentioned in the previous entry, bad weather is actually a positive factor for me. When I arrived, the place did indeed seem relatively quiet. Yudokoro Minori is a popular facility, so under normal circumstances it would be much more lively. After checking in, I headed to the main bath area. Immediately to the right upon entering was the main sauna, with two cold plunge baths sitting side by side right next to it. Both use groundwater — one at 12°C and one at 18°C. What a combination. I made a mental note to enjoy some alternating cold plunges later. The indoor baths were also well-stocked, with an herbal bath and jet bath. Stepping out to the open-air area, there were plenty of reclining chairs for rest, plus a carbonated spring bath, a rock bath fed by the Ikeda Yuge Onsen, a Finnish sauna, and a natural groundwater flow-through cold plunge. Plenty to enjoy. The space itself was generous, and the facilities were genuinely impressive. First, I eased into the outdoor Ikeda Yuge Onsen rock bath. Soaking in a hot spring while heavy rain falls around you has its own kind of charm. The water had a slippery, silky quality — I could actually feel my skin getting smoother as I soaked. The rock bath itself was thoughtfully designed too: the backrest wasn't at a rigid right angle but angled just enough to lean against comfortably. You could look up at the night sky in a fully relaxed position. Rock baths always have atmosphere, but the fact that they'd even considered the backrest angle spoke to the care and quality behind this place. With my body nicely warmed by the hot spring, it was time to start the first set. I stepped into the outdoor Finnish sauna. It fits about six people, with a room temperature of around 90°C, and a lovely hojicha aroma drifting through the air. Personally, I'm a fan of tea scents in a sauna. What makes this sauna interesting is the system: after doing a self-service löyly, there's a button called the "extra steam button" — press it and a powerful blast of air comes through the panka louver, instantly filling the small space with an intense wave of heat. The rule is to do the löyly once the hourglass runs out. After a while, another guest did the löyly and then pressed the extra steam button. In such a tight space, the heat wave hit instantly. But it was a pleasant steam — hojicha fragrance filled my nostrils, and it was wonderful. Thoroughly steamed, I headed for the cold plunge. I sank into the natural groundwater flow-through cold plunge bath. The perceived temperature felt around 18°C, but the bubble jets made it feel colder than it actually was. Being groundwater, the temperature probably varies by season. But more than anything, it was the water quality. So pleasant. So soft. The kind of effortless comfort you could stay in forever. That refreshing sensation on the skin that only groundwater can give — I felt it clearly. The layout was also excellent: the cold plunge is right at the sauna exit, so there's zero travel time to cool down. I stretched out on a recliner in the open-air space, and already after the first set, I was in a perfect state of totonou. For the second set, I went to the indoor main sauna — a five-tiered tower sauna with a wonderful cypress fragrance. Little bags of cypress chips were hanging in the sauna room; that must have been the source. The outdoor sauna had hojicha, and this one had cypress. Not only were the scents soothing, but the temperature and humidity in the room were superb. There was a large stove at the front, and auto-löyly ran either constantly or at irregular intervals, keeping the humidity consistently high. At the top tier with temperatures around 95°C plus that humidity, you could work up a serious sweat. Once the intense heat had thoroughly warmed my body, it was time to get into the 12°C cold plunge. The indoor flow was just as perfect. The cold plunge was right in front of the sauna door. I rinsed off, plunged into the 12°C bath to cool down properly, then hopped over to the adjacent 18°C bath. After being chilled to the core at 12°C, the 18°C should have still felt plenty cold — and yet, strangely, it felt warm. This alternating cold plunge routine could easily become addictive. I moved to the open-air relaxation area and reached totonou while the rain fell around me. Third set. For the final round, I returned to the outdoor Finnish sauna. Two other guests were already inside. The hourglass had run out, so I said, "I'll do the löyly, if that's alright?" — and they immediately said, "Please do!" So I went ahead. Steam rose up, and I followed it by hitting the extra steam button. The red light came on and the heat wave rolled in. The two guests were visibly startled. "I didn't know this feature existed!" they said, clearly excited. We started chatting a bit, and they asked, "Are you a regular here?" I told them it was my first time, which surprised them even more. "I totally thought you were a regular!" they laughed. Do I really give off that much of a seasoned-regular vibe? Well, I do go to saunas with the dedication of someone thoroughly addicted, so perhaps that tracks. I refreshed myself one more time in the natural groundwater flow-through cold plunge, and that was a wrap for the sauna session.