I arrived at Kumamoto Station just after 10 a.m. on December 27th. About three hours from Shin-Osaka. The entire ride on the Shinkansen, I couldn't hide my excitement. Because once I got to Kumamoto, I'd finally be able to visit Yurakkusu — the sacred ground of the west. And at last, I was here.
The moment I stepped off the train, I headed straight for the taxi stand and told the driver where I was going.
Me: "Yurakkusu, please."
Driver: "Righto. Today you're already my second fare to Yurakkusu, ya know."
Not "you know" but "ya know" — his strong speech quirk left an impression, and the conversation kept going.
Driver: "I've been drivin' a taxi for decades now, and lemme tell ya, people come from all over the country just for Yurakkusu. Well, the water here in Kumamoto is somethin' special, ya see. And then it got famous from bein' a drama filming location — quite the buzz, I tell ya."
Me: "Is that so." (I already knew all of this.)
Driver: "When the earthquake hit, the whole town took a real bad beating, and Yurakkusu couldn't operate for a while either. Even so, seein' how people come from all over the country now — it really moves ya. After the earthquake, folks started callin' it a sacred place and all that."
Me: "..."
What a talker. And besides, Yurakkusu didn't become famous after the earthquake. It had long been cherished as a sacred ground among sauna enthusiasts across Japan. I'd wanted to quietly savor the journey to Yurakkusu, but my pace had been thrown off.
Before long, the building came into view. The exterior I'd seen in the drama was right there, exactly as I remembered it. My excitement shot up instantly. I walked around the perimeter, took some photos, bowed at the entrance, stepped inside, tucked my shoes into the shoe locker, and handed my locker key over to the front desk.
Me: "Free time plan, please."
Front desk: "Is this your first visit?"
Me: "Yes."
They started explaining the facilities, but perhaps sensing my barely-contained urge to get to the sauna, they cut the explanation short quite significantly. I received my facility wear and headed to the locker room. On the second floor, there was a restaurant, yoga studio, reclining room, and more — the lighting was dim and the atmosphere modern. I couldn't imagine a better space for relaxation. And a wonderful scent drifted through the entire building. I took a deep breath through my nose, inhaling as much as I could. I hadn't even gotten into the bath yet, and I was already nearly in a state of totonou.
I changed into my facility wear at the locker and headed to the main bath area. I wiped my face with the aroma towel near the entrance, stimulating my senses. As I opened the door to the bath area, the sight I'd seen so many times in dramas and magazines spread out before me. Sitting in the center of the main bath was the signature attraction of Yurakkusu — its cold plunge bath. A massive cold plunge bath 171 cm deep, lavishly fed by natural water from Mt. Aso. I could feel a sacred energy in the air. The steam that filled the bath area only amplified the atmosphere. This was truly a sacred place.
I cleansed myself and slowly sank into the natural hot spring. The large bathing area offered various types of baths to enjoy — a jet bath, an electric bath, and even reclining chairs inside the tub, letting you soak in the natural hot spring water while reclining underwater. It wasn't just the sauna and cold plunge. True to its name as a sacred place, there were delightful features everywhere designed to entertain visitors. As I soaked in the hot spring and looked around, I saw many bathers — all of them with expressions of pure bliss and happiness. The collective sense of joy from so many people must be what creates the sacred atmosphere of this place.
Finally ready, I headed into the first set in the sauna. First, the main sauna. It's set up with both an IKI stove and a far-infrared heater, and a pleasant aroma drifts through the air. The sauna mat on the bench was plush and wonderfully comfortable. I sat cross-legged, closed my eyes, and felt every pore on my body begin to open. Perhaps because of the sacred nature of this place, I naturally sat up straight. I couldn't stop grinning. Ten minutes wrapped in gentle heat, and I could sense I was approaching my limit. The time had finally come to enter that cold plunge bath.
I rinsed off the sweat thoroughly, climbed the steps, and slipped into the cold plunge. In an instant, water of an almost melting, silky texture enveloped my body. It was soft, almost like mineral spring water. On top of that, the water temperature was around 14°C, and at 171 cm deep, I could submerge my whole head. I floated in the cold plunge for a while, gazing up at the ceiling, moved by how incredible it felt. I could feel the blessings of Kumamoto — the city of water — with every inch of my body.
After the cold plunge, I moved to the rest area. Nearly 20 reclining chairs were arranged inside the bath area, designed so you don't miss a single moment of that supreme state after the cold plunge. After the most wonderful cold plunge, I enjoyed the most wonderful outdoor air bath. And then back into the most wonderful sauna. I started to feel like I could loop through this forever.
For the second set, I headed to the Meditation Sauna. Unlike the main sauna, there's no TV — just a dark room where a single beam of light filters in. In that calm, quiet space, I did self-service löyly, fully absorbing the sound of water hitting the sauna stones and the steam rising from it. I did löyly repeatedly and fell into deep meditation. I focused my awareness solely on my breathing and pulse. The other guests were meditating the same way. Savoring the sauna experience at this sacred place with mindfulness. That shared, synchronized atmosphere is what makes this sauna so sacred. I was part of it, simply warming my body to the fullest.
The cold plunge after the second set was equally sublime. And then I took on the event I'd been longing to try. The cold plunge at Yurakkusu has something called the MAD MAX Button. There's a button on the wall of the cold plunge, and when you press it, a massive torrent of water cascades down from the ceiling like a waterfall. You grip a rope in the deep cold plunge and let the falling water pour over your head. The sensation is absolutely exhilarating. It felt incredible. I had really wanted to experience this signature feature, and another wish came true.
For the third set, I entered the mist-and-salt sauna known as the Daiazo Daifunka Meiso Sauna (Great Aso Great Eruption Meditation Sauna). It's a unique steam sauna where hot spring vapor rises from beneath the floor, enveloping you in so much steam you can barely see inside. After steaming thoroughly, I rubbed salt all over my body, leaving my skin silky smooth. After that deep steam session, it was back to the sublime cold plunge. I fell forward into the deep cold plunge and cooled my entire body. Falling forward into the cold plunge is itself a special ritual. It can only be done in a cold plunge that is deep, wide, and suitable for diving — and only when no other guests are present. Fortunately, the cold plunge was empty. There was nothing to do but go for it. An extraordinary rush of exhilaration washed over me, and during the outdoor air bath after the third set, I lost consciousness for a while.
I usually stop at three sets, but this was a sacred place — and above all, it felt too good to stop. I added two more for a total of five sets of sauna → cold plunge → outdoor air bath. Thinking to myself that maybe I should move to Kumamoto, I changed in the locker room and moved to the reclining room on the second floor. I lay down for a while, enjoying that perfect post-bath time.
The food at Yurakkusu is delicious too. That day, I enjoyed the Yurakkusu specialty mapo tofu and the chicken nanban. I thought it was a perfect menu for a post-sauna meal. I savored every bite in the calm atmosphere. I reached totonou in the sauna, I reached totonou through the food, and after that I was reading manga in the reclining room and drifting off to sleep — I had no idea what time it was.
How long had it been since I'd lost all sense of time? I try to consciously avoid touching my phone, but in the flow of daily work and life, electronic devices are always close at hand. Letting go of time and information, fully absorbing the hot spring, the sauna, and the food with my whole body, sleeping without setting a time to wake up when I got sleepy — it felt like rebooting my life. And a reboot is something life truly needs. Keep running without rest, and eventually you'll break down. Rest appropriately, reboot, reset, give it your all again, reset again, and cherish yourself for pushing through life. I feel a profound joy at having been able to reboot my life at Yurakkusu — a truly extraordinary facility.
I woke up from my nap feeling incredibly refreshed. I turned on the TV in the reclining room to check the time, and it was 4 p.m.
I suppose it's time to head to my next destination — tonight's lodging. The place I'm heading to also has a superb sauna. With luxury as its theme, it features a sauna room designed with the Japanese aesthetic of cypress wood, a cold plunge bath lavishly supplied with groundwater, and a high-end outdoor air bath space and lounge — Yuyado Suizen Luxury Sauna & Spa, a supreme sauna in Kumamoto that any sauna enthusiast would want to visit at least once.
