「Yurara-no-Yu Oshikuma Store」 - A Visit

Plan changes are the essence of travel. The visit to 'Yurara-no-Yu Oshikuma Store' could also be called a fortunate result of a travel plan change. After achieving ultimate totonou at 'Spa Resort Ogoto Agaryanse' the previous day, I had moved to Nara. There were two plans for the next day: ① If it's raining, go to Nara Kenko Land from the morning ② If the rain stops, take an early morning stroll through Nara Park and then go to Nara Kenko Land These were the two options. When I woke up at 6 AM, the rain had stopped. That meant Plan ②. After morning bath and breakfast, I checked out of the hotel. I arrived at Nara Park at 7:30. While breathing the fresh morning air, I strolled through the magnificent park. The deer seemed to be starting their morning activities too. I explored Nara Park for about 2 hours. I went around Todaiji Temple → Nigatsu-do → Hokke-do → Kasuga Taisha in that order, and became drenched in sweat, wanting to jump into a cold bath immediately. After a coffee break at a café, I headed to 'Nara Kenko Land.'

It's about a 30-minute drive from Nara Park to Tenri City. I arrived before 11 AM, and the parking lot was already full. Customers who couldn't get in were parking their cars in the pachinko parlor parking lot across the street. I had a bad feeling. I also parked my car and decided to go to the entrance anyway. There, I saw a long line of mainly families, with staff distributing numbered tickets. Seeing that scene, I decided to change my plan. I could always come back to Nara Kenko Land for revenge another time. I returned to my car and headed to 'Yurara-no-Yu Oshikuma Store,' which I had researched beforehand. After driving for another 30 minutes, I finally arrived at my destination. After completing reception and entering the large bath, I washed my body and immediately entered the 15°C cold bath. My body, heated from Nara Park, cooled down all at once. I dried my body and entered the sauna room. It's an electric stove sauna where I worked up a sweat, then entered the cold bath. I increased the number of sets. After the cold bath, I had outdoor air bathing in the open-air bath. The situation with few customers also helped, and I lay down on the bench. The sky of Nara spread out before me. I could also hear the sound of a babbling brook. Perfect. Should I just fall asleep like this? I was truly glad I came to Yurara-no-Yu. I thought so from the bottom of my heart. There's always a story in the process of going to a sauna. That story is life itself. It's still past noon. Let me eat some delicious food and slowly head home.