The Japan Sauna Festival started on March 7, 2015 (Sauna Day) as a small-scale event for Finnish Sauna Club (FSC) members and related parties, and has become widely known to sauna fans as it has invited general participation since 2017. This year, the 3rd Japan Sauna Festival will be held at the same time.

If you ask me again what the appeal of sauna is, it is the 100% natural tripping sensation you get from applying rapid heat and cold to your body. What is the purpose of a water bath?" Tanakatsuki's book "Sa-Do" overturned the stereotype that "sauna is just a hot space to be gulped down," and educated people about the appeal of water baths, leading to the creation of many saunas, and the word "tonotte" (named after wet-zukin-chan) that appears frequently in his works, The word "toto-totto" (named after a wet-zukin-chan), which appears frequently in his works, simply expresses the appeal of sauna. If you have not read it, please take a look.

In fact, "sauna, water bath, and toto" (Tricity CMThe group of people who kept shouting, "I'm in a sauna," as they enjoyed the great outdoors and the sauna to their heart's content. The sauna was a great way to "get in tune" with the great outdoors.

Japan's first pit sauna (smoke sauna) is born.

The biggest topic of this year's event is the pit sauna (smoke sauna). Today, saunas heated by wood or electricity are the mainstream, and it is the greatest joy for all saunas to witness the birth of the original sauna, also known as the "King of Saunas".

Akinori Ikeda, photographer and creator of the "Sauna Toaster" and the human-powered mobile sauna "Camera," warned the audience, "There will be a cloud of smoke coming from the sauna, so everyone should avoid it," which drew laughter. The lake is the first pit sauna in Japan, and the smoke sauna is even more authentic than the one in Finland. This is the only place in Japan where you can experience this, so please enjoy it!" declared Tanaka Katzuki, and the opening ceremony of the pit sauna started. The participants were curious about the sauna they had never experienced before.

Next, Mr. Listo Eloma, the 5th President of the International Sauna Association, whom Mr. Tanakatsuki calls the God of Sauna, presented a commemorative medal to Mr. Yukitaka Yoneda, Executive Director of the Japan Sauna and Spa Association / Representative of WELLBY, Inc. on behalf of the International Sauna Church (I personally recommend the "Sauna in the Forest" at the WELLBY Sakae branch in Nagoya. (I personally recommend "Mori-no-Sauna" at WELLBY Sakae branch in Nagoya. Please try it!

The medal, which is decorated with a sauna stone and a vihita, is said to be accompanied by the sentence "Sauna is good for your health" in Finnish. Incidentally, this is the first time anyone other than the person known as Mr. Smoke Sauna has received this medal. That is how difficult it is to create a pit sauna (smoke sauna), and we cannot thank the FSC members enough for their tremendous achievement in completing this project.

This is the entrance to the pit sauna. In Finland, it is said that "the sauna is as sacred as a church," and you can feel the sacred atmosphere from the small door at the end of the small path piled with logs.

The room is small, so small groups of people take turns entering at five-minute intervals. The sauna room is filled with a smoky aroma. There is no lighting other than the light coming in through the vents below the entrance, and the sounds of the outside world do not reach the earth-covered space to any great extent. A calm and quiet time is passing by.

and here is a comparison of the sauna lineup from the previous year and this year. The first is last year's map and the second is this year's map.

Even if you arrive at the venue early, you will not have enough time! That's what I thought. In addition to the main attraction, the Pit Sauna, there are more and more saunas of interest, such as the Dome Sauna, Sauna Wagen, and the human-powered mobile sauna, Camera. If there are more every year, I wonder what saunas will be built next at ....... I am already wondering what is next.

Mr. Ikeda himself was performing Aufguss in the sauna toaster at ......, but it was always packed and I was never able to get in. If I had the chance, I would definitely go there.

Based on a 1970s VW T-2 (a.k.a. Wagenbus), the "VW T-2Onsen DojoSauna Wagen, created by "Sauna Wagen, Inc. From the front and from the side, it is hard to believe that this is a sauna. The back seat has been converted into a sauna room with a capacity of 7 people. This time, it was brought in by truck for safety reasons, but it can also be driven as a working car!　Equipped with an electric stove, you can also enjoy self-launching.

The transparent dome sauna, where you can take a sauna while looking at the starry sky, looks more enjoyable at night. If you have this in your usual camping trip, please contact ....... It will be a different outdoor experience than a tent sauna.

Many participants dived into the lake without fear. The water temperature was 0 to 2 degrees Celsius. It was cold, or rather painful (laugh). It was still winter on that day, so much so that we could see people enjoying wakasagi fishing in the nearby lake.

The pool, which is made of water from the lake and filtered, is cold enough. The size and water quality are perfect.

And the best outside air bath.

The weather was fine, and during the day the temperature was pleasant even in short sleeves (after the sauna). Saunas and outdoor air baths in thermal baths are fine, but there is something special about outdoor air baths in the great outdoors.

I thought it was just a sauna, but it is not.

As you can see, after the opening ceremony of the Pit Sauna at 1:00 p.m., TSP's red-hot star, Yuriko Hori, will give a sauna hat-making workshop at 2:00 p.m., followed by a sauna night in the evening. In the evening, there will be a sauna night. There will be many other events as well. We will continue to visit more saunas while conserving our strength.

Mr. Tanaka Katzuki was also present at the workshop held in the space next to the sauna kota. The 50 TSP sauna hats that were made for sale sold out quickly. The venue was filled with people wearing TSP sauna hats.

Personally, the best condition was the Finnish sauna in the main building. The ceiling is low and the feet are above the stove. I was able to enjoy self-launge as much as I wanted after the first set.

The "Snack Nurezukin" was open on the second floor of the main building. Many participants came to the store because they could share drinks with top professional sauner Nurezukin-chan. The drinks after the sauna are really delicious. (Beer in the sauna is also great, but please enjoy it at your own risk.)

Composer Kengo Tokusashi, who also composes music for Mr. Tanakatsuki's videos and other works, offers delicious coffee, although he humbly says, "It's just a hobby. He also offers a choice of bean types. I was very satisfied with the quality of the coffee. I heard about an unnamed sauna in Prague where Tokusashi-san jumped into the Moldau River, and was invited to a sauna at the back of the annex building where "Tokusashi Coffee Shop" is located. ...... I was going to have a cup of coffee at the coffee shop, but I was invited to the sauna. It is possible to be invited to a sauna when you plan to have a coffee at a coffee shop.

Fully-stocked merchandise sales corner

In addition to the event, a corner selling sauna goods will also be developed on the first floor of the main building. In addition to the official goods of the 3rd Japan Sauna Festival by the Finnish Sauna Club (FSC), the organizer of the Sauna Festival, books, sauna hats, etc. will be on display.

Hajimete no Sauna" (Little More) is a different book from "Sauna Road" that explains the appeal of saunas as if it were a picture book. Written by Tanakatsuki and illustrated by Yuriko Hori of TSP, it is a new introduction to saunas. The original artwork is also on display on the first floor of the main building.

These goods are specially designed for sauna fans, including T-shirts designed by illustrator Ryoko Yamane and sauna bags featuring sauna stones.

These are the original TSP sauna hats that sold like hotcakes. They are all cute!

And the sauna sun went down.

As the sun sets, "Sauna Night Session.004" begins at 6:00 pm. Sauna lovers in the industry have been talking about sauna since last August. I never thought I would be able to attend this very popular event, which sells out every time, here.

Under the MC by Mofuku-chan and Naoto Yamagishi, talks by Tanakatsuki, Kengo Tokusashi, and Wet Touki-chan started on the theme of "Favorite Sauna.

Tanakatuki says, "Sauna in Lapland within Finland is totally different. He said that he had experienced sauna in Finland, but there is a big difference between Helsinki and the upper part of the country", which surprised many.

This time, Wet Hooded Chan says she hasn't been in the sauna at all. She comments like an athlete, "I've been in the sauna a little too much, and it's like the yips. Tokusashi said, "I don't care what kind of sauna I like. I just want it to be empty," he said, referring to the great contradiction that all sauna lovers think about. He added, "Like this place right now, it's crowded. You go to the place you like and it's crowded. It's a continuous process. I would like to think together with everyone about what we should do.

Then, in the middle of the talk, Mr. Mampei Magu and Mr. Ikeda appeared on the stage with a skit (?). Mr. Magmanpei Ikeda and Mr. Ikeda appeared on stage while performing a skit (?). Ikeda-san and Magu-Manpei-san, who had been aufgussing for the participants all day, made a shocking confession: "My hands are still shaking even now. Thank you very, very much for your hard work.

The last event was supposed to be the largest and most luxurious gift drawing ever held by the sponsoring sauna facilities ......, but surprisingly there were no winners, so the gifts literally flew around to those who were there. The first day of the Sauna Festival, which was a great success, came to a successful conclusion.

The second day was also a beautiful day. We wanted to relax a bit more, but we had to leave before "HOUYHNHNM Unplugged vo.7" was completed. However, there are many reports by participants on Twitter and blogs other than this article, so please check them out as well. If you read them, you will definitely want to participate in the next Sauna Festival.