Maintenance of "movement" and "stillness" to regulate the mind and body - Part 2

There were several times when I woke up, but the first time was when I was about 17 or 18 years old. I was going to the gym at the time, and after I finished training on my bicycle in the scorching heat of mid-summer, I went to the spa attached to the gym. The first thing I saw there was a water bath. I was tanned and my body was very hot, so it looked sparkling (laughs). So I entered the water bath before the sauna, water-through style. From there, I went back and forth between the water bath and the sauna a few times, and it felt good, I guess.

. It is a place where you feel refreshed more than anything else. There is evidence from the Japanese Sauna Society that sauna is good for the body. Also, the quality of sleep improves. Speaking from personal experience, I used to work for an event company, and during that time I had an autonomic nervous system disorder. What saved me at that time was the sauna at the "garden bath" in Toshimaen. There, you can walk king in the pool, and there is a Finnish-style sauna outside. While I was there, I was able to forget my thoughts in the sauna, and I was able to get back into the mindset that I could go back to work. I think it's very effective for depression and stuff like that, and I think it helps with the mental part of my life as well.

To be honest, I didn't set out to make a business out of it, but rather, I went to Finland, the home of saunas, in 2017, and that's when I saw saunas around the world. Saunas in Japan used to have the image of being for old men, but I wanted saunas to be enjoyed by men and women of all ages. I always wondered what I could do to make that happen. So, I have tried to make it like a festival in Shimokitazawa, or a sauna where men and women can go together, or a combination of a famous chef and a sauna for the wealthy, or a fusion with fashion through apparel, and so on. Nowadays, saunas are also featured in culture magazines, and I am very happy about that.

This, you know, is often compared to tapioca. People often compare it to tapioca, saying, "Is a sauna like tapioca? But I think tapioca is a sweet, and has been used in tiramisu, panna cotta, and many other things. It will remain as a sweet. So I think the essence of sauna is the same as that, and I don't think it will disappear. The form may change, but I think saunas will remain, even if they are basically baths, and I think they should continue to be used until they are no longer newsworthy. Until there are no more news stories coming to me like this (laughs). I would like to see a world where people have saunas in their homes, not like buying a mini-car, but like having a sauna in the house. Sauna is something that doesn't require much skill or physical strength and doesn't cost much money, so I hope that many people will enjoy it.