I first saw sand bathing on a Japanese travel show on TV and thought it looked like such an unusual experience. Although it was hard to imagine what it would feel like, I kept quietly hoping that I would get the chance to try it myself someday. I finally planned a trip to southern Kyushu this time, and after looking into it, I realized that if you’re not driving, you really have to carefully calculate the bus transfer times. Unfortunately, the well-known Saraku that I had planned to visit was closed that day, so I ended up going to another place.
All I can say is that this was definitely a very special experience in my life. I lay down in a steaming pile of naturally heated sand while an older man shoveled sand over me one scoop at a time. Listening to the waves crashing nearby, with the warm, heavy pressure covering my entire body, I felt a strange sense of tranquility, as if I were in another world. I couldn’t stay in for very long because of the high temperature, but I still can’t forget how completely relaxed and comfortable it made me feel. To finish things off in true local style, you have to have a bottle of ice-cold milk. That’s what made my first sand bath experience perfect and authentic.
