There is something in Japan called a “seasonal cold.” It is a virus that spreads widely at the change of seasons. One of the most well-known examples is influenza. Its symptoms resemble those of a common cold, but it is characterized by a sudden high fever exceeding 38°C. As it happens, I am one of those who has been battling the influenza virus for the past week, surviving the high fever. Even while delirious with fever, I found myself thinking about my next journey—perhaps

A few weeks earlier, it had already been decided that I would visit Sado Island, yet no matter how much I searched existing websites for places to stay or hot springs, nothing truly stirred me. So I began sliding the cursor along the roads on Google Maps, as if I were actually driving them, searching for somewhere that had not yet been found. That was when I noticed the word “sauna,” written almost casually on the northern side of the island, facing the Sea of Japan. What was

Sado Island—an island of eastern Japan, quietly beautiful. A place untouched by crowds, where one can experience the true beauty of Japan. Fleeing the sweltering August heat of Tokyo, I headed for this island located off the western coast of Niigata Prefecture. From Tokyo Station, I took the Shinkansen to Niigata. From Niigata Port, Sado Island lies about an hour away by ferry. Over the centuries, influences from western Japan and the Hokuriku region arrived here, and courtly