When it comes to saunas, the first impression that comes to mind is "sweltering" and "uncle's favorite place"... In recent years, as the Japanese cultural market has successively launched films, television, and manga works with sauna as the theme, sauna has rarely become the theme of works. This makes people's impression of the sauna very different. The reason behind its rise is the increase in the number of lovers of "sauna" who enjoy the refreshing and relaxing feelings of the sauna, and the continuous discovery of the sauna culture contained in it.
The much-talked about "Thorndau"
"In the last 5 years, people's perception of saunas has changed. Especially among groups of information-sensitive people, artists, and entertainers, the number of people viewing saunas as a culture is increasing. Mr. Kano Wakabayashi, director of the Board of Directors and Director of the Japan Sauna Association (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), analyzed the reasons for the increase in sauna-themed works.
The TV series "Sandao", which aired on TV Tokyo in July this year, became a hot topic. Set against the backdrop of saunas that actually exist across the country, "Kuwamichi" tells the story of a man who travels the whole country (Yasuzo Harada) in order to chase the legendary sauna master (Yasuzo Harada) in a sauna room everywhere and meets a middle-aged office worker (Hiroki Miyake) and a young man who runs a consulting company (Isamura Isamu) with the mantra of "good luck, good luck", and in the process experiences the mystery of the sauna and learns the etiquette of the sauna. You will see a group of uncles with bare upper bodies, steaming in the sauna and chatting, which can be seen as a unique work.
As for the reasons for the sharp increase in the popularity of saunas, Mr. Gojo Gonggui, producer of TV Tokyo, said: "For modern people who are prone to accumulating stress, sauna is a powerful means of eliminating stress. And when you enter the bath, you can completely isolate the network information, which is a precious time to face yourself", "the characteristics of each sauna shop and the existence of niche shops located in the local area, etc., make the sauna have the 'potential' to become the material of TV dramas."
Sauna not only appears in film and television works, but also in the current comic works with sauna as the theme. For example, the manga artist まんしゅうきつこ (now まんきつ) is a story about the sauna of the bathhouse through female vision. It is about a woman who fell in love with the sauna in July, "お熱いのがお好き? The story of Omachi (Omachi テラス composed) caused widespread discussion when the manga was released.
Sauna enthusiasts reach 10 million people
The key reason for the popularity of saunas is that through repeated saunas and baths and resting "alternating baths", it can greatly activate the brain nerves and make people achieve the effect of refreshment and relaxation, which is conducive to people switching work thinking modes. In addition, the word of mouth has stimulated young office workers to join the team of sauna enthusiasts. According to the Japan Sauna Association, the number of sauna enthusiasts in Japan has reached nearly 10 million.
In recent years, sauna culture, such as the "hot scent bath" that drips perfume water on the sauna stone to produce steam, and the "tent sauna" where tents are set up in the wild, have gradually become popular, making more and more female sauna lovers.
While emphasizing that "you are aware of your physical condition when you take a bath", Mr. Wakabayashi called on everyone to "not end the experience on a whim, but to let the charm of the sauna take root in your heart".