Wandering while listening to chants? The semi-outdoor bathing at 'TOTOPA'
What if you could spend your post-sauna relaxation time listening to the chants (cheering songs) of your favorite football club.
If you are both a sauna lover and a soccer fan, you might have dreamed of this at least once.
When I heard that V-Varen Nagasaki's home stadium, which opened the year before last, has a bathing facility, I felt very envious.
But I found it. A
sauna where that dream might come true. And it's a stadium where supporters of any club have that chance.
'TOTOPA', which won first place in 'Saunachelin 2024', is that place.
It is located right next to the Japan National Stadium. As you know, the National Stadium does not have a specific home club. It is a stadium where each club can independently hold home events. Or, if you make it to the final of a major tournament, this will surely be the venue.
I went into 'TOTOPA' right away. The sauna rooms on the men's side consist of
three rooms with different themes. First, the
'Left Room'. Cold-toned lighting. About 100°C. The website says it is a space that stimulates the left brain
. You can immerse yourself in the illusion of having stepped into a sci-fi movie.
The middle one is the 'Na Room'. It seems to represent the center by taking the kanji for left and right and removing the 'e' and 'kuchi' radicals respectively. It is the largest, and
conversation is also allowed. 80s-style J-pop was playing in the room.
And the 'Right Room'. The entire room is wrapped in red, warm colors. It says this one
stimulates the right brain. Each spot is a personal space, with a capacity of 7 people. I
associated it with a total solar eclipse.
There are two cold baths. One is a regular cold bath at about 15°C. And, worth noting is this
'Deep Cold Bath'. The website photo shows 13.4°C, but when I visited, it was
9.4°C. A single digit! And, as the name suggests, it is
deep. Calculating from my own height, I think it is about 160cm. The water pressure, buoyancy, and extreme cold stimulation from this depth make this cold bath special. It is one-way, with the image of crossing a waterfall basin
.
When I got out of the cold bath and lay down in this 'Outdoor Air Bathing Lounge', along with a pleasant breeze from the open window, I could hear the voices of children playing in the park around the stadium. In the room where sunlight shone brightly, while feeling dazed, I thought, ah, here
the cheers from the stadium would be heard directly.
Before a football match, supporters start vocal cheering 15 minutes before kickoff. In other words, on the day the club you support plays at the National Stadium, if you time your last set of outdoor air bathing to
start 15 minutes before the match begins, you will be able to hear the 'totonoi' (relaxation) chant. Since the National Stadium is basically all reserved seating, if you hurry over after hearing that chant, the plan is that you can
also watch the match properly.
Football watched while drinking beer after a sauna, just thinking about it is the ultimate luxury.
Here, 'Dekavita C' and 'Green Dakara' are all-you-can-drink. You can even mix them to your preferred ratio to make a 'Dekara'.
Furthermore, the server also dispenses All-Free. An all-you-can-drink non-alcoholic beer is a bit strange. I wonder if there are any heavyweights out there who can drink it in large quantities just like regular beer?
Stepping out of the entrance, you are in the best location with the National Stadium right in front of you.
At this time of year, clubs are announcing their new structures one after another. The next series of the J.League soccer will hold a special season called the 'Centenary Concept League'.
It is transitioning from the previous 'spring-to-autumn' system to an 'autumn-to-spring' system to align with other countries. The 'Centenary Concept League' is a special six-month season that fills the gap during this transition.
The J.League is in a period of transition to compete on the world stage.
The 2026 season, which will also be a World Cup year, what kind of intense battles will we see?
And the day my fantasy becomes reality has been decided sooner than expected!
It seems that not only Shimizu, but several other teams have decided to hold matches at the National Stadium.
By learning about 'TOTOPA', a new joy has been added to the days when matches are held at the National Stadium.
A day of wandering while listening to chants, please try to imagine it for yourself.
Ole!