"Local Sauna Committee across Japan" launched! JAL enlivens local areas with saunas

We spoke to three people behind the project: Takayuki Okamoto (pictured below, right), who is in charge of co-creation promotion for JAL W-PIT SAUNA and founder of the JAL Sauna Club; Yuki Terashima (pictured below, left) from the New Business Development Department at Adways Inc., who collaborated with him to launch the media; and Yoppi, a legendary writer in the web media world whose articles all boast incredible numbers of page views, and who is also known to be a sauna lover.

A new sauna media that values connections with the local community

The JAL Group has been strengthening its promotion of sauna trips since 2019, and launched the "JAL Sauna Trip Dynamic Package" tour product exclusively for sauna lovers in March 2021. In addition, the number of members of the "JAL Sauna Club", which initially started with about 10 people, has increased to about 400, and it has now grown into one of the largest club activities in the JAL Group.

Not only do they stimulate interaction within the group through communication through saunas, but they are also actively engaged in cross-industry co-creation centered around saunas, one manifestation of which is the web media "Local Sauna Committee from All Over Japan."

Okamoto: "Just when I started thinking about expanding JAL's sauna trips by collaborating with other industries, I found out that an online media called 'SPOT' run by Adways was also publishing articles about saunas. I thought 'We could do something if we collaborated!' and I reached out to them, and that's how the 'Local Sauna Committee All Over Japan' started."

Okamoto headed to Adways' headquarters in Nishi-Shinjuku without having decided what exactly he wanted to do. However, things went smoothly.

Terashima: "In fact, our company's chairman is such a big sauna fan that he would talk about the appeal of saunas to all the employees. Because of this, we decided to discuss how we could work together while taking a sauna bath. We had a thorough discussion later in the sauna, and although we didn't get into any concrete ideas in the meeting room, we were excited (laughs). As various keywords came up, we settled on the two axes of 'sauna' and 'media,' and so the 'Japan Local Sauna Committee' was born."

There have been several sauna-themed online media outlets in the past, but there were few that focused on travel and local areas and delved deep into them. The Japan Regional Sauna Committee is using this as a strength to differentiate itself.

Okamoto: "After all, it's the locals, not tourists, who have the most information, and they're also passionate about their region. That's why we focus on people and the region, and we listen thoroughly to sauna facility owners and local government officials who are promoting the region. There hasn't been a media outlet yet that gathers all the information the facility wants to convey, such as what their selling points are and what events they run. In other words, there hasn't been a sauna media outlet that's rooted in the local area. Of course, we don't just want to focus on saunas, we want to expand to include information on surrounding facilities and 'collect dots to make a surface' to promote the region. Our aim is to get people to enjoy the whole area, including the gourmet food and sightseeing, with a focus on sauna trips."

Terashima: "The sauna-goers around me have told me, 'We want to be updated about saunas every day, but there's no such media, so please make one soon.' I'm sure there are many people who want to know about new facilities and events. Until now, you had to actively seek out information yourself. So the idea for this came from wanting to work together with facility owners and local governments to deliver information about areas that doesn't exist anywhere else."

The goal of the Japan Regional Sauna Committee is to create saunas together with local people.

Okamoto: "When I talk to local people, I get access to rare information that is not available on the Internet, and it's always a fresh experience. I don't think the 'Japan Local Sauna Committee' would work in the first place without the cooperation of local people. It's not a one-way street of 'We'll feature this because it's hot right now,' but rather, although it takes time, I feel the importance of carefully listening to local people and asking, 'What do you recommend?' and 'What's the best way to get there?' and then disseminating the information that only local people know."

A chance to rediscover hidden charms by combining local resources with saunas

Adways has always promoted local governments across the country through its media operations. And JAL has established a network all over the country. The Japan Local Sauna Committee can be a place where both companies can fully utilize their strengths. Yoppi, one of the founding members, also gives his stamp of approval to the compatibility of "local × sauna" and "travel × sauna".

Yoppi: "I used to love public baths and went there every day, but when the sauna boom started in earnest, I heard about an amazing sauna in Kumamoto called Yurakus, so I went and checked it out. It was absolutely amazing. After the sauna, I went to an izakaya and had horse sashimi and rice shochu. The next day, I had some soft serve ice cream in Aso and went back to Yurakus. I thought, "Saunas and traveling are a perfect combination," and that's how I got hooked on "sauna travel." Since then, I've been traveling just to saunas. The term "sauna travel" didn't exist yet, so people around me would say, "You got on a plane just to go to a sauna?" but I'd say, "Everyone gets on a plane to go to a hot spring, so why not a sauna!" (laughs). There are saunas unique to each region in Japan, and food tastes better when you go in a sauna. I thought that having a sauna would make traveling even more enjoyable."

Yoppi, who has traveled all over the country and experienced various saunas firsthand, analyzes the current sauna scene as follows.

Yoppi: "Until now, the sauna scene has been driven by specifications such as the temperature and humidity in the sauna room, how often to do loyly, and the quality and temperature of the water in the cold bath. But recently, campsites with tent saunas have popped up all over the place, and saunas are now standard in newly opened hotels, so the competition has intensified. From now on, I think it will be a battle of how much originality can be created that is rooted in the local community, with saunas at the core."

In fact, unique local saunas that make use of the characteristics of each region have been popping up in recent years, such as Suiden Terrace in Yamagata Prefecture, the Inazumi Underwater Cave in Oita Prefecture, and the Wine Barrel Sauna in Hokkaido.

However, Terashima also feels that "many local governments are searching for ways to market their local areas, such as what their strengths are." Yoppi says that he wants to develop this media as a bridge to promote and brand the area, using local resources, especially saunas, as a means.

Yoppi: "For example, Saga Prefecture is often derided as having "nothing to offer." But for me, the food and alcohol in Saga are delicious, the area is rich in nature, and it's a favorite place that I visit quite frequently. No matter how many times I've said that in the past, the number of people actually coming to Saga to have fun hasn't really increased. But since the famous sauna spot "Rakan no Yu" opened, the number of people going to Saga just for that purpose has clearly increased. In this way, I want to use saunas as a catalyst to promote measures that will liven up the entire region through the "Japan-wide Local Sauna Committee."

Okamoto also explains that this is precisely the significance of the activities of the "Local Sauna Committee across Japan."

Okamoto: "Until now, many people would go to a nearby sauna, and it was a part of their daily routine, but now more people are going out of their way to visit because they want a special experience, such as 'that sauna is great, so I'll go there'. For example, many people go to tent saunas surrounded by nature, or saunas set up for a limited time in a corner of a hotel's night pool, hoping to take a special photo. Saunas are an easy content to combine, so new approaches are constantly being developed, such as 'sauna x nature' or 'sauna x art'. I think that this is why we can find new elements of combinations that are unique to each area and have not yet been fully utilized."

Organizing events that bring people together and give locals a real feel

Another major initiative of the Japan Local Sauna Committee is hosting events.

Terashima: "We connect with local people and help disseminate information about the area. Some people may read an article and feel like they want to go there, but not many can go right away. This makes it difficult to measure the effectiveness of the article, such as how many people actually took action after reading it. This means that local people will not have a real sense of the impact of the measures. So we want to proactively plan events to find out how many people are taking action through this media, and to connect our readers with the local governments and facilities that are cooperating with us."

This fall, two events were held at Yurakujo in Chiba Prefecture. The theme was "Sauna x Summer Festival." Despite the limit of 70 groups per day, there were applications from about 700 groups, far exceeding the capacity.

Okamoto: "For this event, we divided the spa area into two areas, "Professional Sauna" and "Family," and both men and women were allowed to enter in swimsuits, so that everyone could enjoy it, from sauna lovers to families with small children and couples. We also set aside time for Aufguss (a program in which aromatic water is poured onto sauna stones and the resulting steam is washed up with a towel) by JAL employees, and we also specially prepared a large cold bath. In the festival area, we have prepared many attractions that parents and children can enjoy together, such as katanuki, yo-yo scooping, and a karuta tournament. Since summer festivals and fireworks displays were not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we planned this event with the hope that it would help people bring back the fun of summer."

The second event was held on November 21, 2021. We actually visited the event and spoke to the visitors. It seems that there are various reasons for applying, such as people who enjoy saunas, people who want to enjoy the summer atmosphere at the festival, and people who just want to take a relaxing bath.

A family of four (whose youngest child was taking a nap) who were taking a break at a restaurant said they had applied in hopes of attending the festival for their children who had not been able to enjoy the summer.

This family, who applied after seeing "SPOT," tried to take on the sauna, but the younger brother gave up quickly. However, the older brother discovered how good the sauna felt, and "he was hit with the heat wave twice!"

The couple said, "We were interested in Yurakujo and came to enjoy a bath." It was the first time for both of them to try Aufguss, but it was impressive to see them say with smiles, "We think we'll get addicted."

Two veteran sauna users and the event's initiator, Okamoto.

Okamoto: "It was a wonderful event that reaffirmed that saunas are a place where people of all ages and genders can become friends!"

There was also a nursing room and a diaper-changing corner, and although I had been worried about the lack of operational complaints, I didn't hear a single word. Rather, what was most impressive was the laughter of children heard all around and the kind gazes of the adults watching them. It was a wonderful space where everyone was enjoying themselves, whether they liked saunas or not.

Drawing on this experience, Terashima is already looking ahead.

Terashima: "I want to continue to hold more events that make use of the characteristics of each region across Japan. If we hold events in conjunction with the publication of articles, it will encourage people to visit the region immediately, which should lead to regional revitalization. If people can get the feeling that 'people from other prefectures have come here because of the sauna,' I think sauna trips across Japan will become even more popular."

Terashima says that in addition to holding real events, he also wants to create a community where local governments and facilities can freely communicate.

The "Local Sauna Committee of Japan" will use sauna and travel as a hook to become a media outlet that sauna lovers can enjoy and to act as a catalyst for revitalizing local areas.

Japan Local Sauna Committee

Local Sauna Committees across Japan

For your sauna trip reference. Introducing local saunas all over Japan. You can search by area along with local reports. We recommend a wide range of saunas, from amazing to unusual. We also introduce them together with tourist information in the area!

travel.spot-app.jp

Don't miss JAL Sativa's new project, "Sativa Suran"!

Furthermore, JAL's sauna activities have accelerated. JAL Sauna Travel has collaborated with "SAUNACHELIN" to launch "Sauna Travel Shuran".

"SAUNACHELIN" is a project in which "professional sauna users" from various industries who support the sauna awareness activities of TTNE (a sauna specialized brand for sauna users by sauna users) serve as judges. Every year on November 11th, "Totonoe Day," 11 innovative sauna facilities that have not been bound by existing frameworks and have created new value in saunas through new attempts are announced and awarded as "Sauna facilities nationwide that you should visit now."

"Sauna Travel Guide" is a special tour with a JAL Sauna Travel Dynamic Package to the "Sauna Facilities You Should Visit Now," which won the "SAUNACHELIN 2021" award. In addition to the familiar points of the JAL Sauna Travel Dynamic Package, we have incorporated a special experience at a sauna facility that can only be enjoyed with Sauna Travel Guide, making it a "superb relaxation trip." Enjoy a unique journey through saunas.

Click here to apply for JALPAK

Sativa Shuran 2021 Dynamic Package

JAL Sauna Travel Dynamic Package is a dream collaboration with "SAUNACHELIN"!
Let's go on a superb "relaxing" trip that can only be experienced with Satabi Shuran

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