As I was cycling to the Tanabe Onnetsu Health Spa, I found myself thinking about how public baths in the Edo period weren't about soaking in a tub like today, but rather functioned more like steam baths (saunas).
Contrary to the forecast, it was raining from the morning. I twisted the arm of the folks at PFM, who were in the middle of prep, to make us breakfast, and deciding that this level of rain didn't really count as "rain," we set off.
We rode along the Horikawa River, through Endoji, and headed north from Nagoya Station. After crossing over to Biwajima on Prefectural Road 190 and making an immediate left, we were on the Minoji road. An old streetscape, complete with warehouses for large floats, continues all the way to Kiyosu Castle.
Just past Kiyosu Castle, we noticed a crowd along the Gojo River. I asked at the entrance and was told they were holding an information session for an archaeological dig. We figured we might as well hop off our bikes and have a look.
Kiyosu Castle is famous as the residence of Oda Nobunaga, and they were excavating the moat and the castle town. What surprised me was that the current reconstructed donjon is in a different location from the original castle, and the main citadel was originally on the opposite bank of the river. These Sengoku-period ruins are apparently going to be backfilled, so I’m glad we got to see something so special.
Next, we headed north along the “Gojo River Waterside Promenade.” It’s a recommended route with little traffic and beautiful scenery. There’s also the Kiyosu City Haruhi Art Museum along the way. We eventually branched off toward the Aokigawa River, and after taking a photo of Asai’s favorite band Otoboke Beaver in the love hotel district near the Ichinomiya Interchange, we rode north on Prefectural Road 166, which is easy to cycle on thanks to its wide bike lanes.
Once we reached the center of Ichinomiya, we changed course to the west, taking back roads toward the Nobi Ohashi Bridge over the Kiso River. Before the bridge, we stopped at an intense supermarket called “Watahan Gyorui Ichinomiya Gyoko.” It’s a new supermarket from the Watahan Group (headquartered in Iida), and the selection of seafood is simply incredible. They have everything from fresh fish in tanks to mysterious fish, overflowing sashimi bowls, and a wide variety of processed goods—all fresh and affordable. We bought some high-quality sushi packs you wouldn't find at a normal grocery store and had a refueling break on the riverbank of the Kiso River. The combination of the great river in front of me and the sushi in my hands felt a bit surreal, but it was delicious.
We raced down Prefectural Road 18 with the rumored-to-be-demolished Solar Ark in our peripheral vision.
We arrived at the famous cafe “Midori” in Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture! We started with classic cafe staples like omurice and Napolitan spaghetti, then ordered the shop’s new specialty: shaved ice. Many of you are likely familiar with the recent shaved ice boom, but modern shaved ice is a completely different world from the kinds sold at street stalls during festivals. Since the other three had never had it before, they got a real culture shock. It’s so delicious that you start to feel a strange sense of guilt—like, are humans even allowed to eat something this good?
With our appointment time approaching, we headed to our main destination, the "Tanabe Onnetsu Health Spa." It was in such an ordinary residential neighborhood that I really wondered if we were in the right place.
We ducked through the noren curtain and checked in at the entrance. After being shown how to use the facilities, it was time to try the medicinal herb steam bath.
You enter barrel-style steamers in pairs. It’s pitch black inside and so steamy you can barely see anything. The temperature isn't all that high, but the scent of the medicinal herbs and the steam make you sweat profusely. Five minutes in and you’re already drenched. We crawled out through the narrow entrance for a bit of cool air. I was worried about the lack of a cold-water bath, but cooling down slowly felt great, and I discovered that not needing the immense resolve required to jump into a freezing cold-water bath is psychologically very relaxing. If you’re not a fan of cold-water plunges, I think this is truly the best. There are showers available, too, for those who want to do alternating hot-and-cold baths.
Tanabe Onnetsu Health Spa
http://tanabeonnetsu.com/
The blissful time spent drinking tea and dozing off in the lounge after being steamed three times. This time, we did two sets of this in three hours. It flew by so fast that I really recommend setting aside half a day or a full day to enjoy it properly.
The Tanabe Onnetsu Health Spa began about 70 years ago, right here in Ogaki, by recreating this medicinal steam bath invented by a local Rangaku (Dutch studies) scholar in the Edo period. It wasn't born out of the recent sauna boom, and I really like that it’s rooted in local history.
We headed back out just as the sun was starting to set, making our way toward dinner.
Along the way, we crossed the Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property “Old Ibi River Bridge” to cross the Ibi River. Completed in 1886 for the JR Tokaido Main Line, it is now used as a pedestrian path. The “Nejiri-manpo”—a tunnel on the embankment before the bridge where the bricks are laid in a spiral pattern—was also quite interesting.
We rode further to arrive at the famous gyoza shop “Hyotan,” located just south of the Gifu Prefectural Government building. The menu consists only of boiled gyoza and pan-fried gyoza. You’re allowed to bring your own onigiri (rice balls) to this shop. The dumplings, with their chewy skins and ginger-infused filling, were exquisite, and we easily polished off 24 each.
It was a fun ride where we stopped and ate plenty of things beyond just the steam bath. Originally, we had twice as many fun detour spots planned, but we completely ran out of time, so those are saved for next time. Street rides really are all about making lots of stops along the way.
I’ll be inviting everyone on more rides in the future, so whether you're a newcomer or a regular, I hope you’ll join us!