Deep in the forests of Yanbaru, Okinawa, there is a person who rekindled the incinerator of an abandoned school (the former Kijoka Elementary School), a place where the voices of children once echoed. This person is Shiyu Kono, the founder of BUNA SAUNA. Exhausted by the daily grind, Kono found a regenerative heat in the sauna and decided to create a sauna as a necessary system for life. This article delves into BUNA SAUNA's philosophy of circulation, where burning, steaming, and moving revolve around nature.
Shiyu Kono
Born in 1982 in Iwate Prefecture. From 2001, he worked as a musician in Tokyo while also cultivating rice fields. In March 2011, he moved to Okinawa. In 2012, he established a design office in Okinawa. In August 2023, BUNA SAUNA launched.
(*Article content is based on information at the time of the interview)
#1 Rekindling the Incinerator of an Abandoned School
From judge to applicant: The fateful prelude to BUNA SAUNA
―― Could you tell us what inspired you to start BUNA SAUNA?
This place (the former Kijoka Elementary School) was abandoned nine years ago. A few years later, an official from the town office approached me and asked, "Would you be interested in utilizing this abandoned school?" The first public recruitment was about five or six years ago.
What's interesting is that I participated in that first selection committee as a designer, on the judging side.
―― You were a judge. How did you end up applying yourself?
That's right. A well-known company also applied, and I gave my opinions along with town officials and experts, saying, "What do you think?"
I was also scoring from a designer's perspective, saying "This is how it is." In the end, one company was chosen, but due to various circumstances, that plan fell through.
After that, people in the village started asking, "What happened to Kijoka Elementary School?" and I heard, "It seems they're going to do another utilization project."
So my friends and I discussed, "Then let's create something interesting ourselves this time," and decided to apply as applicants.
―― At that point, had you already decided to do a sauna?
No, not at all.
We called out to each other, "Let's do this together," and started with branding. What kind of world view would we create, what did we want to do?
It was more about "we want to create something good together" rather than for money. I myself worked almost pro bono, creating logos and drawing concept sketches. Having a logo also adds persuasiveness to presentation materials.
A team of about four of us discussed daily, "Let's do this, let's do that," and then we presented as applicants. That was highly praised, and we thought, "Alright, we got it!" That's how it all started.
#2 "This is it"—A "Life System" Awakened by Sauna
Encountering regenerative heat at one's limit
―― When did the specific idea of a sauna emerge?
The project started about three years ago when we were discussing, "Okay, what should we do?" At that time, my main design office was at its busiest peak, and I was really at my breaking point.
When I was on a business trip to Fukuoka, I was physically and mentally exhausted, and I thought, "I didn't come to Yanbaru for this."
―― You were quite pushed to your limits, both physically and mentally.
Yes, I was. At that time, I heard there was a famous sauna called "Wellbe Fukuoka" near my accommodation. Honestly, I wasn't knowledgeable about saunas at all, but I decided to try it anyway.
That night I spent at the sauna, the moment I lay down—I had an epiphany. "What is this, this is incredible. This is it."
It felt like something was restarting deep inside my body, and I was convinced, "This is a system necessary for life."
―― "A system necessary for life." This感動 (kandou - deep emotion/impression) led to the sauna.
Yes. I immediately returned to Okinawa and told my wife, "I'm going to build a sauna at home." But she immediately rejected it, saying, "No, I don't want naked people coming to our house" (laughs). And of course, she was right.
However, for me, "a life without sauna was unthinkable." It was then, while exploring abandoned schools with my friends, that the moment I saw the remains of this incinerator, I intuitively thought, "This is it."
To a place no one had planned to use, I said, "Can I borrow this place? I'm going to make a sauna."
That was three years ago. From there, I immediately went to a financial institution to borrow funds, and within about a year and a half, it took shape. It was truly immediate action. From there, BUNA SAUNA was born in a rush.
#3 No concept.
The "Sensory Sauna" Guided by Yanbaru's Wind and Herbs
―― What are the concepts and particularities of the sauna?
Honestly, I've never thought about "creating a concept." However, I did have a gut feeling from the beginning that "if I'm going to do it, I'll probably use plants."
It's not about being eccentric; I've lived my life facing "agriculture, nature, and plants," so I knew that if I were to do it, it would definitely be a sauna that coexists with plants.
For example, there's ginger lily (a ginger family herb)—it was instinctively decided that I would "use local ingredients."
―― What do you mean by using local ingredients?
This land has many wild herbs. So, it makes sense to use them. It costs nothing, and it's sustainable.
Just like food, local ingredients build our bodies, and I believe it's natural to find balance through the scents and plants of that land.
When I researched Lithuanian and Finnish sauna cultures, they use birch and rye. So, in Okinawa, it would be ginger lily. It's like tracing the culture while reinterpreting it in a way that is rooted in the local climate.
―― What did you keep in mind when creating the space?
The first thing I envisioned was a picture of "a kapok tree visible beyond the window." From there, I began designing the space.
The outdoor bathing area isn't a private room but a semi-outdoor space where you can feel the Yanbaru breeze directly. I wanted people who come here to experience the "rawness" of nature.
The visual elements are also important; the wild plants are truly beautiful. I couldn't imagine hiding that scenery, so all the sauna room windows are open.
I've decorated the interior with ginger lily so that people can feel like they're "in a sauna" not just through scent, but visually as well.
―― You said you don't have particular preferences, but I feel like you're very particular.
(laughs) Indeed, I recently realized that.
The other day, I was putting charcoal in the cold bath and suddenly wondered, "Why charcoal?" Then I realized that charcoal production used to be thriving in Yanbaru during the Ryukyu Kingdom era. I unconsciously wanted to trace that history.
At that moment, I thought, "I'm actually quite particular." I finally became aware of it (laughs).
#4 Because the tree is central, we sometimes turn away customers.
The philosophy of "circulation" and the conflict with idealism
―― What is the fundamental idea behind the concept of using nature and local resources?
About 20 years ago, when I first really encountered "natural farming," what impressed me most was the rice paddies. When I looked into the water, it was a beautiful biotope. Microorganisms and tadpoles swam, and aquatic plants swayed. It was as if the world inside an aquarium had become a reality.
The moment I saw that, I thought, "This is it." I fell completely in love with the beauty of the "circulation" system. That's why, even in the sauna, I try to be as mindful of this circulation as possible.
―― Circulation, you say.
For example, when I make whisks (bundles of plants used to lightly hit the body in a sauna) or cosmetics, I try not to take too much just because there's a lot available.
It's like a feeling of "Ah, I should stop around here." It's similar to the Ainu people's way of thinking about the next generation when they catch salmon.
I call the act of making whisks "pruning." When I feel "this tree needs pruning," I take a few leaves.
Conversely, if I feel "no more pruning is needed," I sometimes decline customer orders. The "tree" is always at the center.
―― I feel like that really expresses your spiritual essence, Mr. Kono.
However, when I talk about these things, they tend to sound clean, don't they? I'm honestly a bit uncomfortable talking about it in interviews. I feel it's not quite right to be seen as "someone who cherishes nature."
For me, it's a natural thing, not something I consciously do in a special way. On the contrary, it's painful for me when talking about it makes it sound like "mere idealism."
―― The conflict of your true feelings being perceived as "mere idealism." I totally understand that.
Exactly. I want people to listen with the premise, "I'm not that kind of pristine person." I smoke and drink quite a bit, you know (laughs).
When it's put into writing, it often tends to portray me as a "composed person," but there are moments when I think, "No, I'm not like that."
I'm not trying to protect the global environment or engaged in such activities. I'm just diligently doing what's within my reach.
I love meat and fish. But I believe my gratitude for taking those lives is immense.
Humans are complex, aren't they? There are contradictions and fluctuations. That's what makes it interesting, I think.
#5 As a device to put away devices and open up the senses
Not "popularization," but quietly enjoying the Okinawan sauna
―― What do you hope people will experience here?
Everyone is busy now, and there's so much information, isn't there? Many people can't put down their devices. I think a sauna is a system that forcibly separates you from your devices.
Moreover, a sauna forces you to be naked. The sensations that an individual normally doesn't feel suddenly return. I hope that even a little bit of that "sixth sense" can blossom.
To be honest, I don't have even an ounce of a desire to popularize saunas or anything like that.
Like a "festival" or an "event," I simply want people to purely enjoy this sauna in Okinawa.
