A crowdfunding campaign is underway to turn a traditional old house (kominka) in Oshido hamlet, Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture, into a whole-house-rental zen sauna called "Edge sauna 9 Minamiaizu". The project is led by "sauna9", a zen sauna retreat brand for restoring mind and body that is operated by Saunain Co., Ltd., and it is being run on the crowdfunding site "For Good". The goal is ¥1,000,000, and donations are accepted through Saturday, October 31, 2026.
Rewards include super-early-bird stay vouchers for enjoying the Minamiaizu facility on an exclusive-use basis right after it opens, as well as stay vouchers usable at all eight sauna9 locations nationwide. The project hopes to light a lamp once more in a fading hamlet through the flow of visitors.
Project page: https://for-good.net/project/1004240
A Snowy Hamlet Quietly Fading Away: The Reality of Oshido, Minamiaizu
Minamiaizu Town in Fukushima Prefecture once flourished as a post town on the Aizu Nishi Kaido road, and it still preserves the "original landscape of Japan" in the form of rows of thatched magariya houses. Today, however, the area faces a harsh reality.
- The population has halved in 60 years (from 29,786 to 14,451)
- The aging rate is 41.9% (2020), and it is projected to reach 58% in 2050
- The vacant-house rate is 17.4%, above the prefectural average of 14.3%, and about 80% of those homes are "other" vacant houses that are not being used
- The Nango area is designated a special heavy-snow area, and the deepest winter snow depth exceeds 2.4 m
Vacant houses increase year by year, and some collapse under the weight of the snow. "At this rate, this hamlet may no longer exist in 10 years." This remark from a local resident is the starting point of the project.
The team first visited Oshido, guided by a local, while developing a sauna facility in Shirakawa, Fukushima. At the end of a snowbound road stood a single old house where only the murmur of a stream could be heard. To the comment "young people are not coming back anymore," the team's view was that it is not that there is "no reason to return," but that "no one has yet created a reason to return."
Note: Figures are based on the Minamiaizu Town Sustainable Development Plan for Depopulated Areas (fiscal 2026 to 2030, Reiwa 8 to 12), the Minamiaizu Town Population Vision (revised edition, March 2025), the Fukushima Local Meteorological Observatory of the Japan Meteorological Agency's "Fiscal 2024 (Reiwa 6) Winter Snowfall Summary," and others.
A Zen Sauna in an Isolated Old House Where "Nothing" Remains
There are no neighboring homes, and radio signals barely reach the site. sauna9 considers this environment of "nothing" to be among the most valuable assets for people living in cities. Based on its "Nature for Sauna" philosophy, it plans to restore the Oshido old house as a whole-house-rental sauna retreat.
- Wood-fired sauna to burn away distracting thoughts: Facing the flames of a wood stove and giving yourself over to the crackle of the fire and its soft heat quiets the mind, leading to a state similar to zazen.
- Natural cold-water bath of snowmelt: Near-freezing snowmelt water from Minamiaizu's clear streams is used as it is, letting you feel the cold of the earth with your whole body.
- Outdoor cooling in a soundless snowscape: In a stillness where snow all around absorbs sound, you simply face yourself. This is the "totonoi" (the sauna state of feeling refreshed) that can only be found in an isolated space with no neighbors.
It is a sauna experience that is fully devoted to the spiritual side, returning to "nothingness" through heat, cold, and silence. If people begin to visit this place, voices are expected to return to winters that held only the sound of snow, and the sales and jobs created by the lodging are meant to lead to the upkeep of the hamlet's scenery and the old house.
The aim is to create a new flow of people traveling back and forth between the hamlet and the city.
Crowdfunding Overview
- Project name: Fukushima, Minamiaizu: Reviving a Fading Hamlet with a "Zen Sauna" Business
- Platform: For Good (a social-good crowdfunding site with 0% fees)
- URL: https://for-good.net/project/1004240
- Goal amount: ¥1,000,000
- Campaign period: Through Saturday, October 31, 2026
- Funding method: All-in (the plan will go ahead and rewards will be delivered even if the goal amount is not reached)
- Reward delivery and start of stay voucher use: Scheduled for late January 2027
How the Funds Will Be Used
- Old house renovation and seismic reinforcement: 50%
- Wood-fired sauna and cold-water bath facilities: 25%
- Preservation of the hamlet's scenery and access road improvements: 15%
- Reward shipping and operating expenses: 10%
Main Rewards
The rewards center on stay vouchers for experiencing the Minamiaizu facility right after it opens. The recommended option is the ¥49,000 stay voucher, which allows exclusive use of sauna9 facilities nationwide, including Minamiaizu.
| Pledge | Reward | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| ¥2,500 | ¥3,000 voucher usable for stays at sauna9 facilities | 25 |
| ¥10,000 | ¥12,000 voucher usable for stays at sauna9 facilities | 30 |
| ¥25,000 | [Super early bird, limited quantity] Edge sauna 9 Minamiaizu 1-night, 2-day stay voucher (up to 6 guests, weekdays only) | 20 |
| ¥29,000 | Edge sauna 9 Minamiaizu 1-night, 2-day stay voucher (up to 6 guests, weekdays only) | 50 |
| ¥49,000 | 1-night, 2-day stay voucher usable at sauna9 facilities nationwide | 30 |
| ¥90,000 | 1-night, 2-day stay voucher usable at sauna9 facilities nationwide × 2 | 10 |
| ¥135,000 | 3 nationwide stay vouchers + invitation to the Minamiaizu opening event + original T-shirt | 5 |
| ¥430,000 | 10 nationwide stay vouchers + opening event invitation + T-shirt + sauna hat | 3 |
| ¥1,230,000 | 30 nationwide stay vouchers + opening event invitation + T-shirt + sauna hat | 1 |
Notes: The nationwide stay vouchers can be used every day, except during the busy season at some facilities. Stay vouchers are valid until January 31, 2028 (the ¥3,000 and ¥12,000 vouchers are valid until December 31, 2027). The Minamiaizu opening event is scheduled for February 2027. Supporters pay their own transportation costs.
Facilities eligible for the nationwide stay vouchers:
sauna 9 Tokyo Kita-Sando (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo) / sauna 9 Tokyo Okutama (Tokyo) / sauna 9 Niigata Myoko Kogen (Myoko, Niigata) / Edge sauna 9 Fukushima Minamiaizu (Fukushima) / Edge sauna 9 Fukushima Shirakawa (Fukushima) / Edit sauna 9 Osaka Tenmangu (Osaka) / sauna 9 Osaka Higashi-Shinsaibashi (Osaka) / sauna 9 Awaji Island West Coast (Hyogo)
A Message From the Representative
In the project's message, representative Kazuo Hisada writes that by the yardstick of convenience and efficiency, a hamlet like Oshido may be "an inconvenient place with nothing there." Yet time spent watching a wood fire and the silence of snow absorbing sound are, he says, things that can never be had in a city.
The hope is that people who live in cities will occasionally return to the hamlet to light a fire, soak in a clear stream, and go home having regained themselves. Voices and small jobs return to the hamlet, and old houses find their next users before being demolished. The project hopes this cycle will begin in Oshido and someday spread to other hamlets across Japan.
Starting with the one house in front of them, the message says that supporters' contributions will become the first lamp of this hamlet.
Facility Overview
Facility name: Edge sauna 9 Minamiaizu Fukushima
Location: Minamiaizu Town, Minamiaizu District, Fukushima Prefecture (Oshido hamlet)
Type: Whole-house-rental old house sauna retreat (up to 6 guests)
Facilities: Wood-fired sauna, natural cold-water bath, outdoor cooling area
Opening: August 6, 2026 (renovations planned on an ongoing basis afterward)
Official website: https://www.sauna9.com/
