TOWER 11 Hot spring & sauna
Project secrets
Collaboration with Totonoe Oyakata
The world's first "sweat bath"
Hokkaido Ball Park
F village

​The world's first natural hot spring and sauna facility "tower eleven onsen & sauna" where you can watch a baseball game was born in Hokkaido Ballpark F Village. A new style called "Kanesen Yuku", which combines watching the game, hot springs and saunas, which overlooks the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters' new stadium "Escon Field HOKKAIDO", has become a hot topic even before the opening.

NOMURA Co., Ltd., Ltd. is in charge of planning, designing, designing, and constructing multiple areas within Hokkaido Ballpark F Village, with the theme of "creating a new watching experience that no one has ever experienced". Among them, in the "tower eleven" building, a project team with a wide range of age groups and various careers was in charge of "tower eleven hotel" and "tower eleven onsen & sauna" from the planning stage to construction.

Project team members Sales and project management: Seiji Maekawa, Hisashi Ozasa, Planning Director: Kenichi Sakazume, Design Director: Miwa Matsubara, Design Design: Kei Matsuzawa, Ikuhiro Nakagawa, Kohei Fujinaka, Sign Design: Tomomi Ito, Product Director: Hisashi Nakashima, Naoki Endo, Masaya Ito, facility design: Tadahiro Nakashima, Yuya Tsuboi

Related article: Hokkaido Ballpark F Village Planner creates new space and experience value

This time, Sakazume, the planning director of NOMURA Co., Ltd., joined with Mr. Ogawa of the Fighters, who realized a project that had no precedent in the world for a stadium, a hot spring, and a sauna, and Mr. Tonoe, who oversaw the sauna and sparked the recent sauna boom. Looking back on those days, we will introduce the story behind the realization of this unique project.

Left｜NOMURA Co., Ltd. Planning Director Sakazume Center｜Mr. Ogawa of Fighters Right｜Master Totonoe (Mr. Dai Matsuo)

➊ Encounter | Impressions of each other, image of NOMURA Co., Ltd. planners

Sakazume
This project was a very impactful member. Let's start with our first impressions of each other.

Master Totonoe
Ogawa-san is smart and clever.

Sakazume
Oh yeah, it's amazing to be leading such a big project at such a young age. The members of the team were young, and I was overwhelmed by their power.

Mr. Ogawa
When I first met Mr. Tonoe, I thought he was a funky person because he used his passport as a wallet (laughs). I actually went to various saunas in Japan and overseas, and learned about cultural differences and different worldviews as first-hand experiences, so all the stories were really helpful. I myself like to visit ballparks and stadiums around the world, and I remember being so excited that I could create interesting facilities and spaces within the stadiums if I could join a sauna professional like my boss. I'm here.

Master Totonoe
I've known about NOMURA Co., Ltd. from the track record of their facilities. It was my first time working together.

Sakazume
Huh, is that so! What did you think when someone in the job of a planner from NOMURA Co., Ltd. came out? If you're a designer, I think it's easy to imagine that you're in charge of space design, but what was your impression of being a planner?

Mr. Ogawa
NOMURA Co., Ltd. Ltd. has been working on a lot of facilities. During that time, the designers and planners each had their own perspectives on conversations such as, "How do you think about the management of this place? How many people can stay comfortably at the same time?" Since I was asked to return the story, both roles came in smoothly.

Sakazume
There are surprisingly few planners in the world who specialize in space creation. It may be the same as the occupation of sauna (laughs)

Master Totonoe
Sauna - well, it's a job that doesn't make sense (laughs). So let's plan like this." I thought it was a unique perspective from NOMURA Co., Ltd..

Sakazume
In that sense, I think I was able to make use of that experience, as I have worked on many facilities other than hot baths. However, this time, it was a special project called a hot bath and sauna, and there was a sauna professional like Mr. Totonoe, and a business owner like Mr. Ogawa. I learned a lot from this project.

By the way, I was working with the awareness that "planners create (prepare) topics".

Mr. Ogawa
It's true that there is a mechanism called PR, and you thought about whether the business itself could go ahead, so the scope of planners is very wide. I feel that the planning involved creating topics and designing the business.

❷Beginning｜Mr. Fighters' Determination

# Dig a hot spring in the ball park!?

Sakazume
Let's talk about the starting point of the business. Actually, I don't know either you or your master, so I wanted to ask you, please tell me how the hot spring was dug here.

Mr. Ogawa
From the beginning, I had decided to dig a hot spring. What are the “unique to Hokkaido” and “world’s first” in promoting this stadium business? I've been thinking about it. There was no stadium in the world where you could watch a game while soaking in a natural hot spring. So from the beginning, I thought it would be meaningful to have a "world's first" and to do it in Hokkaido. 1,300 meters, dug!

Master Totonoe
It was nice to have a hot spring (laughs)

Mr. Ogawa
The easy-to-understand slimy texture and good spring quality are also popular.

Sakazume
In the drawing of the hot spring that I first received from Mr. Ogawa, it was an indoor bath for men and women, wasn't it? And there was going to be a tenant. From there, the viewpoints and ideas of many people participating in the project were mixed, and we also gave our full support.

Master Totonoe
The first drawing looked like this! It's funny when I look back on it now (laughs).

Mr. Ogawa
That's right, I tried hard for about a year looking for a tenant, but I couldn't find one after all... I thought, ``If that's the case, let's do it ourselves!'' At that point, I had a relationship with my boss and had already met him, so I thought, ``After all, we should do it in the sauna,'' and I approached him.

❸Totonoe Master participates in the hot spring & sauna project!

＃From "watching bath" to "sweating battle bath"

Sakazume
Behind the scenes of these two encounters, NOMURA Co., Ltd. team was quietly proceeding with verification. At first, I was asked about the image of "watching a baseball game while drinking beer", so I suggested "beer in a footbath" so that I wouldn't get hot in the bath. Old!” (laughs)

* "Watching bath" mainly for watching baseball games (drawing at the time of proposal)

At this drawing stage, the designer's proposal was a "watching bath". The account and the production team struggled with the three-dimensional Hinadan plan that reflected the spectator seats of the stadium in the hot bath, but the base cost increased more than expected and the plan was abandoned. A number of other proposals were considered.

Master Totonoe
Everyone has been thinking about it for a long time! !

Mr. Ogawa
You considered a lot of things, including investment costs, such as visibility, load, whether to make it indoors or open air.

Sakazume
In the end, the floor was a flat plan, but one of the requests from the Fighters side while being conscious of reducing investment costs was "to bathe in a hot spring in a swimsuit." If you take a bath in a swimsuit, you only need one bathtub. “Mixed bathing in swimsuits? Beer in swimsuits?” Therefore, the designer made a bold proposal to make it open air, and the skeleton of the plan with a sense of reality was created.

Behind the scenes, how did the first two start?

Mr. Ogawa
My master accepted the offer after two replies... At that time, I felt that there were many things on my mind, so I would like to take this opportunity to ask you some questions.

Master Totonoe
I really thought, "This is going to be amazing!" It was just around the time when Japanese saunas were beginning to change. As a first impression, I was surprised, and in this sauna movement, I felt that "a sauna in a stadium would be amazing! It would be one of the big news."

Sakazume
In this way, all the members went to visit related facilities, and had many discussions about what a sauna would be like wearing mixed-gender swimsuits. All five men went to experience the sauna in swimsuits, right?
Regarding mixed bathing, my master told me that although there are quite a few in the world, it has not been very successful in Japan.

Master Totonoe
Because women worry about fixing their makeup.

Sakazume
Separate men's and women's saunas, dome-shaped saunas, family baths, and jacuzzis were also considered, but when the master participated in the project, doubts were raised, saying, "Isn't it so complicated?" The plan has been set.

Mr. Ogawa
As a result, I think that it became simple and was very good.

❹ A new style of “watching the game → sweating the battle”

Sakazume
In this way, while there were various things, the word “Kanesenyoku”, which is a combination of sweating in a sauna and watching a baseball game, was born. Do you want to use it?”, so I created materials that sorted out the targets by age group…

* Matrix summarizing target x experience needs

Master Totonoe
It's NOMURA Co., Ltd. that makes this kind of thing!

Mr. Ogawa
From the standpoint of baseball performances, it was very refreshing to have everyone see the results of various internal discussions. We received opinions from masters and NOMURA Co., Ltd. that we thought "this is how it should be," but "no, that's not right." That became a plus and became the base.

Master Totonoe
Everyone is assigned to say what they want to say (laughs)

Sakazume
As a result, Mr. Ogawa decided to target young people and get them interested in baseball stadiums. I converged on the sauna & hot bath plan.

Mr. Ogawa
There are many existing fans in their 40s who are an extension of watching baseball games. But after all, I wanted to come to the new layer.

Sakazume
It's rejuvenating for baseball fans. Without this idea, the future will be withered. I made a list and verified things like pricing and how long customers would stay.

Mr. Ogawa
The last thing I was worried about was capacity. I was worried that it would be too crowded and the satisfaction level of the good experience would decrease.

Sakazume
Capacity simulations were also sporadic. Assuming the customer's behavior pattern, how many people will stay in which area at the same time ...
We set the number of shower booths to be able to withstand the "heavy crowds" because everyone takes showers at the same time after the game.

Mr. Ogawa
That's right. The people who come to see the games are staying longer. There are many people sitting down wearing sauna hats.

Master Totonoe
Generally women's sauna use takes about 2 hours, but 3 hours is amazing.

Sakazume
The fact that there is beer there is also a reason to stay longer. Everyone is drinking "it looks delicious" (lol)

Mr. Ogawa
One month after opening, turnover is slow on game days, but it's not too crowded and the satisfaction level is high, and the average spend per customer is also high. On the other hand, on days when there are no matches, the turnover is fast and the capacity increases by about 1.5 times, so I can see the situation.

tower eleven onsen & sauna

<Recommended ways to enjoy>1, sauna2. Water bath 3. Open-air bath
4. Totonoe Terrace Seat

❺Sauna that overturns common sense

Sakazume
What made me think, "I was beaten the most!" During discussions with Fighters, there was a time when it was decided that the bath should be in the back and the seats in the front row!

Master Totonoe
Ah, I remember it well! I said, "You should make a 'picture' in the front row." Many people want to sit in the front row.

Sakazume
I didn't have that idea. The bath was a front-row suggestion, right? I imagined that it would turn into an open-air bath that everyone could bathe in, because everyone would be infatuated. Among the masters, there was a scene where people wearing sauna hats were happily watching the game. Just say that it will also be a premium.

Master Totonoe
People say, "I want to sit on the 'Totonoe Terrace Seat'!" (laughs)

Mr. Ogawa
The "Totonoe Terrace Seat" in the front row is sold out immediately. Some of the people in the indoor bath (hot spring) that Mr. Sakazume proposed are also watching the game at their leisure, saying, "This is a surprisingly little-known spot!"

Master Totonoe
Also, "Standing sauna!", this was fresh ~.

Sakazume
Mr. Matsubara, the designer, thought it would be difficult for women to enter a mixed bathing sauna, so he proposed the idea of a "standing sauna" where you can "snap in and out."

Master Totonoe
Mr. Matsubara said, "Master, I'd like to have a sauna that you can enter while standing." I thought it would be nice to have a device that anyone can use without hesitation, and that standing will lead to a new style of spectator. There is no "standing sauna" in the world.

Sakazume
And this sauna has a long horizontal space. There was also the distance from the sauna stove, and the temperature difference was a problem, but the designer's idea of reversing it made it interesting. The standing sauna zone near the entrance has a lower temperature and is suitable for beginners. Even those who are not accustomed to the sauna can leave immediately. The zone near the stove in the back is the world of high-temperature professional sauna. The space where everyone from sauna beginners to professionals can live together in the same space has become an advantage.

Master Totonoe
It is common sense that the sauna room is kept at the same temperature. Even if there is a difference in temperature in the vertical direction, it is quite rare to have a difference in temperature in the horizontal direction.

Sakazume
There are people here who say, "I want to watch baseball, but it's my first time in a sauna," so it's nice to have a space that everyone can enjoy. The bat is also photogenic! The design idea to use this bat is also a part of the design team's commitment.

Master Totonoe
There are many people who bunt (laughs)
By the way, are you still doing “without monitors (projecting the audience on the monitors in the stadium)”?

* Bundt photo in the sauna

Mr. Ogawa
Yes, we are trying to make it a regular, so after obtaining the customer's consent in advance, we will show it in the bottom of the 5th inning.

Master Totonoe
It seems that some people are looking for it!

❻Hokkaido Ballpark F Village opening onsen & sauna highly rated!

Sakazume
Have there been any gaps since you actually opened your business?

Mr. Ogawa
The thing that scared me the most was from the perspective of how many people were appropriate to put in here. In fact, the first three games in a row didn't sell many tickets. After about a month, I feel like I've finally found the right number of people. The capacity of the space is just about 90 people, but even if you sell 120 tickets, not everyone will come at the same time.

People who come many times get to know everything, enter at the opening, leave only their luggage in the lockers, go out to the concourse, eat, and come back, others come in before the game, and the game You can go out and come back inside, and re-enter freely. I think that our customers are gradually finding their own way of using it.

Sakazume
It would be nice to be able to put your luggage in the locker. I can't put it in the spectator seats.

Master Totonoe
surely! What's more, I don't go home immediately after finishing, and if I spend time here, I can avoid traffic jams.

Mr. Ogawa
I think that creating a variety of places to stay has really created a variety of ways to spend time. It was thanks to the content of hot springs and saunas that I was able to realize that.

❼Towards the future...

Sakazume
Through this work, it seems that various people have come up with the idea of “I want to build a sauna in the stadium” (laughs).

Master Totonoe
There are many different stadiums. I would like to continue doing things like this.

Mr. Ogawa
In the context of stadiums and sports, the big trend is how to make the stadium lively even on days when there are no games and make it a place where the community can interact, but hot springs and saunas are content that you can drop in on a daily basis. I think there is, so I hope we can fuse it well.

The current situation is that there are still a lot of spectators on game days, so from now on, it will be a challenge to create a scene that is always crowded with people on days when there are no games, but I want to do well. I am thinking.

Sakazume
When I went here many times, I used to talk to people waiting for taxis from Kita-Hiroshima Station and ask them about their impressions. There are many stories that "Hot springs and saunas are the places I want to go to the most in the ball park." I heard many people say, "I didn't think a baseball stadium was such a fun place," or "I'm not a baseball fan, but I want to come here." I feel that we were able to achieve our initial goals of "increasing new fans" and "allowing non-baseball fans to come."

Master Totonoe
I was really talked to by so many people as one movement in the sauna world. Before the information was lifted, I was asked by various media (laughs) It became a hot topic. Also, I've never experienced a sauna with so many people... about 50 people? I think it ended up being about 100 people. It is truly a “team sauna”.

Sakazume
What made me happy was that people on the team told me, ``If you team up with NOMURA Co., Ltd., even if you have a lot of problems, someone will recover and move on, so you won't have to stop your work.'' That's what it means.

Mr. Ogawa
There was a sense of security that the delivery date was held firmly.

Master Totonoe
It is really out of the ordinary that you can see the stadium from the sauna room. Normally, you have to make sure you can't see inside. But please cooperate with various places related to the area. Also, I consulted with NOMURA Co., Ltd. about making the windows bigger.

Mr. Ogawa
The hot springs and saunas this time were one of the hearts of the F Village as a whole, so I was half an amateur in this field, and I want to make something good! With that in mind, I worked while asking various people to teach me.

In terms of affinity, we aim to create a world where a wide variety of communities of various sizes, including the stadium and its surroundings, gather together and create a comfortable place like a third place everywhere. I think that people come to hot springs and saunas on a daily basis, and it is a culture where they can gather and form a community. I was working on it because I thought it would be a wonderful place to foster a community, so I'm looking forward to the future.

Sakazume
This project has been supported in a span of about 5 years. We have gained a lot of knowledge about "the possibilities of sports and urban development", and from the idea of "various viewing styles", it seems that various ideas will come to mind with a view to applying to other industries.

We, NOMURA Co., Ltd. team, gathered members suitable for realizing the title of "World's First!" think. Also, thanks to the efforts of the master, all the fighters, and everyone involved, we were able to complete a wonderful facility in the end, and I am truly happy that the customers were pleased. And most of all, meeting the two of you and the Fighters gave me the opportunity to “make things interesting” in the future, so let’s meet again somewhere!

≫ Click here to purchase tower eleven onsen & sauna tickets

 

PROFILE

Taro Ogawa | Fighters Sports & Entertainment
General Manager, Facility & Development Department, Business Management Headquarters
Graduated from the Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University. Engaged in overseas plant construction projects for about 7 years at Marubeni Corporation, andengaged in composition and implementation of plant construction projects in Vietnam and Singapore.After that, he obtained an MBA at IESE Business School in Spain.After graduating, he changed jobs to Fighters and was in charge of promoting the ball park concept. In addition to being in charge of project management for development, design and construction, he also launched the hotel bathing business of TOWER 11 and the brewery "Sora Toba by Yona Yona Ale" in the stadium.
Hokkaido Ballpark F Village | https://www.hkdballpark.com/

Master Totonoe (Dai Matsuo) | TTNE Co., Ltd. Prosauna
While managing multiple companies, he is a businessman and a professional sauna who produces sauna facilities nationwide. Leading the recent sauna movement, such as the establishment of "SAUNACHELIN" and "Japan Sauna Society". Representative sauna projects include the three-dimensional design sauna "Kita Kobushi Shiretoko", which creates "undulations" by carving wood with 3D processing, and Shigeru Ban, a world-famous architect who won the "Pritzker Prize", which is said to be the highest honor in the architectural world. "Suiden Terrace" which formed a tag with Mr. and "Spametsa Otaka Ryusenji no Yu" featuring a powerful dragon sauna.
TTNE Co., Ltd. ｜https://ttne.jp/agent/dai-matsuo/

Kenichi Sakazume | Planning Director, NOMURA Co., Ltd., Ltd.
Joined the company in 1991. Large complex facility, parking area, Shinto shrine activation, hot bath facility, observatory,It has a wide range of defense and achievements such as zoos and campgrounds. Main facilities include Tokyo Skytree Town®, Kanda Myojin Cultural Exchange Center, Tohoku Expressway Hanyu Parking Area Onihei Edodokoro, etc.
In recent years, a wider range of facilities such as regional revitalization, roadside stations, theme parks, and agricultural facilitiesis producing. From product development, business development, business development to urban development, we are creating the future with the theme of "attracting customers" from a total perspective.
nomlog article｜Ginger ale at the shrine! How to make a buzz hit product

 

Planning/Editing/Photography: Hiroko Okazaki (nomlog Editorial Department)
Text: Satoko Yokota (nomlog Editorial Department)