After finishing work today, I went to "Kyogoku Onsen" to relax and refresh my tired body from the daily heat. It was quite crowded when I arrived. My wife ordered the "Mini Beef Bowl and Soba Set", while I couldn't decide between the "Croquette and Mini Soba Set" or the "Pork Cutlet and Mini Soba Set". The Pork Cutlet Set was 1000 yen, and the Croquette Set was 600 yen. Looking at the menu, I noticed that the Pork Cutlet was also available as a single item for 400 yen. Wait a minute, isn't it more cost-effective to order the Croquette Set and the Pork Cutlet as a single item? Yes, if you combine the Croquette Set with a single Pork Cutlet, it would cost the same as the Pork Cutlet Set (laughs). So, choosing the Croquette Set and adding a single Pork Cutlet is the way to go. We also ordered beer and enjoyed our meal.

I visited the restaurant around noon on a weekday. It is located in a day-use hot spring facility called "Kyogoku Onsen". The dining area has tables, but you can also eat in the spacious tatami room next to it. I happened to visit on the 26th, which was "Bath Day", so the parking lot was full and the tables in the dining area were mostly occupied. I bought a large portion of tempura soba for 750 yen from the ticket machine and handed it to the woman behind the kitchen counter. It took about 10 minutes for my order to be ready. The brown buckwheat noodles were refreshing in the cold dipping sauce. The toppings included tempura that seemed to be bought from outside, naruto, and chopped green onions. The menu offers a wide range of options from set meals, noodles, and light snacks to alcoholic beverages, so it seems like a place you can visit anytime during the day or night. However, during the hot summer days, it might be uncomfortable to eat hot dishes due to the south-facing windows and the heat from the kitchen.

When I visited Kyogoku Onsen in Kyogoku-cho the other day, I had dinner at the dining hall. I ordered the "Onsen Set Meal" which comes with rice, tonkatsu, and soba for an additional 500 yen on top of the bathing fee. My wife ordered the "Salmon Donburi (marinated bowl)". The food here is quite cheap and the portion size is good. The taste is also decent. The tonkatsu is crispy and overall, it's satisfactory for this kind of place. Just a heads up, miso soup is not included with the donburi and needs to be ordered separately.

After climbing Mt. Yarigatake and soaking in the hot springs at Kyogoku Onsen, I went to the dining hall feeling hungry. I ordered a safe option, the pork cutlet curry. The cutlet was of average thickness, rice was also average, and the curry was the standard commercial type. Eating a meal at a place like this was ordinary but satisfying enough.

Eating warm soba and sweating a lot, should I take a bath? Well, if I've come this far, I should. I'll dive into the open-air bath and admire Mount Yotei... "I wanted to eat cold soba!" Haha. I'll go into the 95°C sauna, then soak in the yuzu jet bath. Ah, refreshing! The famous water from Kyogoku is delicious. Day bathing: 600 yen. Kyogoku's famous water: 110 yen. Thank you for the meal! (^^)v

I arrived in Kyojogoku town. My purpose was to visit the hot springs, but it was lunchtime, so I decided to have lunch at the dining hall after bathing. There was a ticket machine at the entrance of the dining hall. I bought a meal ticket from the machine and handed it to the staff, who gave me a number tag in return. I waited for about 5-6 minutes until my number was called. When it was called, I went to pick up my order, which was a salmon bowl and warm soba on a tray. I was expecting cold soba, so it was a bit of a surprise. The salmon in the bowl was marinated and didn't need soy sauce. The soba was just normal soba. The staff was friendly, and I thought it was nice to be able to eat after bathing. Thank you for the meal!

Hot spring bath ticket + meal ticket set ¥1000 Mountain vegetable soba (hot) choice

I went to Kyogoku for work... My afternoon job got canceled, but I have another job in the evening, so I have about four hours of free time. I decided to have some udon for lunch, but still had plenty of time left, so I went to "Kyogoku Onsen" to take a bath. I love baths, especially if there's a sauna and an outdoor bath, I can easily spend at least two hours soaking. In the end, I ended up soaking for two and a half hours... I felt all wrinkly and pruney (laughs). After the bath, I thought about getting some milk, but then I found soft serve ice cream at the entrance of the dining area. The menu has a variety of options like gyudon, curry, soba, udon, ramen, alcohol, and sake. It caters to all ages and genders, so you won't have trouble finding something you like. The soft serve ice cream from the vending machine was 300 yen. I handed the ticket to the cheerful lady at the dining area and waited for a few seconds. When it was ready, the friendly lady handed it to me with a smile. There are both chair seats and tatami mats where you can stretch your legs or lie down. The soft serve ice cream had a firm and creamy texture, and it looked delicious. It had a subtle yellow tint and a mild sweetness, which I really enjoyed. It wasn't the best I've had, but I liked the flavor. Outside the window with a nice view, you can see a lawn, but it's not a garden... there are trucks and a sports field. The regular bathing fee is 600 yen, but you can get a bath and meal set for 1,000 yen, which is a good deal. I relaxed too much in the middle of work, so I didn't feel like working, but I'll get back to it.

In February 2017, I enjoyed a draft beer for 450 yen and some delicious squid for 100 yen. I visited a bathhouse in Kyogoku as part of my Wind Bath activity. On the way back from Niseko, I stopped by to put my husband to bed. The bathing fee was 600 yen. Surprisingly, there were no chairs in the washing area. The lady before me was washing her body while squatting down. Maybe it's a strategy of Kyogoku town to strengthen the legs and extend healthy life expectancy? Was there a "No Chairs in the Bathhouse" ordinance? The water was colorless with a slight smell of chlorine. I had the spacious bathhouse all to myself with the lady. After the bath, I enjoyed a beer as a treat. Oh no! It was dangerous as it was just 5 minutes before last order. The beer was served in a glass and was nicely chilled. The squid for 100 yen was a great deal. The resting area was spacious and there was unlimited Kyogoku natural spring water to drink. Thank you for the wonderful experience.

Located at the foothills of Mount Ezo Fuji in Hokkaido, next to the famous spring water park, this hot spring facility offers a simple and cozy dining experience. The "bukkake soba" (hot or cold) for 300 yen is a no-frills bowl of soba noodles with a slightly sweet broth and a generous serving of green onions. The hot spring baths are segregated by gender and include indoor and outdoor baths, with the outdoor bath offering a view of Mount Ezo Fuji on clear days. The water quality is sodium-chloride and sulfate spring, with the indoor bath being a natural flow and the outdoor bath being a circulated and heated pool. The skin feels smooth and slightly buoyant after soaking. The restaurant's hours are from 11:30-15:00 for lunch and 16:30-19:00 for dinner, with prices at 600 yen for adults and 300 yen for children. Overall, the atmosphere is peaceful and the cold spring water is a refreshing treat after a soak in the baths.