After skiing, I couldn't decide where to go, but it was already late, so I decided to go to Oozora Town and visit "Bihada no Yu". I used to come here often, but it has been really crowded lately, so I haven't been coming as much as before. I like it because it's cheap, but that's also why it gets crowded. People even come from Abashiri. The hot spring water is slimy and has a nice texture. Because it's crowded, you have to pour water on yourself before entering the bath, which is both good and bad. I'll have some ice cream. There are six flavors to choose from. I had rum raisin last time, so maybe I'll go with chocolate chip this time? I couldn't tell what the middle one was, so I asked the lady, and she looked at me weirdly and said, "It's ice cream!" I may be old, but I can still recognize ice cream. She then said, "It's chocolate chip." She was cute and embarrassed. It turned out to be a ticket machine, so it was only 150 yen, which is very reasonable. Soft serve ice cream costs 250 yen, so sometimes it's good to have a cone. The chocolate chip flavor was delicious. I usually leave half uneaten, but this time I finished it all. It was moderately sweet, with just the right hardness. Is it only chocolate chips? Are there no nuts mixed in? It has a nice aroma. I might get tired of it by the end, but it was tasty.

I am doing physical labor, but it's not necessary. I just enjoy pushing my body to its limits. The work I do is tough, and people always tell me "don't overdo it." I end up covered in sweat and mud, both my clothes and body a mess. If M-san saw me like this, they would probably cry with joy. But if I got too close, they would probably push me away with a stick. After work, I stop by a popular bathhouse called "Sansui Beauty Hot Spring." It's crowded as usual. After soaking in the bath, I decide to eat soba noodles. I never eat before drinking beer, but today I worked hard and only had a light lunch. Even though it's July, the temperature is only 11 degrees Celsius. Unusual for this time of year, but great for working. I usually don't order warm soba, but today I feel like trying the "Tamago Toji Soba." The dish arrives quickly, with a generous amount of egg on top. I'm not a fan of mitsuba (trefoil), but it's there. The soup is dark in color but has a slightly sweet and mild taste. The egg is perfectly cooked, fluffy and delicious. I quickly remove the mitsuba to prevent the soba from getting soggy. The soba noodles are well-prepared, not too soft. It's hard to tell the difference with cold soba, but it's tasty. Next time, I'll stick to the "mori" (cold soba).

Dad and Keipon Master said it was "delicious," so I was curious and decided to try it out! There was a hand-made soba restaurant inside a hot spring facility!! Of course, I didn't go into the hot spring haha, it was daytime after all. When I arrived at Yamasui, the window of the soba restaurant had a sign saying "open." I asked, "Is it okay if I just have soba?" and they replied, "Of course, please come in (＾ν＾)." It was 11:40, so it was not crowded. I pressed "mori 600 yen" on the ticket machine and handed it over. I sat at the farthest seat. The lady brought me water and said, "Would you like me to turn on the TV for you (＾ν＾)?" Soon, the soba arrived. It was a bit thick, and when I tried it, it was delicious! The soba was a bit thick, so I ate it slowly. The dipping sauce was not too salty, or maybe it's just my taste buds. I dipped the soba all the way into the sauce before eating it. Even after finishing, there was still half of the sauce left in the pot. The lady brought me soba water at the end. It wasn't very hot, but it was thick and rich. For 600 yen, I was very satisfied with the soba! It's a soba that makes you want to support them (＾ν＾). If you're interested, check out the video of Hokkaido (Eastern Hokkaido) Shigeki Club: https://youtu.be/bfl7Lyd49tY

I came back around noon, but my wife comes home at 5 pm. When my wife comes home, I'm not in the room, so I assume she's making something in the kitchen. Then I go upstairs and find her relaxing at the dining table. When I go back to the room to take off my winter clothes, she follows me like a dog. "Huh?" "Let's go!" "Huh?" "Let's go take a bath!" "Now?" "Didn't I say let's go yesterday?" I vaguely remember that she mentioned going to Furano. If we made a promise, I can't say "let's skip it" to my wife who doesn't seem to have any intention of cooking. It seems like she has more than just taking a bath in mind. She said, "Let's eat soba." But today is the 29th, I wonder if they are serving it today. "They are serving it," she says excitedly. Phew, that's a relief. "Until what time is the soba available?" I asked the lady. "Until 8 pm." So, she goes to take a bath first. Is it always this empty on weekdays? I was a little surprised by the lack of people. We made a one-hour promise. I entered the sauna, and the words "You can have a beer" really hit the spot. I ordered a beer. It's not cheap at 400 yen from the ticket machine. The soba is only one serving, but I ordered a large serving for 800 yen. The soba flour is made from Hokkaido stone-ground buckwheat flour, and it is all hand-made from kneading to cutting without using any machines. The bonito flakes used in the soup are from Kagoshima and Kochi, shaved carefully and slowly over time. As I read this, the lady brought the soba to me. It looks good. Let's try it. The soba has a good texture and flavor, although it's a bit thick, uneven in length, and scattered. It has a hand-made and hand-cut feel. It's fragrant. To come across such delicious soba in a place like this is amazing. I ran out of beer. The soup, while not described as authentic, is quite good. The dashi and seasoning are not strong, but they balance well with the soba. Impressive. The lady is running the place all by herself. Quite impressive. The soba-yu is kettle-boiled, but the second cup (bottom part) is thick and gooey, irresistible.

The reviewer wanted to go to a bathhouse on a Friday night but their partner insisted on eating soba noodles. They ended up going to a place called "Bimyo no Yu" in Onneyu Onsen, which also serves delicious handmade soba noodles. Despite the inconvenience of going to a bathhouse on a Friday night, they enjoyed the experience. However, the next day they found out that the soba shop was closed for a couple of days. Even though the reviewer's partner didn't check beforehand, they still enjoyed the bath and beer at the bathhouse. The reviewer ended the review by suggesting they might do it again in the future.

I visited the beautiful skin hot spring, Sansui, for a day trip. The bathing fee was only 420 yen, and I heard it was quite good, so I decided to give it a try. The hot spring water was smooth, there were plenty of washing areas, and there was even an outdoor bath which was quite nice. However, I was a bit disappointed that shampoo and conditioner were not provided, and the hair dryer required a 10 yen coin to use. I didn't have a 10 yen coin on me, so I had to buy a drink before I could use the dryer, which was a bit inconvenient. I should have checked beforehand. Now it's lunchtime, and I noticed they also serve soba noodles and ice cream at the reception. The aroma of the soba broth was enticing, so I decided to order the mori soba. I wasn't expecting much, but the menu mentioned that they use locally made stone-ground soba flour. After about 10 minutes, a gentle-looking woman brought the soba to me. The soba noodles were slightly flat, but they had a nice aroma and were delicious. The broth was a bit spicy, and it seemed they had a special focus on using high-quality bonito flakes. It was surprisingly tasty, so I plan to have the soba again next time I visit for a bath. Thank you for the meal.

This is the town of Otofuke in Hokkaido. Near Lake Abashiri, there is a popular hot spring facility called "Bihada no Yu". One of the purposes of visiting this place is to try the authentic hand-made soba noodles at the soba restaurant inside the facility. I ordered the "Oroshi Soba" for 820 yen. The soba noodles were served with nori, grated daikon radish, mitsuba, and bonito flakes on top. Wasabi and tempura bits were served on the side. The bonito flakes had a great flavor. The soba noodles were thin and flat, with a decent amount of firmness. The taste of the soba was good, and I enjoyed it with the flavorful soba broth served at the end. Overall, it was a delicious soba experience that I would like to try again along with the hot spring facility.

My sister called me and invited me to go to the hot springs, but they charge an entrance fee and don't provide shampoo or soap. I think it was about 420 yen. Maybe it's better to bring shampoo than to be stingy. They also sell soft serve ice cream, so I should have just eaten that instead. 😅

Now, it's time for a bath review. I've already reviewed all the nearby baths, but when I took a closer look, I realized I hadn't reviewed this one. So, here it is. I've been here a few times before, but it's been a while since my last visit. It's a bathhouse that is part of the same group as "Notsukenoyu," which I often visit in Kitami. I actually think this one might have been the original, and then they built the one in Kitami because this one was successful. It used to be owned by a transportation company in Abashiri, and they built this bathhouse for their employees. It's a nice and affordable facility, just like Notsukenoyu. It's known for being crowded. There's a big fireworks festival in Abashiri, near Lake Abashiri, and this bathhouse is located nearby. It's smaller than the one in Kitami, as I noticed during my recent visit. The outdoor bath here is nice. The sauna has a TV, so it's not boring. Even on a Sunday afternoon, there was plenty of room in the baths and shower area. After bathing, I drink some milk from Snow Brand. There's a soba (buckwheat noodles) shop next to the reception area. They have drinks, but no gelato. I won't go into too much detail about the food options, but you can try the soba if you'd like. I couldn't eat anything because I had already eaten the infamous ramen from Yamaoka-ya.