ハル隊長
I stayed at Fukui Hotel, which I had been eyeing for a while, even though it's a place that even locals who love baths can't enter. The hotel boasts natural hot springs, unlike the nearby hotels that use transported hot water. Since it was not too expensive in the winter, local residents in the rural area use it as it is cheaper than using a designated driver to go home. I came up with the idea of staying at the hotel about two weeks ago, so naturally the cheaper plans were not available. I booked a non-smoking spacious single room with breakfast included for 7,200 yen. The room was not new, but it was spacious enough for one person, although the door was a bit thin, so you could hear some noise from the corridor. I checked in before 4 pm and headed straight to the large communal bath. There were always people there, so I didn't take any photos, but it was smaller than I expected. The water had a mild mineral smell, made my skin smooth, and was overflowing, which was great. There were plenty of towels available, which was a plus. After the bath, I went to a department store food fair to grab a beer and sampled rum, then went out for drinks. I had dinner at a local restaurant, followed by wine, and returned to the hotel just before midnight to wash my face in the communal bath instead of the sink in the room. I took another bath in the morning before breakfast. The breakfast area, By Plane, was quite crowded around 7:30 am. I was seated at a shared table and ordered a Chinese-style rice porridge. While waiting, I grabbed a salad and drinks (grapefruit juice and milk) from the buffet corner. The rice porridge came with 8 condiments, including pickled vegetables, preserved duck eggs, homemade dried baby sardines, salmon flakes, miso?, salted tofu, pickled radish, and scallions. The rice porridge was equivalent to about one bowl of rice. I enjoyed trying different combinations of condiments. The salted tofu was the best, making the rice porridge tasty. The celery in the salad was unusual, but since vegetables are expensive these days, I needed to get my daily dose of veggies here. I made yogurt with sunflower seeds, cashews, and dried fruits next to the yogurt. The milk was Paparagi (expensive milk that I wouldn't usually buy at the supermarket), which was a nice touch. The Colombian organic coffee blend was served in a paper cup for takeout, but when I poured it into the cup provided at the buffet, a friendly staff member explained how to pour it so it wouldn't overflow. It was a great experience of a non-daily life in my hometown. Thank you for taking care of me.