【Completely Smoke-free】Located near the beach in Ishikari City, there is a restaurant at the onsen called Banya no Yu. They also offer a buffet during lunchtime, and no reservations are accepted, so just line up when you arrive. The location of Banya no Yu onsen is near the mouth of the river in Ishikari City, just turn towards the coast at the intersection in front of the Ishikari City Tourist Center Dream Port on Route 225 (Otaru Ishikari Line) and you will see a large building right away. On September 3, 2023, at 11:30 am, I revisited the place. I had previously taken a shuttle bus from Odori Park to Banya no Yu and felt that it was quite far, so I thought it would be impossible to go by bicycle. However, considering that I used to ride my mama-chari to places like Tsukigata Onsen, Yunni no Yu, Tsuruga on Lake Shikotsu (previously also to Kamisunagawa Onsen, Naino Onsen, and Mikasa no Yu no Shimo Onsen), I finally decided to go for it. I didn't have a smartphone, so I memorized the route in my head beforehand and set off. To my surprise, it was much closer than the North Village Onsen in Iwamizawa that I visited yesterday. Maybe there are people who ride their bicycles from Shin-Sapporo to Banya no Yu, so here are some reference numbers: travel time - 1 hour 23 minutes, distance - 33.82 km, average speed - 24.3 km/h, maximum speed - 35.9 km/h. Back to the main story, it was quite hot, but after about an hour soaking in the open-air bath, I was ready for lunch. We gathered at the entrance of the restaurant, and now the waiting time that used to feel meaningless was like paradise. I got to watch and chat with the hot spring attendant, Yukichi, and take some photos of her. It was my first time experiencing such a lively atmosphere. Once we were escorted to our tables, I listened to the instructions and then it was time to start the feast. For some reason, everyone was lining up slowly and leisurely to get their food, but being chaotic by nature, I went straight to the back where no one was and grabbed some somen noodles. I got two servings and went back to my seat to enjoy them. After finishing the noodles, I noticed there was sashimi available, so I decided to have some rice and sashimi. The rice was warm and not vinegared, and the sashimi was placed on top of it. I'm not a fan of putting sashimi on rice, so I just had the sashimi on its own. The octopus tasted a bit bland to me, maybe it's a regional taste around Ishikari where the octopus is boiled with a specific amount of salt and alum, resulting in a different flavor. There were also hamburgers, fried foods, and other dishes available, but in the end, I just stuck to rice and sashimi. I also got to admire the lovely Yukichi and filled my stomach. After soaking in the open-air bath for about an hour, it was time to head back before it got dark. I took a different route back towards Tobetsu, and that was the end of my visit.

The ancient hot spring facility known for its fossil seawater features a lunch buffet with a variety of dishes. You can also visit the dining area separately. The seafood bowl buffet is only available on weekends, either Saturday or Sunday. On this day, the buffet was held on Sunday, so I left work early to arrive an hour before the deadline. I paid the entrance fee and immediately purchased the lunch buffet ticket for 1080 yen at the Manasutei dining area. There was a limited selection of dishes, including Ishikari-style miso soup, udon, curry, and more besides seafood. Of course, the seafood bowl was the highlight, with unlimited servings of tuna, salmon, octopus, sweet shrimp, and pickled seafood. I enjoyed the colorful and luxurious bowl. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

Lunch buffet for 70 minutes at Ishikari Banya's hot spring lunch. The price is 1,080 yen for adults and 650 yen for children. The menu includes fried foods (Zangi, fried dumplings, croquettes, shrimp fry, white fish fry), salad, yakisoba, side dishes, curry, udon, hot pot, etc. Although there are not many items (30 in total), the unique menu such as salmon head soup, side dishes, and scattered sushi is appealing. Especially appreciated the cabbage rolls due to the recent increase in vegetable prices. The hot spring fee is 650 yen for adults and 350 yen for children, but one child enters free with each paying adult. For example, a family of four with two adults and two children under elementary school age can enter the hot spring with the fee for two adults. Additionally, there is now a capybara exhibit in the courtyard, which can be a soothing experience to watch and may be enjoyed by children as well.

【Completely Smoke-Free】Located in the seaside area of Ishikari City, the restaurant at the hot spring facility Ban'ya no Yu offers a lunch buffet. Reservations are not accepted, so you have to line up as the time approaches. The restaurant is located on the first floor of Ban'ya no Yu. Ban'ya no Yu is situated near the mouth of the Ishikari River in Nagasu, Ishikari City, close to the Ishikari-Otaru Line (Hokkaido Prefectural Road 225) at the Ishikari City Tourist Center Yumepo-to. There is no traffic light at the intersection nearby, so turn towards the sea and go about 140 meters. Visited for the first time at 11:30 on February 14, 2016. I planned to visit the hot spring in September 2023 and write a review, but realized I hadn't uploaded the previous review, so I hurried to write it. On this day, I had just finished a night shift. At that time, there was still a shuttle bus departing from beside Odori Park, so I took that (now the shuttle bus service is no longer available). First, I relaxed in the open-air hot spring until the restaurant opening time. Then, it was time for lunch. There was oden, which was light and perfect for the winter season. I couldn't help but indulge in it. There was also chirashi sushi and various side dishes. For the second round, I had hamburger steak and Ishikari soup, among other dishes. The cuisine here is relatively simple, but the Chinese dishes are surprisingly delicious for a buffet. The oden mainly focused on the taste of the ingredients, which was stable (laughs). The chef here is good at stir-frying, and even the tamagoyaki was quite good. Was it hamburger steak or meatloaf? It seemed like something made here, not frozen, and it was quite delicious. I rarely go for seconds, but I did this time. The bus ride back was long, giving the impression that it was quite far. After the shuttle from Odori was discontinued, I never thought of cycling there, but in September 2023, I decided to go from Shin-Sapporo by bike and was surprised at how long it took to arrive. To be continued next time (laughs). Lastly, when I handed the ticket to the receptionist at the ticket machine, she gave me a chocolate. I was surprised. Today is February 14th, Valentine's Day. They give out chocolates to both men and women. I don't usually receive chocolates, so I was genuinely happy.

Breakfast buffet at the inn in Banya no Yu! [Dining Hananatsu-tei] It is breakfast during a stay at Banya no Yu in Ishikari City, Hokkaido. The facility closes around midnight for non-staying guests, so the morning bath is exclusive to staying guests from 6 to 8 am, making it almost private. It's luxurious to have the big bath all to yourself, but also a bit lonely (laughs). After bathing until 8 am, I headed to the breakfast venue... There aren't many options in the buffet, but considering the few people eating, the variety is sufficient. The menu is mainly Japanese cuisine with dessert and coffee. I think I took a good amount of food. The taste is quite ordinary, but after the morning bath, I was quite hungry, so it became a substantial meal (laughs). Looking at the people around me, there are definitely not many... I admire how everyone is so adult-like and frugal. Of course, I had seconds and even dessert. I couldn't help but feel that it's a waste to have breakfast exclusively for staying guests. It would be nice to allow day-trip visitors to use the morning bath as well... Thank you for the meal. [Tabelog] ☆- [Tanuki Evaluation (Morning)] ★Overall... 32 points ★Atmosphere... 7 points ★Food... 6 points ★Signature Menu... 6 points ★Cost performance... 7 points ★Likelihood to revisit... 6 points