Ayabe here. Now, where should we have dinner? I found a nice restaurant near the station. The restaurant is on the second floor of a petite retro building. The building is prominently labeled "Ayabe Station Front Sakae Onsen." Unfortunately, it seems that the hot spring has closed down. It seems like it was a pretty good hot spring based on reviews. Taking a refreshing dip in the hot spring and then having a meal was the best course of action. Taking the elevator to the second floor, you'll find the restaurant. It's quite a beautiful place. You take off your shoes and sit in the tatami room. I'm happy that it's a table and chair setup, so you can relax comfortably. I ordered the "Shrimp Fry & Fried Chicken Set" because the menu photos looked really delicious. I ordered a draft beer and waited for the food to arrive. After a short wait, it arrived. Starting with the fried chicken... it was hot and delicious. The beer went down smoothly. The shrimp fry was also big and tasty. It was a good choice to go for fried dishes. The other dishes were also delicious, and I had a very satisfying dinner. There seem to be various dishes available, so I'd like to go back and try more.

The appearance may not be great, but the hot springs are very relaxing. There is a shop on the second floor of this facility. Although we don't usually use the dining facilities in the hot spring facility, the menu photos looked delicious, so my wife suggested we try it out. The main dishes seem to be meat dishes, but they also have izakaya-style appetizers, soft serve ice cream, and fruit ice candy. I wanted to try the limited 10 meals a day fish set meal, but it turned out to be salmon fry, so I chose a different menu (I had burned my upper jaw and thought the breadcrumbs might hurt). My wife had the fish set meal, and although I was worried, I chose the hamburger and fried chicken set. The fried chicken was soft and comforting. The hamburger also uses black wagyu beef. The rice comes in a mini rice tub, so if my wife shares with me, it's really a lot of rice. You can also get seconds (but I don't think I can eat that much). Anyway, it was a set menu more than enough for the elderly. It was a feast.