Michi-no-eki Joubon no Sato Futago-no-yu

Craft and Onsen Roadside Superstore!

This was such a fun stop on a road trip in winter 2021 that we went there twice. The first stop was in the evening when I admired all the crafts and local produce shortly before they closed for the night. The next morning we came back for some time in the onsen. If it weren't for the pandemic, the whole experience would have been nicer. The baths were fun but being a lovely and kinda famous stop meant a lot of people were coming by and after twenty minutes, my kid and I felt the space was just too crowded so we headed out. There was no English help at all and the staff of the onsen section was obviously and vocally annoyed by my misunderstanding them. We also enjoyed a short meal at the restaurants attached to the building after the onsen. It was alright but was also abbreviated by a personal medical issue. The space was nice and the food was alright, though I am sure it's better if you don't have to race off to the hospital in the middle of it. It's worth stopping by and makes a great one-stop-shop if you're looking for onsen, regional crafts, and lunch all in the same place. Specifically, I would give the gift shop 4.5 stars and the onsen 3.5 stars (nice onsen but not super safe and the staff was unhelpful/mean), while the lunch space should be judged when I'm not too busy being worried to taste the food.