When wandering around the charming onsen town of Ureshino looking for a bite to eat, we stumbled across Fuunoki Shokudo because of their bright red awning and mint-colored window frame.

There's a sandwich board with some of their menu items listed on it out the front, and you'll find a more comprehensive menu inside. They also have English menus available, keeping it easy for travelers to the region. The offerings here are predominantly home style cooking comfort foods. From Japanese inspired omelet rice and katsu curry, through to various pastas, rice pilaf and more, these are hearty, filling dishes. The serving sizes were plentiful, too.

One thing to bear in mind if you do visit here is that smoking is allowed inside the premises.

There's no sectioned off smoking area, so the smell does permeate the restaurant. It's a small, mom-and-pop style establishment, so do factor that in if you visit. You may not have anyone smoking when you arrive, but someone may light up half way through.

After you're done with your meal, there's a free public foot bath literally right across the street. It's the perfect way to relax and unwind before you continue sightseeing in this charming part of Japan. The onsen waters in Ureshino are said to be fantastic for a range of ailments, including digestive issues and liver complaints.

It's also said to be great for softening your skin - so get soaking!

Getting there

Fuunoki Shokudo is in Ureshino, which doesn't have a direct train line. The easiest way to get to the region via public transport is to catch the train to Takeo Onsen Station, and then transfer to the Ureshino Bus from there. The bus ride from Takeo Onsen to Ureshino takes approximately thirty minutes.

If you're headed to the area via private vehicle, there are a number of paid parking lots (such as Times Parking) scattered around the streets of Ureshino.