【Urban Summer Retreat】So Refreshing! A clean feeling at Kawabe City Central Library and an onsen - also meeting a crepe shop

An unbearably hot summer, most resort retreats are far away in the mountains from home. However, there were also cool spots in the neighborhood. This time, let's return to the origins of the coolness experienced by many people at the library and explore the surrounding area.

First, I aim for the cool interior of the library

The destination is the Ome City Central Library. This library, located in front of the JR Ome Line Kabe Station, has a day-use hot spring on its upper floor, making it a relaxing spot for local residents alongside the library.

I also remember often visiting this library to study; it is spacious, with many seats, allowing for a calm experience.

There are table seats prepared at the entrance, and there were already some elderly people relaxing there. The atmosphere in public facilities that anyone can casually enjoy is nice. Even people who don’t usually read books might find it a good idea to touch books at the library to escape the heat.

After slowly reading a book, I head to the day-use hot spring

Kabe Onsen Umenoyu, located just above the library. It is frequented not only by local residents but also by climbers from the Okutama area, and it features an extensive izakaya menu with a "lightly drunk set" that includes draft beer and snacks. After washing away the sweat from a hot day in the hot spring and relaxing in the dining area, the mood is at its best.

It is connected to the Aeon across the way by a walkway, and the ability to enter without walking outside in the heat by using the Aeon parking lot is also appealing. The author also used the Aeon parking lot when visiting the library.

Looking down from the walkway, I was struck by a store with a retro appearance. Occasionally, you can see some people waiting, as it is a popular crepe shop. Since I wanted something sweet to finish, I decided to check it out.

A retro appearance!? Encounter with the crepe shop

This EOLE (Eoru) seems to be a popular crepe shop loved by the locals, offering not only sweet crepes but also a wide variety of savory options, along with soft serve ice cream. Since I hadn’t eaten anything yet, savory crepes and soft serve ice cream felt just right for the moment. By the way, the parking lot in front is for a different facility, so parking is not possible.

What surprised me when looking at the menu was the reasonable price range. Even the expensive items are in the 500 yen range, and there are cheaper options in the 200 yen range. The lineup is very intriguing, and this time I ordered a crepe called "Shrimp Avocado" and a soft serve ice cream named "Myucre."

There was a bench next to the store, and it seemed possible to eat here, but I decided to return to the air-conditioned car for a bit.

It melted a little before I got back to the car, but soft serve on a hot day is the best. I had been working on writing before coming here, so my body was craving sugar. The menu mentioned it contained cream, and the flavor was unique, like sweetened condensed milk, which I had never tasted before. It was very delicious.

Next was the main shrimp avocado crepe. It's hard to see what's inside, but it was filled with lots of tartar sauce, avocado, and shrimp, making it very hearty. The flavor of the tartar sauce was also good, giving it a homemade and authentic taste. The crepe was chewy with a fragrant flavor, and it was easy to understand why the simple butter sugar was ranked first among desserts.

This time I came to the library to cool off, and it turned out to be a very satisfying walk as I stumbled upon an unexpected spot.

EOLE
Location: 10-8-8 Kawanabe-cho, Ome City, Tokyo
TEL: 0428-24-4533
Closed: Mondays

Written and reported by Kazuma Tanaka

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