Marukoma Onsen Ryokan

Guests appreciate the friendly and helpful staff, who offer a shuttle service despite language barriers. The rich breakfast menu with a mix of Japanese and Western cuisine is highly recommended.

My Stay at a Hot Spring Hotel in Lake Shikotsu Marukoma Onsen Ryokan is truly a hidden hot spring hotel that few people know about. It's a rare outdoor hot spring hotel in Hokkaido, directly facing the unfrozen Lake Shikotsu. The scenery is incredibly beautiful! However the transportation is terrible 😞😞😞. It's close to New Chitose Airport, and is too far away from the city. There are only 3-4 public buses per day and it took hours to get there. 🥹🥹😭😭😭 But if you're driving on a self-drive trip, then forget it. The hotel occupies a large area by the lake, and there are no restaurants around since its secluded location 🥹🥹. If you don't book meals in advance, you can only buy instant food from the hotel's convenience store. Fortunately, you may have a high chance of encountering deer. Anyway, the outdoor hot spring is free. In the morning, there are usually no people around, so you can take photos. Private Hot Springs: There are two private hot - spring pools, one indoor and one semi -enclosed facing the outside. But! You must book it during the daytime. It gets dark early in winter. If you booked it at 7 p.m. then you couldn't see anything. The breakfast is good.

Wonderful onsen hotel. Superb lake view and onsen. Can watch the sunrise in the onsen in the morning. There are also Sakura trees around. Our timing was a bit too early for it to fully bloom so it’s a pity. Hotel employees are very friendly and helpful, with good English. Dinner is very nice. Breakfast is not bad. Note that there is no private shower/bath in the room. But there’s the onsen and bookable private onsen. There is a natural onsen but due to the season the water level was low. Most other guests are Japanese so the overall feeling is a very nice hidden gem. No noisy or touristy feeling. It’s 10 drive away from the tourist centre so it’s a tranquil place. My 60 year old parents are also very satisfied with their first onsen hotel experience. Highly recommend. Will definitely visit again.