"Iwanai Kogen Hotel" is a hot spring inn located on the plateau of Iwanai Town, as its name suggests. It goes without saying that enjoying natural hot springs in a wonderful location from high ground is a wonderful experience. Why not immerse yourself in a relaxing atmosphere while soaking in the skin-beautifying water that is 100% natural from the source? Iwanai Kogen Hotel is built on a plateau overlooking the Iwanai cityscape. The vast grounds, measuring 67,000m2, include a promenade and a laid-back atmosphere.

Photo courtesy of Iwanai Kogen Hotel

When choosing a hot spring, the quality of the water is important, but the location is also important. In that respect, the perfect location of Iwanai Kogen Hotel makes us excited and excited. We immediately headed to the large public bath! By the way, for the purpose of this interview, we were given special permission to enter the men's bath.

The open-air bath in the large communal bath is slippery and dangerous, so it cannot be used in the winter. Unfortunately, the open-air bath was not yet available at the time of the interview! However, you can still fully enjoy the view from the large windows, giving you a luxurious feeling. The clear, colorless water is a sodium chloride bicarbonate hot spring, and is famous for its skin-beautifying properties.

In addition to the large indoor bath, there is also a sauna and a cold bath. There is also a bathtub labeled "Choju no Yu." It feels a little warmer than the adjacent indoor bath, and it warms you to the core.

Just when I thought I would have to wait until spring to enjoy the open-air bath, I was told that Iwanai Kogen Hotel has two types of private baths where you can enjoy the open-air bath all year round. I couldn't pass up the chance to try it! So, the first place I visited was "Hoshi no Yu".

And here is the open-air bath at Hoshinoyu! The magnificent location is breathtaking. You can see the Sea of Japan and the Shakotan Peninsula in the distance.

Meanwhile, we also visited the other private bath, Gin no Yu. It's just the right size for families or couples, allowing you to relax and enjoy the skin-beautifying water.

The giant icicles right in front of you are a typical winter scene in Hokkaido. The open-air bath at Gin-no-Yu is a bathtub type. It's a unique place with a sense of the extraordinary and the ordinary mixed together. By the way, private baths can be reserved in the order of check-in.

Iwanai Kogen Hotel is known as a "relaxing and healing inn" and is highly rated for its food and accommodations. At night, you can soak in the hot springs while looking down at the night view of Iwanai city, and in the morning, you can take a stroll along the promenade while listening to the chirping of birds... you can spend such a luxurious time. Why not add this to your travel plans? *If you would like to know more about the atmosphere of the hot springs at Iwanai Kogen Hotel, please check out our YouTube channel "A Relaxing Tour of Hokkaido's Hot Springs"!