As the name suggests, Iwanai Kogen Hotel is a hot spring hotel located on the plateau of Iwanai Town. Enjoying the natural hot spring from a great location on the plateau is an undeniably wonderful experience, and you will feel relaxed and refreshed with the 100% natural spring water for beautiful skin.

The Iwanai Kogen Hotel is located on a plateau with the city of Iwanai spread out below, and the vast grounds, which cover an area of 20,000 tsubo, have a promenade and a relaxing atmosphere.

Photo courtesy of Iwanai Kogen Hotel

In addition to the quality of the hot spring, location is also an important factor in selecting a hot spring. In this respect, the perfect location of the Iwaiai Kogen Hotel has heightened my excitement and anticipation. We immediately went to the large bath! Incidentally, for the purpose of this interview, we were allowed to enter the men's bath.

I was told that the open-air baths in the main baths are not available during the winter because they are slippery and dangerous. At the time of the interview, the open-air baths were not yet available, which was disappointing! Even so, the view from the large window is still fully appreciated, and one can enjoy the luxurious feeling.

The clear, colorless water is a sodium bicarbonate chloride hot spring, and is said to be famous for its skin-beautifying properties.

In addition to a large indoor bath, there is also a sauna and a water bath. There is also a bathtub labeled "Longevity Hot Spring. Compared to the adjacent indoor bath, the temperature seems a little higher, warming the body to the core.

Just as I was thinking that I would have to wait until spring to enjoy the open-air baths, I was informed that the Iwanai Kogen Hotel has two types of private baths where I can enjoy the open-air baths all year round. There was no way I could not take a bath in the open-air baths! So, the first bath I visited was the "Hoshinoyu.

And here is the open-air bath at Hoshi-no-Yu! The spectacular location we were looking for took our breath away. You can see the Sea of Japan stretching out in the distance and even the Shakotan Peninsula.

Meanwhile, we also visited another private bath, "Gin no Yu". It is just the right size for families and couples to relax and enjoy the beautiful skin bathing.

The huge icicles in front of the baths are a typical Hokkaido winter scene. The open-air bath in Gin-no-yu is of the bathtub type. It is somewhat unique in its sense of mixing the extraordinary with the ordinary. By the way, private baths can be reserved in the order of check-in.

The Iwanai Kogen Hotel has a high reputation for its cuisine and accommodations, as it calls itself "an inn of relaxation and healing. You can spend such a luxurious time at night soaking in the hot spring while overlooking the night view of Iwanai city, and in the morning strolling along the promenade while listening to the chirping of birds (......).

Why not add this to your travel itinerary?

If you would like to know a little more about the atmosphere of Iwanai Kogen Hotel's hot springs, please check out our YouTube channel "Howatte Yumeguri Hokkaido"!