Jozankei Onsen, located on the outskirts of Sapporo, Hokkaido, is a popular hot spring resort where you can enjoy the beautiful nature and hot springs of the four seasons. It is easily accessible from Sapporo city and New Chitose Airport, and there are many hot spring inns lined up along the Toyohira River valley, where you can enjoy spectacular seasonal scenery such as fresh greenery, autumn leaves, and snowy landscapes. In this article, we will introduce 6 carefully selected hot spring inns in Jozankei Onsen that are perfect for families and couples to visit while sightseeing.

Jozankei Onsen, located along the Toyohira River valley

First, we will introduce basic information about Jozankei Onsen, such as the quality of its spring water, its characteristics, and how to get there. After that, we will introduce recommended hotels and inns.

The spring water keeps your skin moist and keeps you warm

There are 56 Jozankei Onsen springs around the hot spring town, including along the Toyohira River. The spring water from both locations is a sodium chloride spring (neutral hypotonic hot spring), which is colorless and transparent and contains a lot of salt. When you bathe, the salt adheres to your body and prevents sweat from evaporating, which has a heat-retaining effect and leaves your body warm and your skin feeling moisturized after bathing. Near Jozankei Onsen are Koganeyu Onsen, Hoheikyo Onsen, and Usube Onsen (Oku-Jozankei Onsen), each of which has a different spring water quality.

Steam rises from the banks of the Toyohira River

The hot spring town also has a foot bath spot and a hot spring tub where you can make hot spring eggs.

The history of Jozankei Onsen began in 1866 when the ascetic monk Miizumi Jozan came across a hot spring source while being guided by the Ainu people and established a hot spring resort. With its abundant hot spring water and beautiful natural scenery throughout the seasons, it developed into a hot spring town and has been called Sapporo's inner sanctum. In recent years, with the increase in foreign tourists, new hot spring accommodation facilities have sprung up, and cafes and other restaurants have also opened one after another, further increasing its appeal. Another attractive and popular point is its easy access from Sapporo city and New Chitose Airport.

The Futami Tsuribashi Bridge, a famous scenic spot just a few minutes walk from Jozankei Onsen Town

Jozankei Onsen is generally accessed by car, bus, or taxi. If you go by car, it takes about 50 minutes from downtown Sapporo, about 80 minutes from New Chitose Airport, and about 60 minutes from downtown Otaru. National Route 230, which runs from downtown Sapporo to Jozankei Onsen, is an easy drive as it has two lanes on each side all the way to the hot spring town.

Jozankei Onsen Kappa Liner

If you are going by public transportation, we recommend the reservation-only bus "Jozankei Onsen Kappa Liner" that goes from Sapporo Station to Jozankei Onsen via Susukino. It takes about 60 minutes from Sapporo Station to the hot spring town directly in an express bus type vehicle. In addition, there is also a local bus that goes from Sapporo Station to Jozankei Onsen via Susukino (takes about 80 minutes), and a local bus that goes to Jozankei Onsen from Makomanai Station on the Namboku Subway Line (takes about 47 minutes).

There are many hot spring hotels and inns in Jozankei Onsen. Although all of them are wonderful, we have carefully selected six that have distinctive baths, guest rooms, and cuisine.

Jozankei Manseikaku Hotel Millione

Jozankei Manseikaku Hotel Milione is a resort hotel with 296 rooms. It is easily accessible along National Route 230, and is in a great location with a view of the Toyohira River valley directly below from inside the hotel. Another nice feature is the free shuttle bus (reservation required, only for guests staying at the hotel) that departs and arrives at Sapporo Station.

A Japanese-style bath with a mural of wildflowers

The hot springs include a large public bath with an open-air bath and sauna, and some guest rooms have a hot spring panoramic bath in the privacy of your own room. The spacious public bath has two large indoor baths for men and women, one open-air bath, and one loyly sauna.

The open-air bath will be renovated in 2024.

The open-air bath is covered by a roof, so you can bathe comfortably even on rainy or snowy days, and above the outer privacy wall you can see the mountains that line the Jozankei valley. There is a shampoo bar where you can choose your favorite shampoo and conditioner, and the powder room next to the changing room has a separate partition, so you can enjoy a comfortable bath time.

Hybrid Loyly Sauna

There are various types of guest rooms, including Western-style and Japanese-style rooms, but for those who value privacy and a sense of exclusivity, a room with a hot spring observation bath is best. The Western-style room with a hot spring observation bath is a spacious room of about 80 square meters, and the walls and floors are wrapped in the warmth of wood, creating a soft impression, allowing you to spend a luxurious time relaxing. From the hot spring observation bath located by the window, you can look out over the Jozankei valley and mountain range below, and you can enjoy a spectacular view that looks different from the open-air bath in the large public bath.

Western-style room with hot spring panoramic bath, living room

Western-style room with hot spring panoramic bath

There are a variety of room types available, including Western-style rooms, Japanese-Western style rooms with hot spring panoramic baths, rooms with panoramic saunas, Western-style rooms, Japanese-style rooms, and Japanese-modern rooms with a Western feel but tatami mats.

Dinner buffet image

Dinner and breakfast are served at a buffet restaurant based on the concept of a "marche style." There are about 80 different Japanese, Western and Chinese dishes on offer, and you can enjoy freshly made dishes such as nigiri sushi, beef steak and stone oven-baked pizza in the live kitchen inside the restaurant.

Live Kitchen

Rice balls are also served for breakfast.

If you stay in a room with a panoramic sauna or a hot spring panoramic bath, you can enjoy creative seasonal kaiseki cuisine made with carefully selected ingredients in a private room. You can be sure to enjoy a high-class stay along with the hot springs.

*Photo provided by Jozankei Manseikaku Hotel Milione

Flower maple

Hanamomiji is an annex of Shika no Yu, a long-established inn in Jozankei Onsen, and is a hot spring inn located close to the Toyohira River. As it is located in the center of Jozankei Onsen town, it is an easy location to stroll around and visit souvenir shops, Tsukimi Bridge, which overlooks the Toyohira River valley and the hot spring town, and Jozangensen Park, where you can enjoy foot baths and making hot spring eggs. There is also a free shuttle bus (only for guests, reservation required) that departs and arrives at Sapporo Station, making it easy to access.

The view of the valley from the large public bath "Fugetsu" on the top floor is spectacular.

The view from the open-air bath at "Fugetsu" is also amazing.

The hot spring water is a blend of three springs, with the famous "Shika no Yu" springing from directly below the large bath along the Toyohira River. There are three baths available: the observation bath "Fugetsu" on the top 12th floor, the impressive open-air bath "Momiji Yu" that resembles a Japanese garden, and the large bath (with open-air bath and sauna) in the sister building "Shika no Yu." There are also three private baths with different themes.

"Momiji-yu" where autumn leaves and snowy scenery shine

There are three types of private baths: "Ten-no-yu" on the top floor of the building, where you can enjoy a view of the mountains; "Maru-yu" with a ceramic bathtub made from Shigaraki ware; and "Kaku-yu" made of cypress wood for a luxurious feel. Reservations are required for 60-minute baths, but there is also an accommodation plan that includes a one-time use ticket for a private bath, so if you would like to use the bath, you can be sure to choose this plan. The three large public baths are attractive, but the private baths are the best. Be sure to try out the different baths in the building!

Heavenly Bath

Maruyu

Water bath

There are several types of Japanese-style rooms that can accommodate 3 to 6 people, as well as Western-style twin rooms with shower rooms on the higher-class floor "Kokonoe," and twin and suite rooms on the top-class premier floor "urara" where you can enjoy free-flowing hot spring water in your room. The appeal of this hotel is that you can choose from a variety of room types depending on how you want to spend your time.

Kokonoe's guest room, "Yamanami Twin"

"Urara" guest room "Premier Suite"

Dinner is a Japanese kaiseki meal, while breakfast is a buffet with around 50 Japanese and Western dishes. The number of dishes and ingredients in the Japanese kaiseki dinner vary depending on the accommodation plan and room, but all courses feature a variety of dishes made with seasonal ingredients, including carefully selected seafood from Hokkaido. Guests staying on the "urara" floor can enjoy a special kaiseki meal in a semi-private dining floor. If you want to fully enjoy both the hot springs and meals in a private setting, be sure to check out the "urara" accommodation plan.

A dish image of the special banquet "Ayane" available only to guests staying at "Kokonoe"

A breakfast of Japanese and Western dishes made with local ingredients, including sashimi, side dishes, bread, and salads

*Photo provided by Shikanoyu Group

Jozankei First Hotel Suizantei

Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizantei is an accommodation facility where all guest rooms have hot springs. In addition to bathing in the hot springs in your room, you can also enjoy the hot springs to your heart's content in the large public bath. There is also a free shuttle bus (only for guests staying at the hotel, reservations required) from Odori Nishi 5-chome in downtown Sapporo, so it is easy to use even for those without a car. Please note that this facility is only available to those in elementary school and above, so if you have small children, you can relax and enjoy an adult hot spring inn once your children are older.

The indoor bath of the large public bath "Hisen-no-yu"

Open-air bath at the large public bath "Katsuragi-no-yu"

The hot spring water comes from the hotel's own hot spring source. There are three springs that gush out from the riverbed of the Toyohira River that runs through Jozankei Onsen Town, and you can bathe in the rich hot spring water that is a blend of springs with different salt and iron content. There are two large baths, Hisen-no-yu and Katsuragi-no-yu, which are switched for men and women depending on the time of day, so you'll want to try both. Both baths have indoor and outdoor baths, as well as a sauna with auto-louver that runs every 15 minutes, and you can spend a relaxing time in the spacious baths.

The open-air bath at the detached bathhouse "Morinoyu"

If you want to enjoy the atmosphere of a traditional hot spring resort, be sure to check out the detached bathhouse, Mori no Yu. There is an indoor bath with the lights turned down and an open-air bath that makes you feel like you're in the middle of a forest, both of which are fed by natural hot spring water. As it is a place to enjoy bathing, there are no amenities provided and no showers. There is also a post-bath area where healing music is played, so you can spend a comfortable and relaxing time in the bath while feeling the original scenery of Japan.

The view from the private bath is refreshing

The rooms come in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from 45 to 160 square meters, and each has a different bathtub shape, atmosphere, and view from the window. All the rooms have bathtubs filled with hot spring water from the hotel's own source, and some rooms even have private saunas.

Comfortable rooms with private sauna

The bathroom in the guest room with a panoramic bath is, of course, a hot spring.

An example of a spacious guest room

Dinner is a dinner party style and breakfast is Japanese cuisine, allowing you to relax and enjoy your meal. All dishes are made with plenty of seafood from Hokkaido, including Otaru and Funka Bay, vegetables from our own farm, and meat from a butcher in Jozankei.

Image of dinner "Suizan Gozen"

There are three dining areas. The restaurant-style "Kuwanoki" has a variety of seating options, including table seating, sunken kotatsu, tatami rooms, and counter seating where you can see the charcoal cooking, the semi-private room "Shoan" has a more private feel, and the special dining area "Yuai Shichiseki" has only four table seats and three private rooms. When making a reservation, you can choose from several types of meals, such as "Suizan Gozen" and "Shichiseki no Zen."

Restaurant "Shoan"

Special Dining "Yuso Shichiseki"

The building also has a lounge with free self-serve coffee and tea, a convenience store, and a bookstore. There are about 2,500 books on display, and they are available for purchase. There are even private rooms where you can stretch out and read. It might be a stylish idea to relax in the hot springs reading a book, just like a great author.

Bathhouse Bookstore

*Photo provided by Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizantei

Yuraku Soan

"Yuraku Soan" is a Japanese-style hot spring inn in a great location overlooking the Toyohira River valley, the hot spring town, and the mountains. It is easily accessible from National Route 230, and there is a free shuttle bus (for guests only, reservation required) to and from Sapporo Station, making it easy to visit.

The front desk also has a purely Japanese look.

The appeal of this hot spring inn is that you can enjoy the hot springs in a variety of baths. In addition to the indoor and open-air cypress baths where you can enjoy the hot springs while looking out at the mountain scenery, there are also rock baths, open-air jar baths, bedrock baths, saunas, and private open-air baths.

The indoor cypress bath in the large communal bath

Open-air bath in the large communal bath

The private open-air baths have four different types of bathtubs, and if they are available, you can use any of them without making a reservation. What's more, you can use the private baths as many times as you like without incurring any additional fees. Depending on the timing, you might be able to try all four types!

Private bath "Kan" with cypress bath

Private bath "Jaku" rock bath

Private bath "Sei" with Japanese cypress bath

Private bath "Yu" ceramic bath

You can enjoy the hot springs not only in the large communal baths and private open-air baths. All guest rooms are equipped with hot spring baths made of Japanese cypress, so you can enjoy the hot springs in your room. There are twin, deluxe twin, triple, and quadruple rooms, and while all rooms have the functionality of a Western-style room with beds and sofas, they also have tatami mats to create a Japanese atmosphere.

Twin room example

Hot spring in guest room

Meals are made with carefully selected ingredients from the sea and land of Hokkaido, and you can enjoy a Japanese banquet dinner and a Japanese meal set for breakfast. For both dinner and breakfast, Japanese and Western meals are available for children up to elementary school age, making it easy for families with children to come. The dining area has counter seats by the windows overlooking the mountains of Jozankei, as well as private and semi-private rooms and a raised area.

Dinner image

Breakfast image

Within the facility, there is a tea room where staff will make matcha for you, and a yukata shop where you can borrow a wide variety of colorful yukatas for use in the building for free, so you can spend a day immersed in the hot springs while experiencing the Japanese atmosphere with all five senses. This is a hot spring inn recommended for those who want to spend a relaxing time while also being comfortable.

*Photo provided by Yuraku Soan

Jozankei Tsuruga Resort Spa Mori no Uta

"Jozankei Tsuruga Resort Spa Mori no Uta" is a resort spa and hotel nestled in the forest. Although it is close to National Route 230 where convenience stores are lined up, it is located in a natural location surrounded by green and snowy forests. There is also a free shuttle bus (for hotel guests only, reservation required) from Makomanai Subway Station, making it an easy facility to visit.

A large bath with high ceilings and bright sunlight coming in through the windows

An open-air bath with rocks

The baths are of course hot springs. The bright and spacious large bath has an indoor bath, an open-air bath, a sauna with self-louver, and a women-only rock bath spa. There are also plenty of beauty and relaxation options, including a treatment spa with facials, traditional Thai massage, and a hydrogen bar.

Image of a deluxe Japanese-Western room

In addition to Japanese-Western style rooms and twin Western style rooms, there are also rooms with a bedrock bath and rooms where you can bring your dog. There is also a maisonette-type cottage in a separate building, which features an open-air hot spring bath on a wooden deck that is connected to the living room. It is a luxurious space that gives a strong sense of privacy.

Spacious living room in a separate guest room

The open-air bath in the separate guest room is, of course, a private bath.

The hot springs and guest rooms are wonderful, but the dinner and breakfast you can enjoy at the buffet restaurant "Mori Buffet" are outstanding! In the open kitchen in the restaurant, the chef will grill meat right in front of you and pizza baked in a kiln, and the creative cuisine corner offers a variety of Japanese and Western dishes.

Buffet restaurant "Mori Buffet"

Chef serves freshly cooked, hot food

In addition to dishes made with fresh vegetables, fish, and meat, the hotel also offers a wide selection of freshly made sweets made by the hotel's patisserie lab. You'll definitely want to try everything.

There is such a wide variety of sweets on offer that it's hard to decide which one to try.

Breakfast features a wide variety of hotel-made breads.

The hotel's lobby, "Forest Lounge," has a fireplace where you can roast your own marshmallows, a library where you can enjoy reading, and live harp concerts four times a day. Enjoy resort life in a refined atmosphere.

*Photo provided by Tsuruga Resort

Hatagoya Jozankei Shoten

"Hatagoya Jozankei Shoten" is a hot spring accommodation facility for people aged 13 and over, with the concept of "More freedom. More carefree." It is an affiliated facility of "Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizantei," and offers capsule rooms, which are rare in the Jozankei hot spring area. You can also use the free shuttle bus (only for guests, reservation required) of "Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizantei" that departs from Odori Nishi 5-chome in downtown Sapporo.

The large public bath where you can enjoy the hot springs has an indoor bath and an open-air bath, as well as a sauna and a cold bath.

Shampoo, conditioner, body soap, cotton swabs, and a hair dryer are provided at the bathhouse, but amenities and other services are kept to a minimum. The concept is a "free" and "carefree" stay, so you can bring what you need with you, or buy what you like from the various items on sale at the shop within the facility. The shop sells toothbrushes, soap, and other items, as well as souvenir sake and sake cups, and T-shirts by various designers.

A fun shop to browse

There are five types of guest rooms available. In addition to Western-style and Japanese-style rooms, there are two types of small rooms called "Hatagononaka," and a separate 45-square-meter log house with its own hot spring called "Kazemachi Onsen Apartment."

Image of a Japanese-style room

"Hatagononaka" is similar to a capsule room, but compared to the typical capsule rooms, it is larger in area and has a ceiling height high enough to stand inside, so it is unexpectedly spacious. "Hatagononaka" is available in two types: a women-only type with multiple individual spaces in a large room, and a group type with individual spaces for three people in one room, making it easy for friends to use.

"Hatagononaka" image

There is also a log cabin with hot spring bath, "Kazemachi Onsen Apartment" on the premises, which can accommodate up to three people. Recommended for those who want to enjoy a sense of privacy and a stay like living in Jozankei Onsen. You can enjoy the hot spring bath with the scent of cypress.

Yakiniku course "Rokudan" image

Meals are provided by the butcher shop inside the inn. For dinner, you can choose the yakiniku course "Rokudan," and for breakfast, you can choose between curry or porridge. The butcher shop is a specialty store that wholesales meat to hotels in the Jozankei hot spring area and yakiniku restaurants in Sapporo, so you can be sure of the quality and taste of the meat.

Image of curry for breakfast

Image of porridge for breakfast

There is also a liquor store called "Sakaya Jozankei Shoten" inside the facility, which has a wide selection of alcoholic drinks. The drink counter has about 30 types of alcoholic drinks and soft drinks, and you can enjoy drinks and snacks by order anywhere except the large bath, so it is recommended for a relaxing time during or after meals.

The liquor store's brewery always has around 100 brands of sake in stock.

*Photo provided by Hatagoya Jozankei Shoten

Image of the waters of Jozankei Onsen

Jozankei Onsen is a major hot spring resort that can be reached in less than an hour from downtown Sapporo. The Jozankei area is famous for its autumn leaves, and is usually quite crowded in the fall, but the green scenery is also beautiful in spring and summer, and in winter you can enjoy an open-air bath with a view of the snow. You will never get bored no matter when you visit throughout the year. There are many accommodations, including hot spring hotels and hot spring inns, all of which offer excellent facilities and meals. Please use your favorite accommodation and relax in the hot springs.

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