The shores of Lake Toro in Kushiro-shitsugen National Park. This area is registered under the Ramsar Convention and is surrounded by beautiful nature. There is a facility that was established to provide a "one-of-a-kind experience." This time, we will introduce "THE GEEK," a unique facility that combines a sauna and a craft hostel, located just a one-minute walk from Toro Station.

From Kushiro Station on the JR Senmo Line, it takes about 30 minutes to reach Touro Station. From there, it's a minute's walk from the station to the top of a small hill where the craft hostel "THE GEEK" is located.

The facility opened in 2020. The owner, Keisuke Tatsukawa, was born in Hyogo Prefecture and grew up in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, and fell in love with the area at first sight when he visited Toro. Wanting to convey the charm of the area through "creating a space," he renovated a former youth hostel and launched "Craft Hostel."

The term "craft hostel" may not be familiar to many people, but it embodies the owner Tatsuya's vision: "Just like craft beer, which is made by small breweries using traditional methods and unique recipes, I want to create a hostel that values the creation of the space and where you can see the faces of the people who are making the place."

The Kushiro Marsh can be seen from the window. The beautiful scenery spreads out before you, like a picture frame.

The original experience that led Tatsukawa to become interested in creating spaces was something that happened at the Ace Hotel in Portland while he was studying abroad in the United States as a university student.

Local elderly couples, LGBTQ people, students, tourists from Europe and the US with high social status and titles such as "CEO", people of different religions, and others all gathered together, accepting each other's differences as a matter of course, and before you know it, everyone there was having a great time. Tatsukawa-san still vividly remembers the surprise and excitement he felt when he saw such a scene.

He returned to Japan with the desire to "one day create a space like this in Japan," and after several years he gave birth to "THE GEEK."

Once you pass through the entrance of "THE GEEK," which is filled with Tatsukawa's thoughts and passion, you will find a chill lounge exclusively for guests. It is a homely space where visitors can relax as they wish.

In addition to the cafe menu and alcoholic beverages, including Akkeshi Whisky, which won the top prize at an overseas competition, this lounge space also serves simple course meals using local ingredients, from appetizers to main courses and desserts, creating a space where you can enjoy food unique to this area.

They also serve dishes made with cheese, milk, butter, yogurt, and other ingredients from Shibecha, one of Japan's leading dairy towns.

"Akkeshi Whisky" has been brewed since 2016 using traditional Scottish methods.

We also recommend authentic Irish coffee made from carefully selected raw beans, as well as coffee cocktails such as mint mojito latte and Irish whiskey latte.

Additionally, there are three types of guest rooms on the second floor: the "Marsh Room" overlooking the Kushiro Marsh, the "Japanese-style Room," and the "Dormitory Room." This room type caters to a variety of lodging styles, from those who want to relax in a private room to those who want to share the same space with people they meet on their travels.

On a clear day, you can sometimes see Mt. Akan Fuji and Mt. Meo-Akan from the "Marshland Room."

A Japanese-style room with tatami mats

The custom-made beds in the dormitory rooms are separated by curtains, and each bed has a light and power outlet at its bedside.

The water coming out of the taps in the guest rooms is taken from the Nishibetsu River, an underground water of Lake Mashu, which boasts the clearest water in Japan. Tasting this natural water, which is only available to the 7,000 residents of Shibecha Town, is a rare experience.

Tatsukawa's attention to detail is not limited to the facilities themselves. The activities that take advantage of the resort's location within a national park are also full of the charm that is unique to this area.

First, canoeing. The area where "THE GEEK" is located is actually known as a "holy land for canoeing," and many of the canoe courses overlooking the Kushiro Marshland start from Lake Toro. Starting from Lake Toro, you can go along the Alexinay River, which then joins the Kushiro River. The road meanders slowly through the marshland and heads towards Kushiro Port, where you will encounter fantastical scenery that will remain deeply etched in your memory.

Also, considering that Shibecha Town has a history as a horse breeding area that supplied horses for military use during the Meiji period, "horse trekking" is also included as one of the activities. Furthermore, the trekking course at "Heart Ranch," a horse tourist ranch with which "THE GEEK" is affiliated, is spread out over a vast area of 590,000 square meters, the equivalent of 10 Tokyo Domes. There are various courses to choose from, so you can enjoy it no matter how many times you visit.

Other attractions include "cheese fondue," made with cheese from the Okhotsk region, one of Japan's leading dairy farming regions, and "smelt fishing," which involves digging a hole in a frozen lake in the winter. All of these are experiences that you definitely have to have in this area.

The nearby town of Okoppe is the only place in Japan that produces Gruyere Emmental cheese, known as the "king of cheeses" in Switzerland.

"Ice Lake Camp" on the frozen Lake Toro. This activity is only available for a few months each year when the lake is frozen.

In addition to the above, there are many other activities available. If you want to know which activities suit your interests, it might be a good idea to ask the staff at "THE GEEK".

You can enjoy authentic loyly in the sauna room, which has a wood stove modeled after a locomotive.

Among the many activities available, Tatsukawa is especially fond of the sauna. In fact, when he first opened the hostel, he included it as a highlight to attract visitors.

The sight of a steam locomotive running through the snowy fields is spectacular.

While walking around the area with the thought, "If I'm going to build a sauna, I want to offer an experience that can only be found here," I noticed that it is the only place in Hokkaido where steam locomotives (SL) pass through. When I promoted it as "a sauna where you can see a steam locomotive while bathing in the open air," the attraction of this sauna became so well-established that tourists, including those from overseas, started to call it the "SL sauna."

Beyond the pier-style wooden deck is the shade of a birch tree and a cold bath.

The sauna itself is also unique in that it can be enjoyed in a climate similar to that of Finland, the home of saunas, where temperatures exceed 30°C for several days in the summer and drop below -20°C in the winter. The cold water used for the sauna bath is the clearest underground water in Japan, from Lake Mashu.

THE GEEK is filled with a wide variety of unique features, including its facilities and activities, but its underlying philosophy remains consistent.

"I hope that 'The Geek' will be an opportunity for people to experience the history and culture of this area," says Tatsukawa. For those who want to learn more about the Toro area and the Kushiro Marshlands, starting with the fun and comfort of the area, 'The Geek' will be the perfect guide.