7 Editor-Selected Onsen Ryokan and Hotels in Hokkaido with Ocean or Lake Views

Editors' comment

The 15th-floor sky-high open-air bath has an edgeless design where the water's surface appears to merge with the sky and sea. At night, stars and the lights of the bay area; in the morning, views of the port town — the same bath takes on entirely different expressions. The 14th-floor large communal bath, "Stella," faces Mount Hakodate and its night view, with a highly concentrated brine spring known for excellent heat retention. Warmth stays deep in the body even after bathing, and guests can cool off in the lounge afterward while taking in the night view. The same floor also has a medium-temperature löyly sauna and an aroma-mist salt sauna. Some suite rooms even come equipped with natural onsen view baths or saunas.

Editors' comment

The large communal bath is located on the eighth floor, with the Sea of Okhotsk stretching out beyond the window, unobstructed. On the day of our research visit, the sky was completely clear. The observation open-air bath next to the indoor bath has no window glass, so the sea breeze flows in directly, and the cries of seagulls carried all the way into the bathing area. The water is a sodium chloride spring, gentle on the skin, with warmth that lingers deep in the body long after bathing. In winter, the same view fills with drift ice. Some guest rooms also have private open-air baths facing the Sea of Okhotsk, allowing guests to take in the stars at night and the sea in the morning at their own pace.

Read our first-hand visit from August 2026 →

Editors' comment

Every guest room faces the Sea of Okhotsk, and the direction the sun sets in is exactly where the property faces. The YUUMI SAUNA, built from cypress logs, lives up to its name with a sunset view through its window. A HARVIA stove allows for self-service löyly, letting guests control the humidity themselves. The cold plunge bath is outdoors, with water temperature changing by season. Cooled bodies are welcomed back by the large communal bath, a sodium chloride–bicarbonate spring known for its excellent heat retention that keeps warmth in the body long after bathing. The value of coming all the way to Shari lies in being able to spend sunset, evening, and the following morning all within the property.

Editors' comment

On the 8th floor of the main building, "Amanohara" opens onto an outdoor bath reached by a staircase from the indoor bath. On clear days, Lake Akan glows a transparent blue, with Mount Meakan standing directly ahead. The air is so clear that even fine details come into sharp focus. Warm up, step out to take in the lake, then sink back into the onsen once you feel a chill — the cycle becomes hard to stop. Since the view blurs through the window glass while soaking, it's worth standing up to see it directly. On the rooftop is a 360-degree glass-walled dome sauna, with a cold plunge bath using Akan Hyakunen Sui water at 17°C. On the 8th floor, the men's and women's sections alternate by day.

Read our first-hand visit from August 2026 →

Editors' comment

Stepping into the large communal bath, Lake Shikotsu spreads out directly ahead. This natural hot spring — one of the rare ones in Japan that wells up straight from the ground — is separated from the lake by nothing but a single rock ledge, so the bath's depth rises and falls with the lake's water level. Soaking in water so deep gold it tints the tub itself, you can gaze out at the lake's surface reflecting the surrounding forest and mountains. The outdoor cold plunge bath draws directly from Lake Shikotsu, staying around 10°C even in June. The adjacent outdoor relaxation area sits almost right at the water's edge, where the sound of the lake and the breeze reach you directly. At the drinking fountain, you can sample the onsen's strongly iron-flavored water with a ladle.

Read our first-hand visit from June 2026 →

Editors' comment

Two large communal baths face Lake Saroma. One is a Japanese-style open-air garden bath set with massive boulders, and the other is a Nordic-style bath where both the indoor and outdoor sections overlook the lake and sunset. Men's and women's sections alternate daily. The water comes from the property's own "Wakka no Yu" source, an iron- and salt-rich spring — a rare iron chloride spring also known as "the hot water of heat." Its excellent heat retention keeps warmth deep in the body long after you get out. The sauna is a simple dry sauna with no TV or background music. After cooling off in the cold plunge, you can sit facing the lake and enjoy the outdoor air.

Editors' comment

On the 9th floor of the Shangri-La wing, opening the door to the large communal bath "Unkai" reveals Lake Akan filling the glass-walled window entirely. On the day of our visit, the lake was without a single ripple, its surface reflecting the blue sky and white clouds exactly as they were. Sitting at the edge of the semi-open-air section, which draws in outdoor air, brings Mount Meakan and the deep forest into view as well. The rooftop Sky Garden Spa features an infinity edge where the boundary between the lake and the pool disappears — by day, the shimmering lake surface; by night, a sky full of stars, both directly ahead. The water is a gentle simple thermal spring. The quiet evening after day-trip hours end, and the still morning lake, belong only to overnight guests.

Read our first-hand visit from August 2026 →