
Marukoma Onsen Ryokan, the lakeside inn on Lake Shikotsu
Hokkaido
Shikotsu Blue and a Historic Hot Spring
JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA
Japan's Finest Onsen & Sauna
64 SELECTIONS
Most of what we surveyed never made it onto this site. This is a further cut from what did — places the editor bathed in himself, and places chosen through our own reporting.

Jun 5–8, 2026 / 3 nights, 4 days
Hokkaido is the sacred land of hot springs and saunas in Japan. This is something I feel deeply now. In operating this site, I have researched nearly ten thousand facilities across Japan, and no region comes close to Hokkaido when it comes to the richness of its hot springs and saunas. On this trip, I visited facilities that I am convinced rank among the very best — even within Hokkaido, which is already home to so many exceptional spots. Starting my journey at Shikotsu Lake, I traveled through Noboribetsu, Lake Toya, and Jozankei, visiting hot spring destinations that are the pride of Hokkaido — indeed, the pride of all Japan. Here is a record of a journey in which I was utterly undone by sublime hot springs, saunas, and the grandeur of nature.
Every stop on this itinerary was visited in person by the Editor-in-Chief.
Read it in the order we travelled.

Hokkaido
Shikotsu Blue and a Historic Hot Spring

Hokkaido
Ripples in the Night: Waves of Light and an Enchanting Open-Air Bath

Hokkaido
Morning Light Shimmering on the "Mizusuji" Sauna and an Awakening Outdoor Bath

Hokkaido
A Divine Totonou Experience at the Onsen Department Store Where Demons Dwell

Hokkaido
The Moon Bath and an Extraordinary Hybrid Sauna at a Place Full of Memories

Hokkaido
The Hoshi-no-Yu Bath That Merges You with the Lake, and the löyly Man Who Shattered the Morning Silence

