
Marukoma Onsen Ryokan, the lakeside inn on Lake Shikotsu
Hokkaido
Shikotsu Blue and a Historic Hot Spring
JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA
The Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan
57 SELECTIONS
Most of what we surveyed never even made it onto this site. This book is a further cut from what did. Our editor bathed in every onsen and sauna in it, and wrote only what they confirmed on the ground.

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 personally visited by our editors.
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

