Jul 31–Aug 3, 2026　／　3 nights, 4 days

Hokkaido Sauna Journey (Shiretoko, Nakashibetsu, Lake Akan)

Photographed July 2026 by the Editor-in-Chief

✦ Visited July 2026

I keep a personal list of hot springs and saunas I want to visit before I die. This journey took me to the top-ranked facilities on that list. These were places I had been looking forward to for years, yet the sheer remoteness of eastern Hokkaido made it hard to commit to the trip. I kept worrying that I would one day regret never having gone. That sense of urgency and restlessness only grew with each passing day. So I finally made the decision to go — and what followed was a series of extraordinary experiences that truly deserved the title of a life reboot. I will never forget what I encountered here. Allow me to share the hot spring and sauna experiences born from the magnificent natural landscapes of Shiretoko, Nakashibetsu, and Lake Akan.

Duration: 4 days
Baths visited: 6 spots
Visited: July 2026

Every stop on this itinerary was visited in person by the Editor-in-Chief.

Itinerary

Read it in the order we travelled.

01Jul 31　16:00

Kitakobushi Shiretoko Hotel & Resort UNEUNA

Hokkaido

The World Heritage Sea and an Unprecedented 3D Sauna

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02Jul 31　18:00

KIKI Shiretoko Natural Resort

Hokkaido

Drifting Off in a Lying-Down Sauna, Cradled by the Forests of Shiretoko

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03Aug 1　05:00

Kitakobushi Shiretoko Hotel & Resort KAKUUNA

Hokkaido

Dawn over the Sea of Okhotsk and a Sauna of Drift Ice

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04Aug 1　16:00

Yuyado Daiichi

Hokkaido

A sauna experience report from Yuyado Daiichi in Hokkaido. Discover the ultimate immersive experience — surrounded by old-growth forest and mountain streams, featuring an open-air bath, four types of sauna, a river cold plunge, and perfect outdoor rest — where you don't just totonou, you melt.

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05Aug 2　14:00

New Akan Hotel, Akan Lake Onsen

Hokkaido

Melting into the Breathtaking Views of Akan and Its Century-Old Waters: A Supreme Sauna Experience

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06Aug 2　17:00

Akanko Yukononi Tsuruga

Hokkaido

The final destination where you reboot as a human being

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Baths visited on this journey

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Japan's Finest Onsen & Sauna

Every place visited in person, chosen after soaking in it myself.

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