I recently spent one week in Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan, known for its remoteness and beautiful natural landscapes. My favorite place I stayed during my time there was Jozankei Yurakusoan, an onsen ryokan in Jozankei, an onsen village about 30 km outside of Sapporo. This spectacular onsen ryokan in Jozankei had a private onsen in-room, which made it the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion.
Jozankei Yurakusoan provides traditional Japanese onsen ryokan facilities including kaiseki or multi-course meals, yukata rentals, public onsen on-site and private kashikiri rentable onsen, and omotenashi services like free tea, free night-time ramen, and free ice pops for post-onsen relaxation.
This spectacular onsen ryokan is one I would highly recommend staying in during your next trip to Hokkaido and Jozankei Onsen. I’ve written this post to summarize my one-day stay at Jozankei Yurakusoan so you know what to expect if you choose to stay here too. It can also give you an idea of what to expect when staying at onsen ryokan in Hokkaido.
Key information about staying at Jozankei Onsen Yurakusoan
Before we get started, here’s some important information for staying at this amazing accommodation in Jozankei onsen:
- Address: 3 Chome-228-1 Jozankeionsenhigashi, Minami Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 061-2301
- Price: From $370-580 USD per night for two people, breakfast and dinner included. Check Booking.com for the latest prices.
- Phone: +81-115-953-001
- Official website: https://dormy-hotels.com/en/resort/hotels/yurakusoan/
The benefit to booking Jozankei Onsen Yurakusoan through accredited booking providers is that you don’t need to deal with a clunky Japanese reservation site, and also receive perks like free cancellation for peace of mind.
If you’re looking for other ryokan in Hokkaido with private onsen, check out my full list here.
How to get to Jozankei Yurakusoan
Jozankei Yurakusoan onsen hotel is located at the center of Jozankei, which is an onsen village situated less than 30 kilometers southwest of Sapporo, Hokkaido.
By Car: Jozankei Onsen can be reached by car in 40 minutes from central Sapporo or in 1 hour and 15 minutes from New Chitose Airport. Because many points of interest in Hokkaido are reachable by car only, I recommend renting a car during a Hokkaido itinerary.
By Bus: Jozankei can be reached by bus from Sapporo in 60-80 minutes depending on the bus. The Jotetsu Bus company’s busses has busses Rapid 7J, Rapid 7H, Rapid 8J leave Sapporo roughly every hour – check the latest prices and time tables here.
Additional information about access to Jozankei can be found on the official onsen village website here.
Checking In and First Impressions
The entryway to Jozankei Yurakusoan is designed like a beautiful Japanese garden and courtyard, complete with a small bridge and pond. Walking through here felt stepping back in time to old Japan.
Like traditional Japanese homes and ryokan, shoes are left in lockers at the entryway at Jozaknei Onsen Yurakusoan and guests wear provided socks around the building during their stay. The entryway is a wide open space with a view of traditionally decorated lounge areas, and with windows out to a Japanese garden as well.
Upon checking in we received a pamphlet (one in English and one in Japanese) which explained the various features of the onsen ryokan including how to use facilities like the in-room onsen and the kashikiri private onsen on-site. It also included the hours which the public onsen, tea buffet, and gift shop were open.
On the same floor as the entryway was also a yukata rental closet where you can choose colorful yukata or yukata in larger sizes than the ones provided in the rooms.
Our room, a Deluxe Twin Room with hot spring bath (private in-room onsen)
The room we stayed in at Jozankei Onsen Yurakusoan was the deluxe twin room. The room was divided into three main areas: the bedroom, the living room, and the bathroom. The bedroom was a standard size for two people, with enough space to open two small luggages or one large one. It included two night lights, plenty of outlets for charging electronics, and a TV.
The living area was where we spent most of our time. In Japanese onsen ryokan it’s common to have a seating area with low armchairs and a small table near the window, so you can relax, have a tea, and enjoy the view outdoors. Jozankei Yurakusoan was no exception, and it was a perfect place to sit by the window, especially when the leaves are changing colors in October (autumn). The room also had a small desk, a couch, TV, air purifier, and coffee and tea making facilities. A closet here had two yukatas for us to wear, and baskets and towels for us to bring to the public onsen.
The bathroom had a small room with a toilet and sink, another sink area with a mini fridge, and lastly a room with the indoor private hot spring onsen and shower (and a third sink with a large mirror). The pamphlet we received at upon checkin included instructions on how to use the private onsen.
Other rooms at Jozankei Yurakusoan
Yurakusoan onsen hotel offers a number of other room types, also with private onsen. While we stayed in a deluxe twin room, slightly cheaper standard twin rooms and Hollywood twin rooms are also available, which are more Japanese-style and Western-style respectively. Disability-access twin rooms are also available.
The onsen ryokan also has triple and quadruple rooms available, perfect for staying with families or groups of friends. For families with young kids, the triple room fits three adults and one child, and the quadruple room first four adults and two children (the children should be small enough to share a bed). Note: Even if children will share a bed, they still need to be listed on the reservation as required by Japanese law and safety regulations.
The best part is – all of these rooms have private in-room onsen! Enjoy a cedar tub hot spring bath all to yourself at this amazing onsen ryokan in Hokkaido.
Facilities and Amenities at Jozankei Yurakusoan
Jozankei Yurakusoan has a number of awesome amenities that guests can use during their stay at the onsen hotel. Here are some of the offerings at this amazing onsen ryokan in Jozankei:
- Four free kashikiri reservable onsen, each one with an onsen made of different material: hiba wood, cedar wood, stone, and ceramic
- Spacious public onsen including indoor and outdoor onsen, a sauna and cold water bath
- Free standard tea and coffee in the lounge and in the room
- A ‘tea buffet’ of craft teas
- Free fruit juice and sake outside of the dining room
- Free night-time ramen available after 10pm
- Souvenir shop selling Jozankei and Hokkaido souvenirs
- Picture-perfect Japanese interior design and outdoor garden spaces
- Vending machines including alcohol vending
- Free ice pops and probiotic drinks at certain hours in the onsen lounge area
- Free parking
- Free umbrella rentals
Kaiseki Meals at Jozankei Onsen Yurakusoan
The kaiseki meals served here were like a cherry on top. Meals are served in a common dining area, however with partitions between each table make it feel like a private experience. Seasonal ingredients are served here that feature the bounties of Hokkaido, which is known for having some of the best seafood and produce in Japan.
Jozankei Onsen Yurakusoan was able to accommodate my vegetarian dietary preferences upon request. I confirmed with them before I arrived that one guest out of two in our reservation was lacto-ovo vegetarian. In my message I specified that I do not eat meat or fish, however I eat eggs, milk, and dashi (soup broth, even if animal-derived ingredients are used. This is often difficult to remove from Japanese dishes).
Activities around Jozankei and Jozankei Yurakusoan ryokan
Similar to other onsen towns around Japan, Jozankei is a sleepy onsen village with not much to do around town. Visitors to onsen villages traditionally come to rest, rejuvenate, and relax in onsen, and spend time in nature away from the stresses of everyday life.
Unsurprisingly, most activities here revolve around spending time in onsen, or exploring beautiful natural views around the Jozankei valley, especially in autumn. Here are some things to do around Jozankei:
- Paddleboarding or canoeing down the Toyohira River which cuts through Jozankei
- Driving to or joining a bus tour to see autumn leaf spots around Jozankei (seasonal only)
- Test the ashi-yu, or onsen footbaths located next to Yurakusoan or at the Jozankei Gensen Park
- Photograph the beautiful views from Jozankei’s many bridges that span the village’s main river.
Final thoughts - Why I loved Jozankei Yurakusoan
If you’re looking for a super special onsen ryokan experience in Japan and Hokkaido, Jozankei Yurakusoan is a wonderful and unique option.
I’ve stayed in many beautiful Japanese ryokan, but this felt like a next-level experience which had both traditional and historic aesthetics, but with modern touches and amenities. I also felt a lot of care and attention were given to each guest, making us feel very welcome and taken care of.
If you’re looking for other amazing ryokan experiences around Japan, check out my following lists:
Are You Prepared For Your Trip To Japan?
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- Book Your Flights – To find the cheapest flights, flexibility is key. I use both Google Flights for their low fare calendar, and Skiplagged, which uses airfare loopholes to get the lowest prices. For a trip to Japan, check flights to both Tokyo airports (Haneda, Narita) and to Osaka (Kansai).
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