Hōheikyō Hot Spring — Attraction in Sapporo

This was the first onsen I have ever been to. It has set a very high bar. I will try to describe a few items to help you decide whether or not to visit. Location - the onsen is in Jozankei area. Several onsen available here. The town is about 80min south of Sapporo. We took the 7H bus boarding near Sapporo station. The helpful ladies at the tourist center provided a combo ticket for the bus and the onsen. 2,200 yen. A steal of a deal. The ticket for the bus is scratch card. You can buy in advance. Don’t scratch until you get in the bus. The driver will verify your ticket when you exit the bus. Keep the ticket. It’s good for a round trip! Cost - the onsen itself is 1,000 yen. You are required to purchase a towel for cleaning yourself. 200 yen. You can also rent a large towel for drying off. 520 yen, but you get 300 yen back when you drop off the towel when leaving. There are lockers for your shoes when you enter. 100 yen deposit. When you return the key, your coin drops out of the locker. Same set up for the change rooms. There are lockers inside and outside the change rooms. Protocol - you must remove your shoes when entering the building. From there you are greeted by staff and required to purchase a towel. Heading upstairs, you pass through hallways and seating areas. Once in the change room, you undress completely. You must be naked in the onsen. Men and women have separate areas. Take your small towel with you. Upon entering the pool area you must clean yourself. Thoroughly. Stools and buckets are available. Sit in the stool in front of a group washing wall. Faucets and spray hoses are there to clean yourself. Shampoo and liquid soap are provided. Scrub up and rinse thoroughly. The pools are to be kept as pure as possible. Once clean, you may enter the pools. A couple available for each gender. They change daily back and forth. If you want to see all pools, you would have to visit twice. There is no loud noise or rambunctious play allowed. Be respectful. You can bring your own drinks if you want. No glass containers. I saw men using thermos for drinks. Don’t put your washing towel in the water! Wear it on your head or leave it on the rocks. Facility - the space is very relaxing. The pools are fabulous and the water is hot. Two pools had different temperature water. 41C and 39C. There are common areas outside the changing areas for relaxing. Don’t chat loudly with friends. The space is meant to be peaceful. Massages are available for a very reasonable rate. 1,000 yen for 10 min. A couple of masseuses were available for immediate massages. The facility was not busy when we were there. When you leave the onsen, you walk back down the stairs. Once you leave, you may not re-enter. Hang out upstairs all you want prior to exiting. The staff will take your towel back if you rented a large one. The small one can be kept if you want a memento. Photos are not allowed. The three I have added are from the website. Food - there is an Indian restaurant in the onsen. I thought this was hilarious. Indian speaking Japanese was new to me. Great food. The naan bread was massive! (And included when ordering many of the plates.) prices were fair. You have to wait to be seated. Exit - The bus schedule is regular. Every hour a bus leaves the parking lot (which is the last stop on that route.) if you bought the combo pass from the tourist center, they provide you with a schedule and map. The bus ride is about 80min back to Sapporo station. Overall - an amazing experience and one that we will never forget. The staff were courteous. The onsen was relaxing. The food was tasty. The only thing that might have made it better would be going in the fall or winter. The outdoor pool scenery was bland in the spring. Fall leaves or snow would have been cool. I highly...

One of the most charming and wonderful Onsen experiences.

It is not the fanciest Onsen but it oozes character and charm. The waters are really wonderful with 3 different temp pools and a gorgeous outdoor space. If you are lucky they will have their milk / beer / ice cream bar open while you are there.

Best to bring towels if you want to save the purchase fees but it is only a couple dollars to buy them and they are nice souvenirs as well with the logo of the Onsen.

Kind staff and although the facilities are a bit older they tend to them well. The water is really special and nice. Some people were bothered by the bugs outside but honestly they seem to ignore people and although they flew around me a bit they didn’t land on me or seem interested in me. Dragonflies, butterflies, and interesting bugs were everywhere. A waterwheel outside creates a wonderful sound scape.

We went on a very hot day but don’t worry it does not matter as once you are in the water it feels a lot cooler. Evens out the temps on a hot day or warms you up on a cold one.

Once you are finished don’t skip the Indian food restaurant, a real unique offering in Japan Onsen in my experience and delicious. To top it off you get to eat your dinner looking at beautiful garden, special spot

You can get there really easily from Sapporo station just got to stop “26” which is just east of the main train station and one block south (ask information and they will direct you). No need for reservations as it is a city bus. The drive once you leave the city is beautiful lush valleys. One thing to note is make sure you have change ($1000 yen bills) and/or your Suica card is working and loaded up. You pay at the end of the trip but remember to grab a paper ticket when you board (keeps track of how many people on the bus for the driver). There is a bus leaving Sapporo and the Onsen every hour most of the time so...

Details for foreigners. Beautiful garden and outdoor onsen. Located at the end of the “Kappa Liner” bus route (stop number 10).

Transportation: Getting on Go to Sapporo Bus Station, look for Row 12 which is the middle row where you get on the bus. You need to cross the traffic light within the station. Look for the counter and purchase your one-day pass at JPY2000. Check the timing on my photos. There will be a staff to direct you behind the counter to wait and form a line when the bus is arriving. So...just relax and wait to be queued.

Getting down last stop. You will arrive at the carpark of the onsen. There is only one entrance; just walk straight once you alight.

Onsen: Once you are inside, standard, put your shoes inside locker with JPY100 (refundable). If you do not have coins, walk inside where the toilet is and there is a coin changer.

Walk to counter and the Recep will take the ticket attached to the one-day pass. Explanation given in English and if you did not bring your own towel, it will cost you JPY120 for a really small towel which you will return later inside the cloths changing (hair drying) area.

You are directed to second floor where there are lockers for your belonging. Again, JPY100 (refundable).

Walk to your leftmost and follow sign to the onsen. At the changing area, again, JPY100 (refundable). Inside the onsen, the outdoor is really breezy and nice garden and mountain view.

Restaurant: I only see the Indian restaurant and the owner will ask you to order and pay first. A slip of paper with your waiting number will be given to you. Once your food/drink is ready, they will call out. They managed to figure out I only understand English after calling out a few times in Japanese.

Way back: Go back to the bus stop...