Ryounkaku — Hotel in Kamifurano

I didn't stay overnight but I visited their Onsen and booked a snowshoeing tour to Ansei Crater through them. I really really liked the whole place. The rocky high mountains covered with a few meters of snow were dramatically beautiful.

Our charming guide Ken made sure we had a good time and despite his limited English skills and my even more limited Japanese skills, I learnt a lot about snowshoeing and the mountains in the area from him. Ansei Crater itself was covered in snow so it didn't really look different than the surrounding areas but the tour is really about all the beautiful spots on the way there.

And the scenic Onsen at the Ryounkaku is one of the things that life is worth living for. It feels like heaven lying there taking a bath looking at the snowy mountains. The outside bath has two separate baths with one hotter than the other. But even the colder one was actually warm enough to comfortably stay in for hours after I warmed my body beforehand in the much hotter indoor bath. When you're going to the Onsen, make sure to buy something to drink in advance because there is nothing in the changing room.

They also run a souvenir shop with snacks and a restaurant. The guy at the counter also joined the snowshoeing tour and he was also super nice and friendly. Sadly I forgot his name, he has curly hair and has glasses on. I definitely want to come back and spend a night...

|Located at the top of Mount Tokachi, Ryounkaku offered breathtaking views of the mountain range and snowy backcountry landscape when we visited in February. An easy 45 min drive from Furano, there is ample free parking outside the onsen building or at the adjacent public car park.

||We made a day visit to Ryounkaku and were able to rent towels which was super convenient. There is an old world charm to the onsen so expect rustic facilities. The female bath was tired looking due to years of staining from the copper coloured mineral onsen waters, but was adequately clean and tidy with full bath amenities provided. 

||What made our visit really special was the outdoor onsen which we got to enjoy all to ourselves as the only visitors at the time. The view of the mountains was nothing short of spectacular, with the back of the pool set into a small underhang of rocks which made us feel like we were bathing in a cave. ||Given how cold it was outdoors the water temperature was fairly tepid, but the views kept us there! We were thankful for the experience as we had read reviews that the outdoor onsens are sometimes closed due to weather conditions. 

||After our bath we retreated to a tatami room set aside for day visitors to enjoy some tea and to continue to soak in more of the views...

Located at the end of a road high in the mountains, this is a great place for backcountry skiing and hiking adventures! There are beautiful peaks all around and great tree ski runs nearby too! The staff were helpful and accommodated our specific dietary requests via email with a couple days advance notice. The Meoto Iwa room, one of the Japanese-style rooms was fairly spacious by Japanese standards with lots of space to dry our ski clothes. It had a mountain view and was equipped with tatami mat floors, futons (quite firm), sink, small refrigerator, low and high tables, chairs, large closets and a hot pot for making tea. The outside onsen (hot spring) was not working when we were there, but we were given a discount to compensate and there were several other outside onsen in the area to use. The inside onsen was functional: it needs some work, but the naturally rust-colored water straight from Mother Earth was relaxing! The interior of the hotel has had some recent remodeling with new carpet, new shared bathrooms and a space with a cabinet, microwave and deep sink for dishes so some light self-catering is also possible. That said, the breakfast was very good and definitely don’t miss the dinner here! It was some of the best food we...