Sounkyo Kankou Hotel — Hotel in Kamikawa

I’ll start with the good things first.

The first thing is what attracted us to this hotel in the first place: Large outdoor onsen for both genders. You have to wear a cotton swimwear style garment to make this coop bathing possible, but my wife and I enjoyed the time soaking together a lot, esp when the air is still cold with the lingers of late winter chill, where the steam from the heated water all the more magical.

However that’s all that’s good about this hotel. The onsen water is barely warm enough. For such a size, simple zoning could easily offer a range of temperatures for different users.

The spring water is so diluted that it could have been tape water.

The onsen floor is made of rocks (imitation rocks) laid together quite unevenly, creating traps for trips and falls. Sharp edges here and there are pppp p the bulbs are in the process of the bulbs and the bulbs are in the bulbs and safety hazards as well.

The changing and shower room preceding entry to the onsen (for those of you who don’t know, you should take a shower to cleanup before entering an onsen) is tiny. The nude bodies of strangers of the same sex in various ages and physiques get too close to yours.

So much for onsen. The guest room is spacious in Japanese standard but it is the worse we have been: no hand towel, no face towels, no hanging set up for towels, no where to put your clothes in the bathroom, only two sockets available for everything.

If you reserved a non-smoking room, make sure to repeat that when checkin. Even in the cigarette free floor, smell of burnt tobacco is still impregnated in a few areas.

The shower in your own room gets either too hot or too cold. It is a safer bet to clean yourself in the hotel’s public bath.

The worst is the dinner buffet. There are a good enough variety, just the quality or the cooking were poor. We did not expect much from a buffet, but this one far exceed our tolerance for mediocrity. I have to mention in particular the crab, which is supposed to be a Hokkaido specialty, but the chef seems to think salt deserves more of visitors’ attention.

And this place...

Ryokan situated near the SOUNKYOU 43rd Ice Fall Festival venue in a scenic area near the highway. Hotel connected to new wing ANNEX SHIKI via up and down stairs and elevator access of same level but different floor of each building.||||ONSEN||||Gender segregated indoor onsen at basement floor. Onsen not 24 hours, but has a lovely outdoor onsen resembling a tropical pool. Unfortunately onsen temperature uneven, as some areas warm and not hot. Can also be windy and snowy…… ||The communal baths change-room can be crowded at near closing time, as there are only 4 hairdryers and limited seating. Yukata can be worn on hotel premises. ||||NOTE:　BATHSUITS provided for outdoor onsen, which is UNISEX! Chocolate one-piece siesta-like and baggy shorts costume is the standard gear for the outdoor hotspring.||||FOOD||||Lacks variety||Typical tourist group meals provided, with hot pot food selection. Each person also entitled to one serving of the Hokkaido crab leg, 1 portion per person dished out by the chef.||Beverage limited at dinner, as only 2 options of iced/hot green tea. Thankfully the hot pot soup was thirst-quenching. Bar available serving alcohol drinks, non-inclusive with meal.||||ROOMS||||XTRA-LARGE Family Tatami rooms (we were a group of 4), like a mini-apartment with a sun/snow room with tea-table and chairs to admire the magnificent mountain views. There was a convenient partition between the “lounge” and “tatami main bedroom” area. ||||The front door entrance was decorated with origami birds and ornaments and had a wooden gate. There were no teabags, coffee in the room, but a convenience store and vending machines located in the hotel. Futons (bedding-like a glorious sleeping-bag) were nicely laid out and comfortable. Bathroom designed as a mini-hot spring tub, which the kids enjoyed.||||SUMMARY;||||PLUS: HUGE SPACIOUS SUITES||MINUS: LACK OF BEVERAGE VARIETY IN ROOMS AND||HOTEL should offer more beverage options, or at least...

Ryokan situated near the SOUNKYOU 43rd Ice Fall Festival venue in a scenic area near the highway. Hotel connected to new wing ANNEX SHIKI via up and down stairs and elevator access of same level but different floor of each building.||||ONSEN||||Gender segregated indoor onsen at basement floor. Onsen not 24 hours, but has a lovely outdoor onsen resembling a tropical pool. Unfortunately onsen temperature uneven, as some areas warm and not hot. Can also be windy and snowy…… ||The communal baths change-room can be crowded at near closing time, as there are only 4 hairdryers and limited seating. Yukata can be worn on hotel premises. ||||NOTE:　BATHSUITS provided for outdoor onsen, which is UNISEX! Chocolate one-piece siesta-like and baggy shorts costume is the standard gear for the outdoor hotspring.||||FOOD||||Lacks variety||Typical tourist group meals provided, with hot pot food selection. Each person also entitled to one serving of the Hokkaido crab leg, 1 portion per person dished out by the chef.||Beverage limited at dinner, as only 2 options of iced/hot green tea. Thankfully the hot pot soup was thirst-quenching. Bar available serving alcohol drinks, non-inclusive with meal.||||ROOMS||||XTRA-LARGE Family Tatami rooms (we were a group of 4), like a mini-apartment with a sun/snow room with tea-table and chairs to admire the magnificent mountain views. There was a convenient partition between the “lounge” and “tatami main bedroom” area. ||||The front door entrance was decorated with origami birds and ornaments and had a wooden gate. There were no teabags, coffee in the room, but a convenience store and vending machines located in the hotel. Futons (bedding-like a glorious sleeping-bag) were nicely laid out and comfortable. Bathroom designed as a mini-hot spring tub, which the kids enjoyed.||||SUMMARY;||||PLUS: HUGE SPACIOUS SUITES||MINUS: LACK OF BEVERAGE VARIETY IN ROOMS AND||HOTEL should offer more beverage options, or at least...