Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizantei — Hotel in Sapporo

We stayed at Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizantei in early January 2023 for 1 night - our first time here. We took the Kappa Liner Bus from Sapporo station and it was a very pleasant & scenic ride. Our bus ride was at 1215 noon & it took a bit over an hour. We chose this bus line because their bus stop is directly in front of this hotel.|We arrived at approx. 1330hrs. There was a lot of snow on the ground and covering much of the front entrance, the trees, parked cars and the hotel itself. The lobby looks inviting and spacious. Check-in was very efficient. Let me say now that we are from Hawaii and we don't speak Japanese, but if there was any communication problem, it was minimal as most of the citizens here can speak a small amount or understand some English. On the frontside of the lobby is a grand room with many padded chairs & tables for relaxing, reading or conversing. |On the left side of the lobby, there's a short stairway going down to a very nice & large lounge area on the right; and, a smaller coffee/pastry area on the left. The pastries here are exquisite & only a limited amount is prepared because this smaller section closes very early after lunch.|Now the larger lounge area on the rightside is truly worth exploring. As soon as you enter, there is a long bar/counter where an attendant is always preparing sushi or pasty/small desserts. There is room with sofas & chairs, and self-serve coffee & a variety of teas. In the late afternoon, there is a large variety of beer or sake on tap. There are also several small Tatami-like rooms for small gatherings on the side. Now the best part - everything in this room is complimentary! |On the 2nd level is a relaxation lounge area with massage chairs, a restaurant and a very nice large gift shop. I think that there is another restaurant, but it may have been under renovation at this time.|After checking in, we walked across the street to a small, quaint Ramen shop. There is a counter for about 6-8 & a few small tables. Looked like a husband & wife operation. The menu was limited, but the food was wonderful (especially with the snow & cold air outside). When we first arrived, there were 3 other people - by the time we left, a crowd was waiting, standing around inside this tiny place. We couldn't venture very far in the neighboring area due to hilly & snowy roadway. This Ramen shop was truly a 'rescue joint' for us hungry, cold travelers.|We opted for a room with a private Onsen. Our room was on the 6th floor and at the end of the hallway. This room was beautiful - very large - even the entry area was large. The main room was super spacious, had minimal furniture, but we really loved it. There was a small restroom with toilet and sink. At the end of the hall, there was larger room with a larger sink & shower. The onsen area was fabulous - an entry area for changing with towels, a separate section for washdown before entering the onsen. The onsen was spacious & grand with many windows that could slide open to allow the cold winter air in. Our view from our room & the onsen was so picturesque of the hillside in the back of the hotel with trees. Everything was covered with snow and the wintery scenery was pristine & perfect while relaxing in the exquisite, hot onsen. I can't say enough good things about this hotel, our room & the onsen. One thing that I noticed was that this hotel's onsen water didn't have that sulfuric smell that I noticed in some other onsens in Hokkaido.|In the evening, we were taken in the hotel van along with probably 5 other couple to a separate restaurant for a grand kaiseki dinner. It was like a 5-7 minute ride. I'm not sure if this is a permanent arrangement or only temporary because of the restaurant under renovation. But regardless, we didn't mind this van ride as the dinner was superb -the ambience, service & food was excellent.|The next morning, we rode this same van to the same restaurant for an elegant breakfast. Today, the snowfall was much heavier and the snowplows were busy at work clearing the streets & even the driveway & parking lot for this restaurant.|About an hour & half later we had to check out of the hotel to make our return bus ride to Sapporo. At the front desk, the hotel agent told us that our bus was cancelled because it would not be able to make it up the steep mountain road due to the heavy snowfall. Oh no!|Now, what happened next is really mind-blowing.... I was thinking that we would have to stay a 2nd night here (which really would not have been a great hardship). But after a few minutes of waiting in the lobby, my wife & I were directed by the staff to go into the van (same one we took to the restaurant). The young male van driver took us on a very adventurous & hairy van-ride through the perilous snow storm down the mountain road. The traffic was heavy at times, with numerous stops, reversing & changing routes due to the traffic jams and blocked roads. After maybe 30 or 40 minutes, miraculously we saw our bus. To make this story short- further down the road, our van driver was able to catch the bus, talk to the driver and get us on our return bus to Sapporo.|Now what blows my mind about this experience is that this Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizantei and their courageous young van driver did not have to go so far our of their way to help us get on our return bus. Words cannot express our heartfelt gratitude for the time & effort spent on helping us get on our bus. This attention & dedication to their guest speaks volumes about the kindness & care of their guest (& fellow humans). Now, my wife & I are seniors and we've traveled quite a bit - we really don't think that we would have received this level of customer service & care at anywhere else other than in Japan. I think that in most places, a cancelled bus would leave people like us stranded & "on your own"|Lastly in full disclosure, I must add that this Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizante & our onsen room was not cheap. There are other less expensive, but very nice hotels in Jozankei. But even without our "hairy" rescue van-ride, we were totally satisfied & overwhelmed with beauty of this hotel, the accomodations & the kind &friendly staff here. We will definitely be back again.|Please pardon my extremely...

We stayed at Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizantei in early January 2023 for 1 night - our first time here. We took the Kappa Liner Bus from Sapporo station and it was a very pleasant & scenic ride. Our bus ride was at 1215 noon & it took a bit over an hour. We chose this bus line because their bus stop is directly in front of this hotel.|We arrived at approx. 1330hrs. There was a lot of snow on the ground and covering much of the front entrance, the trees, parked cars and the hotel itself. The lobby looks inviting and spacious. Check-in was very efficient. Let me say now that we are from Hawaii and we don't speak Japanese, but if there was any communication problem, it was minimal as most of the citizens here can speak a small amount or understand some English. On the frontside of the lobby is a grand room with many padded chairs & tables for relaxing, reading or conversing. |On the left side of the lobby, there's a short stairway going down to a very nice & large lounge area on the right; and, a smaller coffee/pastry area on the left. The pastries here are exquisite & only a limited amount is prepared because this smaller section closes very early after lunch.|Now the larger lounge area on the rightside is truly worth exploring. As soon as you enter, there is a long bar/counter where an attendant is always preparing sushi or pasty/small desserts. There is room with sofas & chairs, and self-serve coffee & a variety of teas. In the late afternoon, there is a large variety of beer or sake on tap. There are also several small Tatami-like rooms for small gatherings on the side. Now the best part - everything in this room is complimentary! |On the 2nd level is a relaxation lounge area with massage chairs, a restaurant and a very nice large gift shop. I think that there is another restaurant, but it may have been under renovation at this time.|After checking in, we walked across the street to a small, quaint Ramen shop. There is a counter for about 6-8 & a few small tables. Looked like a husband & wife operation. The menu was limited, but the food was wonderful (especially with the snow & cold air outside). When we first arrived, there were 3 other people - by the time we left, a crowd was waiting, standing around inside this tiny place. We couldn't venture very far in the neighboring area due to hilly & snowy roadway. This Ramen shop was truly a 'rescue joint' for us hungry, cold travelers.|We opted for a room with a private Onsen. Our room was on the 6th floor and at the end of the hallway. This room was beautiful - very large - even the entry area was large. The main room was super spacious, had minimal furniture, but we really loved it. There was a small restroom with toilet and sink. At the end of the hall, there was larger room with a larger sink & shower. The onsen area was fabulous - an entry area for changing with towels, a separate section for washdown before entering the onsen. The onsen was spacious & grand with many windows that could slide open to allow the cold winter air in. Our view from our room & the onsen was so picturesque of the hillside in the back of the hotel with trees. Everything was covered with snow and the wintery scenery was pristine & perfect while relaxing in the exquisite, hot onsen. I can't say enough good things about this hotel, our room & the onsen. One thing that I noticed was that this hotel's onsen water didn't have that sulfuric smell that I noticed in some other onsens in Hokkaido.|In the evening, we were taken in the hotel van along with probably 5 other couple to a separate restaurant for a grand kaiseki dinner. It was like a 5-7 minute ride. I'm not sure if this is a permanent arrangement or only temporary because of the restaurant under renovation. But regardless, we didn't mind this van ride as the dinner was superb -the ambience, service & food was excellent.|The next morning, we rode this same van to the same restaurant for an elegant breakfast. Today, the snowfall was much heavier and the snowplows were busy at work clearing the streets & even the driveway & parking lot for this restaurant.|About an hour & half later we had to check out of the hotel to make our return bus ride to Sapporo. At the front desk, the hotel agent told us that our bus was cancelled because it would not be able to make it up the steep mountain road due to the heavy snowfall. Oh no!|Now, what happened next is really mind-blowing.... I was thinking that we would have to stay a 2nd night here (which really would not have been a great hardship). But after a few minutes of waiting in the lobby, my wife & I were directed by the staff to go into the van (same one we took to the restaurant). The young male van driver took us on a very adventurous & hairy van-ride through the perilous snow storm down the mountain road. The traffic was heavy at times, with numerous stops, reversing & changing routes due to the traffic jams and blocked roads. After maybe 30 or 40 minutes, miraculously we saw our bus. To make this story short- further down the road, our van driver was able to catch the bus, talk to the driver and get us on our return bus to Sapporo.|Now what blows my mind about this experience is that this Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizantei and their courageous young van driver did not have to go so far our of their way to help us get on our return bus. Words cannot express our heartfelt gratitude for the time & effort spent on helping us get on our bus. This attention & dedication to their guest speaks volumes about the kindness & care of their guest (& fellow humans). Now, my wife & I are seniors and we've traveled quite a bit - we really don't think that we would have received this level of customer service & care at anywhere else other than in Japan. I think that in most places, a cancelled bus would leave people like us stranded & "on your own"|Lastly in full disclosure, I must add that this Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizante & our onsen room was not cheap. There are other less expensive, but very nice hotels in Jozankei. But even without our "hairy" rescue van-ride, we were totally satisfied & overwhelmed with beauty of this hotel, the accomodations & the kind &friendly staff here. We will definitely be back again.|Please pardon my extremely...

I stayed at Jouzankei Daiichi Hotel in Dec. 2023 with a friend for one night and it was the perfect addition to our itinerary so that we could relax and reset. The ryokan is situated in the small onsen town of Jouzankei which is not too difficult to explore on foot for 1-1.5 hrs if you have time to spare. We did this after check-out. The apple pie cafe J-glacee, souvenir shops, and Iwato Kannondo temple are very close. We went in early December and it was very quiet and peaceful with not too many tourists. The ryokan is beautifully designed with a mix of traditional Japanese, retro, and mid-century modern style. There are lots of cute places to take pictures in the communal areas. I was relieved that most staff were able to provide English assistance and made us feel very comfortable. At the time of check-in, you select the time slot for dinner and breakfast. The kaiseki style dinner was prepared well and I tried many ingredients I’ve never eaten before— not the typical everyday foods you will encounter daily in Japan. If you get hungry between dinner and breakfast there is a lounge on the first floor where you can self-serve tea and snacks, and alcohol at a certain time in the evening. The baths were excellent and had various temperatures to suit your comfort level. I recommend to take advantage of the sauna and cold plunge. The men’s and women’s baths switch location from night to morning so you should take baths in both the evening and the morning to see the full range. Both sections have an outdoor bath and one of them is particularly pretty with a snowy courtyard. I booked my stay approximately 3 months ahead of time through the proxy site JapanICan which confirmed the booking instantly. One mistake I made was not reaching out to book the complimentary Sapporo-Jouzankei hotel coach bus and I didn’t realize reservations were necessary. We took the #7 city bus to come to Jouzankei, which does stop at the hotel but it gets quite crowded with many travelers and their luggage. However, I did book the return bus ride at the time of check in, which comfortably and quickly took us to Odori Park in Sapporo. Thank you Daiichi Hotel staff for your omotenashii ❤️ I wholeheartedly recommend this ryokan to anyone...