Pirika Rera Hotel — Hotel in Shiraoi

I give a lot of four stars, but seldom five, because even excellent establishments still have a little room for improvement. However, Pirika Rera deserves its near perfect rating. There is just so much that makes it a little paradise on earth, despite its somewhat unassuming location at one end of the main street through Shiraoi.||I'll start with the food and dining experience. You can choose from traditional kaiseki or French. You will definitely not go wrong with either and it is largely a matter of preference. Both options feature counter seating where you can enjoy the show of preparation by the master chefs, who are not only experts in their craft but very hospitable and knowledgeable hosts as well. The ingredients are locally sourced and seasonal to the fullest extent possible, and exquisitely prepared. The wine flight pairings for French and sake flight pairings for kaiseki, either of which is available for a very reasonable price, provide a generous variety of unusual and meticulously curated libations that go perfectly with each course. Pirika Rera's wine, sake and distilled beverage list is also excellent, and I was able to indulge in wonderful French marc, Caribbean rum and an extremely rare aged sake, which was a bit like dessert wine. There is even a small selection of shochu and whiskey offered gratis in the sitting room after dinner. All of the above are why I chose to describe Pirika Rera as both an auberge and ryokan.||Okay, the ryokan part. Because there are so few rooms here, the service is even more attentive than the usually high level of service one can expect at the best Japanese ryokans. The general manager Udagawa-san, would often personally provide suggestions and assistance, whether it be to offer to put on ice the beer that I had brought with me (BYOB consumed in your room is not a problem at all) or delivering the key to the outdoor bath that guests can use for one hour stints. There is of course a bath in the room with the same onsen hot spring, but we took a dunk in both. ||The onsen itself is quite unusual and a point of pride of the proprietors. Known as "moor hot spring," it is actually more famous in Tokachi than Shiraoi, but this is the real thing. The defining feature is that the onsen bubbles up through peat layers in the earth and comes up a very dark tea color. It may not look inviting at first, but it feels great against the skin and is nearly odorless. In fact, you can even drink it! The hotel filters some of the sediment out of the onsen and routes it through a little fountain where the slightly brownish-green water pours out. They provide little paper cups and encourage guests to have a taste, and it is far more agreeable than one would think. It almost tastes a little like tea!||Finally, the rooms. Though not particularly large for this type of inn, they are certainly more than sufficiently spacious and provide beds (rather than futons, which is a plus in my book) and massage chairs in addition to a little tatami area, which is raised slightly so you don't have to squat on the floor and rather can let your legs dangle below you in a more comfortable chair-like position. Wi-fi is perfectly serviceable and they stock the fridge with some complementary soft drinks, which is a nice touch. The bath as noted earlier has the same onsen trickling in a constant stream, and it faces a private mini-garden which guests can access from the room - another very nice touch.||Everything about our stay was superb and the attentive service was almost embarrassingly personalized. Oh, and there is even a lovely little lake called Poroto-ko very nearby for nature walks!||Shiraoi is a small town slightly off the beaten path and admittedly doesn't look like much at first, but it does have a couple of interesting establishments, the aforementioned lake, and of course Pirika Rera. It is actually quite close to Chitose airport and not much more than an hour from Sapporo, so access is quite...

We had such a lovely time at the hotel that I was so tempted to gatekeep and hide this cosy hotel for our private use!

Location wise, it wasn’t in the most exiting place, in that it’s more local than the usual tourists town with many souvenir shops and all, but it was near enough to the station and we had a very pleasant ~1km stroll in the winter with the sun up. We saw a COOP nearby, so if you like to visit supermarkets like us, you’ll be excited but really, you wouldn’t even feel like leaving the hotel once you enter.

There are only 6 suites in the hotel, so it was cozy and the service very warm. The onsen was the most lovely ever, direct from source and undiluted. The food was also amazing - it’s the best we’ve eaten this trip, despite now being our 12th day in Japan. I simply cannot recommend the dinner and breakfast enough. It’s such a pleasant surprise to find a place that’s genuinely 5 stars in all aspects, and I was so glad to still be able to enjoy such as pleasant stay in Japan with all the over tourism everywhere else.

This, is what reminded me of why I love...

Located at the town of Shiraoi about one hour drive from New Chitose airport, it is not a very popular onsen area, but a small town by the sea. The hotel is nothing like a traditional onsen hotel but a modern building. ||The lady at the reception is at the door to help us with the luggage. We were seated at the reception to the check-in, treated with a cup of tea and snacks. There were only six rooms in the hotel, a lounge, a restaurant and a reservation-required onsen. The room was of decent size, with separate toilet and bathroom, a seating area, a massage lounger, and a mini HiFi with CD. The room has a classic western style feel. Very comfortable.||The reservation onsen is nicely touched and one of the best of its kind I have ever visited. You can relax at the lounge after onsen and free drinks are provided. Dinner and breakfast are served in the only restaurant. The dinner is western style but of course with Japanese taste.||After all, if you want to try a more western style onsen hotel, this is one to try, but the price tag is a bit higher than normal...