Hotel Jogakura

The indoor and outdoor baths were great, and the breakfast buffet was a lovely surprise. Every dish felt distinctive and delicious, the sashimi was fresh, and the spread changed a little each day. Our three-night stay was relaxing and wholesome, with Kaiseki dinner as the highlight. We had a different menu each night, all delicious and made with interesting ingredients. We were told Chief of Chef Takeo Jin San has plenty more menus, so I guess we’ll have to come back and try them. We also had the pleasure of meeting Oma San, who remembered our room, anticipated what we needed, and suggested drinks for dinner. Thoughtful service.

My family and I had a great stay in the Junior Suite, which comes with a private onsen bath. There was clearly a lot of thought put into letting you enjoy the open air from inside the room. The Japanese course meal was well worth it, too. And thanks to the staff who cut up our apples so we could enjoy them in the room.

A small hotel that’s very good value. I used to ski and ski tour a lot in the Hakkoda mountains, but had never stayed here. I first checked it out more than 25 years ago, before the renovation. The current version is functional and well placed for free skiing. This time I visited Hakkoda without snow for the first time, and the freshly green mountains are worth a day or two. I’d say Hakkoda is more agreeable than Mt Iwaki. The onsen is pretty ordinary compared with nearby Sukayu or Tsuta Onsen.

The onsen was beautiful, and getting in with tattoos was no problem. The bathroom is a bit small, but you’ll probably spend most of your time in the onsen anyway. Rooms are clean and spacious. The place is a little old-fashioned, but I enjoyed my stay very much. I’d strongly recommend having a car to get there.