Tabist Kitami Athlete Stays

The staff were incredibly friendly, kind, and helpful. When I got sick, they even helped me reschedule my next hotel. The training facilities were great, and the room, amenities, and sauna all felt new and very clean. Six stars would be fair.

Athlete Stays Kitami has a sauna with free self-löyly on the HARVIA stone tower. It’s 95°C, with four seats on each tier. There were quite a few people using the bath, but I had the sauna entirely to myself and ended up enjoying 12 sets. The cold plunge is 22°C. There isn’t a proper relaxation area, so you have to rest nearby or go back to your room.

I was here on a business trip, and the hotel was very clean. The rooms had Wi-Fi, separate toilet and bathroom, and drip coffee. There’s also a public bath, sauna, and sports gym, which was great. Kitami Institute of Technology, a curling rink, and even a Starbucks are right next door. The downside is that it’s far from the station, so having a car is essential. During training camps, perhaps as a special arrangement for athletes, men and women seem to hold meetings in the lobbies on each floor, and their conversations can be heard late into the night. That made a bathhouse visit at that time inconvenient. This year, possibly because of a stink bug infestation, stink bugs and ladybugs also got into my room. I caught six in total.

The gym facilities were incredibly good, and having a Starbucks right across from the accommodation made the stay even better. If you’re worried about gaining weight after eating five meals a day since arriving in Japan, I’d recommend this place.