Ikoinoyuyado Iroha

The rooms were excellent, modernized, spacious and clean, and the staff provided friendly, professional service. I particularly liked the outdoor onsen, though I'd suggest going after dinner because quite a few outside visitors use it before then. I thought I'd seen it all: one guy wore trunks inside, a fully tattooed guy did yoga on the onsen rocks, and an opera singer was there. They were all foreigners. This is one of the few very Japanese onsen hotels in the Niseko United area, which otherwise feels very Western oriented, and it has Japanese staff. It isn't ski in/out. Walk about five minutes up the path to Niseko Northern Annapuri resort, through the resort hallway to the ski locker area, then put on your skis and ski downhill to the lifts. Dinner was pretty good, Kaiseki style. There were three different meals, then one repeated on the fourth night. We tried all four ski resorts and liked Annapuri best. It was less crowded, had wider slopes and minimal lift lines. It's also the cheapest if you buy lift tickets for each resort separately. Get a discounted Annapuri voucher at the front desk and redeem it at the main lift counter. A united pass only makes sense if you can ski between resorts or need the shuttle. We drove between resorts because the very upper lifts connecting them were closed due to the early season.

The onsen has three pools, plus a cooler reclining pool and a sauna. One pool is outside, with the incomparable sight of snow falling onto the water. It's tattoo friendly. The staff were super friendly and helpful. I didn't catch one clerk's name, but they helped us call and reserve a place at another restaurant even though we weren't guests. We didn't stay at the hotel, so I can't comment on that. 5/5 for the staff and experience, would definitely go again.

For 2,000 yen plus 400 yen rental, the day pass got my friends and me a relaxing 3+ hours. It's tattoo friendly and has outdoor and indoor baths, a sauna and a cold bath. Definitely recommend it for recovery after a few days on the slopes, or if you want to use a public bath without booking a room. We couldn't eat here. There's only a small cafe with drinks, ice cream and one toastie, plus a souvenir store. Get the ice-cream combo.

Getting here may take some effort: you have to transfer to Niseko and take a bus, so check the schedule. The bus wasn't available when I arrived last time, and we had to walk quite far. But everything felt worth it once we made it. The place has indoor and outdoor baths, and a really nice lounge with massage chairs and free flow drinks. Our room was clean and tidy, and we had an amazing dinner and breakfast. I really loved the hospitality :)