Kojohama Spa Hotel

The onsen was the highlight, and the rooms were quiet and comfortable, if the usual smallish size for Japan. The hotel is quaint, modern, and clean, and there isn’t much around, so having a car would be useful. One update: the posts from 2024 and earlier mention outdated rooms, but in 2025 all rooms have been renovated and look brand new. A great place to stay.

We spent two nights here with family and enjoyed both the indoor and outdoor onsen baths. The hotel is very nice, clean, and modern, and the staff were kind and accommodating. They even changed breakfast to a vegetarian meal for one of my family members. Driving is more convenient, and there’s a large car park with free parking, but you can also come by train. Kojohama station is the nearest. Highly recommend.

The onsen looked brand new, with four indoor pools at different temperatures, one outdoor pool, and a sauna. There’s also a relaxation room and a TV room with individual chairs, each with its own television. Breakfast was a large, excellent Japanese set meal, though we weren’t quite sure what everything was. Some of our group especially liked the cod roe. Dinner was reasonably priced and good as well. This worked well as a base for our day trip to Noboribestu Onsen, especially with a car. The rooms were new and large by Japanese standards, but had limited hanging space. You can walk to the ocean and see this fishing town’s activities, including fish drying outdoors in winter.

We found the ryokan quiet and relaxing, with delicious food, a proper onsen, and very friendly service. The issue is getting around: buses run only three or four times a day, and sometimes you may wait 30 minutes for a taxi. The hotel has a shuttle, but departures are limited, and it was fully booked when we wanted to return to Sapporo. We paid 300 USD for one night in a big room, including dinner, breakfast, and the onsen. For us, ryokans often cost too much for what they offer, and this felt overpriced too. Otherwise, everything was fine.