Guesthouse Twinkle

The owner sets out bird feed and apples by the windows, so squirrels and birds come by to have breakfast alongside you. It was such an interesting experience. At night the sky is bright with beautiful stars. A lovely homestay in a wooden house, with large guest rooms, an onsen and bathroom in the room, and delicious Western-style dinner and breakfast.

For someone looking for peace and nature, this place is a great choice. There are no lights nearby, so on a clear night you can see an amazing starry sky. I visited at the end of July and saw the Milky Way in the southern sky. The room has an indoor open-air bath and a modular bath, and the open-air bath looks up at the sky, so it’s especially nice for a stay-in evening. It’s about an hour by car from Memanbetsu Airport, and there aren’t any convenience stores or vending machines within walking distance, so getting here by public transport isn’t very convenient. Dinner and breakfast are included. Dinner was an Italian course with Hokkaido meat, fish, and vegetables. I was there during an unusually hot summer, with temperatures up to 35°C, and there were lots of insects at night, so keep that in mind if insects bother you. I stayed one night and had a great time. I’d like to come back.

The meal was the highlight, especially the owner-chef’s homemade Italian course. My partner said the carrot potage at dinner was the best he’d ever had. Every dish was delicious, including the homemade breakfast bread. I don’t like fruit and can barely eat it, so I was impressed that this was my first full-course meal without fruit. For the first time, I finished everything and felt really happy about it. We arrived more than an hour late because heavy rain the day before had brought down trees and caused landslides, closing roads on our planned route to Kushiro. There was no phone signal either. Even so, we were warmly welcomed. Strong winds and heavy rain continued after we arrived, but the open-air bath we’d been looking forward to had a roof, so we could relax in it despite the weather. I was initially a little uneasy that the room had no TV, but the quiet gave us plenty of time to talk and unwind. The convenience store is far away, so it’s a good idea to bring tea and other essentials. On the way home, my partner and I were already talking about returning. It’s definitely somewhere I’d like to visit again.

I stayed on my own and really relaxed in the private open-air hot spring. The water was just the right temperature. Beyond the privacy wall, it opens onto Kussharo Plain, and I could hear the wind, rustling trees, and deer calling. It was wonderful to feel surrounded by the wilderness. There are only four rooms, but the inn was incredibly clean. I visited in November as the weather was turning chilly, and the room heating was set so well that I didn’t need to touch the switch all night. The unit bathroom was the one small inconvenience. There’s no separate washing area for the hot spring bath, so you have to shower in the unit bathroom. It was cramped, but it did the job. As you’d expect from an auberge, the owner-chef made homemade Western-style food. She handled both cooking and service herself, yet there were no delays. Hot dishes arrived hot and cold dishes cold, all at just the right temperature. She also chatted with each table and served everyone with an easy, graceful manner. Even traveling alone, I never felt lonely. Breakfast was wonderful too, a homemade-style Western meal, and the forest outside the window in the morning made it feel open. The day before, it had rained, and while cleaning my rain gear in the room I accidentally spilled alcohol disinfectant on the table, leaving a white mark. They laughed it off, but I’m sure I caused trouble, and I’m sincerely sorry. I’d love to come back in a different season.