Toyako Onsen Hokkai Hotel

The restaurant’s women were energetic, passionate, and friendly, and I really enjoyed the delicious food they prepared. There was so much to choose from. The men weren’t as enthusiastic in their service. The location is very good, right in front of the lake, with beautiful lake or fireworks views from the room. But the hotel feels antique, dated, tired, and worn out, from the public areas to the rooms. It looks like it has been around for decades and needs some updating. There’s a small balcony outside the room, but it was quite dirty and even had a spiderweb and spider. The door uses a regular key with a super long keychain.

For a peaceful lake view away from the tourist crowds, this place worked really well. It’s only about a 10-minute walk from the center of Toyako, with a lovely atmosphere, a straightforward but fully equipped onsen, helpful friendly service, and a great set meal.

The best thing about the room was its size and the lake-facing windows. I could watch the fireworks in comfort. The rest was a mixed experience. The hotel feels very old, almost like something from the 1950s, and still uses traditional room keys instead of card keys. Toiletries were limited to small packets of soap and shampoo. The bed and pillows weren’t comfortable for me, perhaps because I’m not used to futons, and breakfast was very average. I had the most trouble with the onsen. It was small and dirty, with visibly rusted areas around doors and windows, green water, and a damaged shower handle that had simply been taped up. The changing room smelled bad. The outdoor bath was especially uncomfortable: it’s on the first floor behind very low walls, so people walking outside can see in, as can guests staying above it. I couldn’t relax there without worrying about people peeping.

The hot spring bath is on the small side, though it usually wasn’t busy. I found the water too hot for a long, comfortable soak. The Hokkai Hotel is an older place, but it seemed reasonably well looked after and good value. It sits along the shore a little outside Toya town. In summer, fireworks are set off over the lake each night, and for the best view you can walk along the shore toward the town center.