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Lake Shikotsu and Chitose onsen ryokan: 5 picked from 29
Approximate, at the rate on 2026-10-02. You pay in yen.
- Lake Shikotsu ryokan: three on the lake shore, two inland at Nanporo and Yuni
- Nanporo and Yunni no Yu are cheapest, about ¥15,000 with two meals on a weeknight
- Suimeikaku has an onsen bath in all eight rooms; no children under 12
The five
| Best for | Where to book | Score | Weeknight (per person) | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top-rated of the 11, free-flowing onsen and dinner in your room — if you can’t decide | Nanporo Onsen Heart & Heart Check price |
80/100 | ¥15,000 | ¥17,000–18,000 |
| Eight lake-view rooms, each with its own onsen bath | Lakeside Villa Suimeikaku Check price |
76/100 | — | ¥43,000–47,000 |
| Coffee-coloured onsen with pick-up from Yuni station | Yunni no Yu Check price |
76/100 | ¥15,000 | ¥17,000–18,000 |
| Lake Shikotsu ryokan with in-room dinner and private baths | Shikotsuko Daiichi Hotel Suizantei Check price |
69/100 | ¥28,000–36,000 | ¥29,000–36,000 |
| National-park lakeside onsen with the best-rated baths | Marukoma Onsen Ryokan Check price |
69/100 | — | ¥24,000–30,000 |
Prices are the cheapest per person found on Rakuten Travel for Wednesdays and Saturdays between 2026-11-04 – 2026-12-26, for 2 adults in one room (checked 2026-10-25). They move daily — the link shows live prices.
The booking links go to Agoda, which shows today’s price and lets you pay in your own currency. Its price can differ from the Rakuten Travel figures above.
Top-rated of the 11, free-flowing onsen and dinner in your room
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.51/5 (110) · Agoda 4.8/10 (1) · 111 in total
- 23 rooms in the farmland of Nanporo
- 80/100, the top score of the five
Why it made the five
- 4.51 across 110 reviews — the highest average of the 11; cleanliness 4.61, also the highest.
- Free-flowing onsen with a large bath, open-air bath and sauna.
- Dinner in your room or a banquet room; breakfast in the restaurant.
- About ¥15,000 per person with two meals on a weeknight, ¥17,000–18,000 on a Saturday.
Getting there: About 15 minutes by car from JR Ebetsu station, or about 20 minutes by Yutetsu bus to the Nanporo Onsen-mae stop; about 45 minutes by car from central Sapporo. Free parking for about 20 cars.
Language and payment: Per Rakuten, a few staff understand a little English. Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and several Japanese cards are listed. Tattoo rules are not published, so ask before using the shared baths.
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Right for: Pairing Sapporo with a quiet, well-reviewed onsen night at a low price.
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Not for: Wanting to be by Lake Shikotsu or near the airport — it is in the Nanporo countryside.
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Worth knowing: Curfew at midnight. Call ahead if you will arrive later than your booked check-in time.
Score breakdown — 80/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★☆☆ | Room, bath and dinner average 4.56 on Rakuten Travel |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | ¥15,000 per person on a weeknight (Rakuten, dinner and breakfast) — 61% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Dinner in your room (or a banquet room); private-room dining; about 45 minutes by car from central Sapporo and 15 from JR Ebetsu station; about 20 minutes by Yutetsu bus from Ebetsu to the Nanporo Onsen-mae stop; a free-flowing natural hot spring with a large bath, open-air bath and sauna; an inn proud of its cooking, with dinner in your room; cleanliness rated 4.61; a few staff understand a little English. |
| Trust | ★★★☆☆ | 4.51 across 110 reviews (Rakuten Travel 110) |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | Its 4.51 review average is the highest of the 11 that qualified, and its 4.61 for cleanliness is also the best of the 11. |
Eight lake-view rooms, each with its own onsen bath
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.50/5 (132) · Agoda 9.5/10 (14) · 146 in total
- Dinner rated 4.80; Rakuten shows no room or bath scores
- 76/100, joint second with Yunni no Yu
Why it made the five
- Eight rooms, all facing the lake, each with an onsen bathroom.
- Hokkaido-Italian course dinner; a massage chair in every room.
- 40 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport, or by bus and a five-minute walk.
- No weeknight rooms in our search window; about ¥43,000–47,000 per person on a Saturday.
Getting there: 40 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport, 75 minutes from central Sapporo. By bus: Chuo Bus from New Chitose Airport or Chitose station to the Shikotsuko stop, about 50 minutes, then five minutes on foot. Free parking for ten cars; on the last stretch from Route 453 the road is marked no entry for general traffic, and the hotel says to carry on for about 100 m.
Language and payment: Language support is not published, so ask when you book. Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express and Diners Club are listed. Rakuten lists a shuttle bus among its facilities but gives no details, so ask about it. Tattoo rules are not published; with an onsen bath in every room, you need not use a shared one.
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Right for: A couple wanting their own onsen bath and the lake view to themselves.
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Not for: Families with children under 12, who cannot stay.
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Worth knowing: No guests under 12. Call if you will arrive after 19:00. Bathing tax of ¥150 per person on top.
Score breakdown — 76/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★★ | Rakuten shows no room or bath score; its dinner score is 4.80 |
| Value for money | ★☆☆☆☆ | No weeknight room was free in our search window (Rakuten, dinner and breakfast) — 177% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Check-out 11:00; a shuttle bus (no conditions listed); 40 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport; about 50 minutes by Chuo Bus from New Chitose Airport or Chitose station to the Shikotsuko stop, then five minutes on foot; eight rooms, all facing the lake with an onsen bathroom; a Hokkaido-Italian course dinner; a massage chair in every room; no smoking anywhere inside. |
| Trust | ★★★☆☆ | 4.5 across 132 reviews (Rakuten Travel 132) |
| Only here | ★★★★★ | Just eight rooms on the shore of Lake Shikotsu, every one with a lake view and its own onsen bathroom. |
Coffee-coloured onsen with pick-up from Yuni station
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.43/5 (338) · Agoda 8.6/10 (18) · 356 in total
- 21 rooms in Yuni
- The inn says the water leaves your skin smooth
- Dinner in a private room or the restaurant
Why it made the five
- Coffee-coloured hot spring; large bath, open-air bath, sauna, jacuzzi and cold plunge.
- Service rated 4.57, the highest of the 11.
- Pick-up from JR Yuni or Kuriyama station, booked ahead.
- About ¥15,000 per person with two meals on a weeknight, ¥17,000–18,000 on a Saturday.
Getting there: About five minutes by car from JR Yuni station, with pick-up from Yuni or Kuriyama station if booked ahead (conditions apply); about an hour by car from Sapporo. Free parking for 200 cars.
Language and payment: Per Rakuten, a few staff understand a little English. Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express and Diners Club are listed. Tattoo rules are not published, so ask before using the shared baths. Wheelchair-accessible, with assisted bathing possible in the large bath.
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Right for: Trying an unusual-coloured onsen with attentive service, without a car.
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Not for: Wanting to be by Lake Shikotsu or near the airport — it is in Yuni.
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Worth knowing: Curfew at midnight. Bathing tax of ¥150 per adult on top.
Score breakdown — 76/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | Room, bath and dinner average 4.45 on Rakuten Travel |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | ¥15,000 per person on a weeknight (Rakuten, dinner and breakfast) — 60% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Pick-up from JR Yuni and Kuriyama stations (book ahead; conditions apply); private-room dining; an hour by car from Sapporo and about five minutes from JR Yuni station; coffee-coloured water that leaves your skin smooth; a large bath, open-air bath, sauna, jacuzzi and cold plunge; dinner in a private room or the restaurant; a few staff understand a little English. |
| Trust | ★★★☆☆ | 4.43 across 338 reviews (Rakuten Travel 338) |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | Rare coffee-coloured onsen water, and its 4.57 for service is the highest of the 11 that qualified. |
Lake Shikotsu ryokan with in-room dinner and private baths
Shikotsuko Daiichi Hotel Suizantei
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.49/5 (754) · Agoda 8.9/10 (1,486) · 2,240 in total
- 26 rooms in Shikotsuko Onsen, the village on the lake shore
- Dinner is built on seafood, with chippu (kokanee) and Shiraoi black wagyu in season
Why it made the five
- Dinner in your room or a dining room; dinner rated 4.62, the highest of the 11.
- Two private open-air baths (¥3,300 for 40 minutes); some rooms have a garden open-air bath.
- Free bus from JR Chitose station at 14:00, back at 11:00 — book ahead.
- ¥28,000–36,000 per person with two meals on a weeknight.
Getting there: 50 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport. Free shuttle bus from JR Chitose station at 14:00, returning from the hotel at 11:00, by advance booking only. Free parking for 25 cars, first come first served.
Language and payment: Per Rakuten, a few staff understand a little English. Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express and Diners Club are listed. Tattoo rules are not published; the private open-air baths let your party bathe alone. The hotel phones before your stay to confirm the booking.
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Right for: Two people wanting dinner in their room and an open-air bath to themselves.
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Not for: Families with children under 13, who cannot stay.
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Worth knowing: Guests must be 13 or older. Call if you will be later than your booked check-in time. Bathing tax of ¥150 and Hokkaido’s accommodation tax are on top.
Score breakdown — 69/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★☆☆ | Room, bath and dinner average 4.56 on Rakuten Travel |
| Value for money | ★★☆☆☆ | ¥28,000–36,000 per person on a weeknight (Rakuten, dinner and breakfast) — 115% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Check-out 11:00; free bus from JR Chitose station at 14:00, back from the hotel at 11:00 (book ahead); meals in your room (breakfast in your room or the restaurant, dinner in your room or a dining room); private-room dining; 50 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport; 26 rooms, some with a garden open-air bath; two private open-air baths (paid, 40 minutes); a few staff understand a little English; Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express accepted. |
| Trust | ★★★☆☆ | 4.49 across 754 reviews (Rakuten Travel 754) |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | Of the three qualifying inns on Lake Shikotsu, the only one that serves dinner in your room — and its 4.62 for dinner is the highest of the 11. |
National-park lakeside onsen with the best-rated baths
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.45/5 (977) · Agoda 8.5/10 (1,071) · 2,048 in total
- 55 rooms on its own stretch of shore, inside the national park
- Dinner at a robata hearth grill or in a dining room
- Breakfast is a buffet
Why it made the five
- Bath rated 4.61 and location 4.60 — both the highest of the 11.
- Large bath, open-air bath, family bath and sauna; renewed in 2024.
- 977 reviews, the most of any inn on Lake Shikotsu.
- No weeknight rooms in our search window; ¥24,000–30,000 per person on a Saturday.
Getting there: 50 minutes by car from JR Chitose station or New Chitose Airport; 60 minutes from Sapporo. Rakuten lists a shuttle bus among its facilities but gives no conditions, so ask when you book. Free parking for 50 cars.
Language and payment: Language support is not published, so ask when you book. Visa, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and several Japanese cards are listed — Mastercard is not on the list. Tattoo rules are not published; there is a family bath, which may let your party bathe alone, so ask about it.
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Right for: Coming for the lake view and the hot spring itself.
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Not for: Wanting dinner in your room or a private room — it is served at a hearth grill or in a dining room.
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Worth knowing: Call ahead if you will check in after 18:00. Bathing tax of ¥150 per adult on top.
Score breakdown — 69/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | Room, bath and dinner average 4.36 on Rakuten Travel |
| Value for money | ★★★☆☆ | No weeknight room was free in our search window (Rakuten, dinner and breakfast) — 100% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | A shuttle bus (no conditions listed); 50 minutes by car from JR Chitose station and New Chitose Airport, 60 from Sapporo; a national-park hot spring with a view, and a sauna, renewed in 2024; natural-onsen large bath, open-air bath, family bath and sauna; bath rated 4.61 and location 4.60; the Shikotsuko ice festival in February; every room non-smoking. |
| Trust | ★★★☆☆ | 4.45 across 977 reviews (Rakuten Travel 977) |
| Only here | ★★★★★ | Its 4.61 for the bath and 4.60 for location are both the highest of the 11 that qualified, and its 977 reviews are the most of any inn on Lake Shikotsu. |
Know before you book
- New Chitose Airport is where most visitors to Hokkaido land. The Lake Shikotsu inns here give 40 to 50 minutes by car from it; without a car, the Chuo Bus from the airport or JR Chitose station reaches the Shikotsuko stop in about 50 minutes.
- Lake Shikotsu is a caldera lake inside Shikotsu-Toya National Park. Shikotsuko Onsen is the small hot-spring village on its shore, where Lakeside Villa Suimeikaku and Suizantei stand; Marukoma Onsen Ryokan is on its own stretch of shore further round the lake.
- In February the lake holds the Shikotsuko Hyoto Matsuri, an ice festival. If you come in winter by car, expect snow and ice on the roads.
- Two of the five are not on the lake but in the farmland east of Sapporo: Nanporo Onsen Heart & Heart, about 45 minutes by car from central Sapporo, and Yunni no Yu in Yuni, about an hour, with pick-up from JR Yuni station. They pair better with Sapporo than with the lake.
- Without a car: Suizantei runs a free bus from JR Chitose station at 14:00, Yunni no Yu picks up at Yuni or Kuriyama station, and Suimeikaku is five minutes on foot from the Shikotsuko bus stop. Both pick-ups must be booked ahead.
- Japanese shared baths are nude and you wash at the taps before getting in. None of these inns publishes a tattoo rule, so ask before you go. Prices here are per person with dinner and breakfast, for two sharing. A bathing tax of ¥150 comes on top at most of them, and some also add the accommodation tax charged in Hokkaido since April 2026.
How we chose: theme, conditions, scoring
How we chose
- Candidates: every property in Lake Shikotsu and Chitose listed on Rakuten Travel — 29
- Passed the review filter (counts and averages on Rakuten Travel, the one site that lists every property in the area): 24
- Met every condition below: 11
- Kept: five, each the best at something different
Where the facts come from
- Facts: Rakuten Travel property information (in some articles, each hotel’s own site too)
- Prices: Rakuten Travel live availability, Wednesdays and Saturdays over eight weeks
- Reviews: the count and average on Rakuten Travel, as given in each hotel’s Trust row. Agoda’s reviews are shown under each hotel name for reference only and do not count towards the score
Conditions (all of them, not most of them)
- In Rakuten Travel’s Chitose, Shikotsu, Tomakomai, Takikawa, Yubari and Sorachi district of Hokkaido, with a hot spring
- At least 30 reviews on Rakuten Travel, averaging 4.0 or better
- The cheapest rate falls between ¥8,000 and ¥40,000 per person per night
- An open-air hot-spring bath, counting the outdoor part of the large bath; private and in-room open-air baths are noted in the text as a bonus
- Usable as a base from New Chitose Airport or Lake Shikotsu — qualifying inns far to the north, in Ashibetsu, Bibai, Numata, Tobetsu and Kitamura, were left out
Scoring
Five criteria, one to five stars each, weighted to one hundred points. Every star says where the number came from.
- Quality25 pts
- The average of the scores Rakuten Travel publishes for the room, the bath and the food.
- Value for money20 pts
- The cheapest rate with dinner and breakfast against the median of the inns we compared.
- Easy to stay30 pts
- Drive times and pick-ups, the baths, meals in a private room or your room, language support, and check-out time.
- Trust20 pts
- Review counts and averages published by Rakuten Travel.
- Only here5 pts
- What this inn has that the other ten do not.
What we dropped
| Property | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Naganuma Onsen | Runner-up (66/100) | 66/100, three points behind Suizantei and Marukoma. The closest to the airport and cheaper on a weeknight than any of the five, but room, bath and dinner average 4.26 and reviews 4.25 across 252 — one star for quality and two for trust. |
| Shikotsuko Tsuruga Resort Spa Mizu no Uta | Runner-up (65/100) | 65/100, four points behind Suizantei and Marukoma. The only free airport shuttle and the best English of the 11, but at ¥32,000–38,000 per person on a weeknight — 131% of the median — it gets one star for value. |
| Shikotsuko Tsuruga Besso Aonoza | Outside the theme | 4.54 across 38 reviews, and every room is a suite with its own open-air onsen bath on Lake Shikotsu — but its cheapest rate is twice our ¥40,000 ceiling. |
| Log Hotel Maple Lodge | Outside the theme | 4.58 across 284 reviews for a log hotel in a forest near Iwamizawa, with a natural hot spring and French dinners — but its listing does not mention an open-air bath, so we could not confirm the condition. |
| Kyukamura Shikotsuko | Outside the theme | 4.09 across 417 reviews for a public onsen lodge on Lake Shikotsu, about 50 minutes from New Chitose Airport — but its listing does not mention an open-air bath. |
| Ashibetsu Onsen Starlight Hotel | Outside the theme | 4.35 across 1,060 reviews, with a starlit open-air bath and three saunas, and it met every condition — but it is about two hours by car from New Chitose Airport, too far to be a base for this trip. |
Questions visitors ask
Which one would you book?
Nanporo Onsen Heart & Heart, the top score of the five at 80/100: a free-flowing onsen with an open-air bath, dinner in your room, 4.51 on Rakuten — the highest average of the 11 — and about ¥15,000 per person with two meals on a weeknight. It is in the countryside about 45 minutes from central Sapporo, though. If you want to wake up on Lake Shikotsu, Lakeside Villa Suimeikaku (76/100) gives every room a lake view and its own onsen bath.
Can I get there without a car?
Some of them. Suizantei runs a free bus from JR Chitose station at 14:00, returning at 11:00, booked ahead. Lakeside Villa Suimeikaku is about 50 minutes by Chuo Bus from New Chitose Airport or Chitose station to the Shikotsuko stop, then five minutes on foot. Yunni no Yu picks up at JR Yuni or Kuriyama station if you book. Of the runners-up, Mizu no Uta runs a free bus from the airport itself, booked by 19:00 three days ahead.
Which ones are on Lake Shikotsu?
Lakeside Villa Suimeikaku and Suizantei are in Shikotsuko Onsen, the village on the shore, 40 and 50 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport. Marukoma Onsen Ryokan has its own stretch of shore, 50 minutes from the airport. The runner-up Mizu no Uta is also in Shikotsuko Onsen. Nanporo Onsen Heart & Heart and Yunni no Yu are inland, in the farmland east of Sapporo.
Do any of them have English-speaking staff?
Rakuten lists a few staff who understand a little English at Nanporo Onsen Heart & Heart, Yunni no Yu and Suizantei. Suimeikaku and Marukoma publish nothing on language, so ask when you book. The runner-up Mizu no Uta is the only one of the 11 that says a few staff can handle everyday English. None publishes a tattoo rule.
Can I pay by card?
All five list Visa, JCB, American Express and Diners Club. Four also list Mastercard; Marukoma Onsen Ryokan does not have it on its list, so check if that is your card.
When were these prices checked?
We searched Rakuten Travel availability for Wednesdays and Saturdays between 4 November and 26 December 2026, taking the cheapest room with dinner and breakfast for two adults and showing it per person (checked 25 October 2026). Weeknights for the five ran from about ¥15,000 to ¥36,000 per person; Suimeikaku and Marukoma had no weeknight rooms in that window. A bathing tax of ¥150 comes on top at most inns, and some add Hokkaido’s accommodation tax. Prices move daily — the link on each inn shows today’s.
Changes
- 2026-10-29 First published. Scored from 29 candidates.