Taking a break from our series of posts about our experience in India, we’d like to share with you our ryokan experience when we were in Sapporo earlier this year.
On our trip to Sapporo, we decided to venture outside the city to a hot spring (aka “onsen”) village called Noboribetsu Onsen (登別温泉). It is 6km inland from Noboribetsu itself. There, we stayed at an onsen ryokan called Ryotei Hanayura. The water at the onsens contain sulphur and iron, so be prepared and set expectations that the place will smell of sulphur (think: rotten eggs)! It’s only strong when you get close to the actual hot springs. Once you get used to it, it’s really not that bad.
Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan
Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan
Japan
Getting to Noboribetsu
Having JR passes, most part of our ride there was free via high speed Shinkansen trains. We made our way to Noboribetsu from Tokyo by a series of trains and opted for an overnight trip which helped us save on a night of hotel:
- Tokyo to Shin-Aomori (via JR Shinkansen)
- Shin-Aomori to Aomori (via local “shuttle” train)
- Aomori to Sapporo (via Hamanasu (はまなす) Express overnight train)
- Sapporo to Noboribetsu (via JR express train from Sapporo Station to Noboribetsu Station)
- Noboribetsu to our ryokan (via a cab/taxi)
The trip from Tokyo to Sapporo took about about 11 hours overnight with arrival at Sapporo at around 6AM in the morning. The trip from Sapporo to Noboribetsu was about 1 hour 20 minutes. All this may sound complicated but it really isn’t. We planned our way around via Hyperdia, double checked our plans at the JR Pass Ticketing Office in Tokyo, purchased all our JR train tickets ahead of time and informed our hotel of our plan to get there.
“Ryotei Hanayura” Ryokan Experience
We booked our ryokan ahead of time via JapanIcan. There are several other good sites to book ryokans from as outlined on our Japan Accommodations post. We used JapanIcan for this specific booking just because it was the cheapest we can find. We only stayed for a night because it was very expensive! We chose to save on our hotels elsewhere (plus the overnight in the train) so we can splurge on one night in an expensive ryokan since it was our honeymoon!
Here are the highlights of our ryokan experience:
- Delicious japanese “fine dining” dinner – we opted for the breakfast & dinner package with our stay. Ryokans are famous for their Kaiseki dining – so we highly recommend that you try kaiseki at least one time! I’d describe the food as – Fresh, creative, simple yet complicated in flavor. It may look simple but paired with the right sides/sauces/dips, it never fails to produce an explosion of flavor in your mouth with every bite! Simply delicious! Here’s a selection of just some of the food we were served in our multi-course dinner!
Our dinner menu – we were stuffed! Following are just a small subset of the food that we had!
Can’t wait for Jeremy to stop taking pictures so I can eat!
Wanna guess what that slice of meat in the center is?
Deliciously fresh, melt-in-your-mouth sashimi!
Fresh Ikura (salmon roe) with rice! The ikura is nothing like what you get in the States! It is superbly refreshing! Eaten in this combination as prepared, I have no words to describe how perfect they all go together.
Dessert! So simple yet “striking” flavor (yes, that’s the closest word I can think of to describe it)
- Multi-course breakfast too! – You’re not done with the multi-course meal after dinner. You start again the next morning with breakfast! Here’s just a couple of shots of our breakfast. There’s definitely more than you see here!
You start again at breakfast the next morning
Love their soups!
- Some ryokans offer options for traditional japanese beds (on the floor) or western beds. We went with the traditional beds. While we’re at dinner/breakfast/out for the day, the staff comes in and converts our “living room” into our bedroom by moving away the low table in our room and placing these mattresses on the floor in its place. They then keep it away during the day. These beds are very comfortable!
Our traditional japanese beds
- Our room also had a private onsen outdoor bath in addition to the regular western bathroom. It was an amazing experience taking a bath filled with natural spring water while looking out at snow covered mountains!
Our private onsen outdoor bath!
The view while bathing. It was just surreal!
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REMEMBER:
- There are different types of ryokans. Some cheaper and some more expensive than others. Choose the right ryokan based on your budget and set the right expectations. See our post here about accommodations in Japan.
- We highly recommend trying the kaiseki meals at ryokans. It’s part of the “ryokan experience” in our humble opinion.
- The better ryokans are usually quickly booked up, so you will have to plan and book ahead. I’ve heard that some popular ryokans require about 6 months – 1 year advanced booking! We made our reservations about 2 months before we headed there.
- If you’re ever in Sapporo, consider going to Noboribetsu to truly experience an onsen village.
- Photography Tip: All of the photos above were taken using a Nikon D40x DSLR (no longer being sold) along with a must have, versatile traveler’s lens, the Nikkor 18-200mm lens or Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 prime lens. An equivalent DSLR would be the Nikon D3000.
- READER TIP: Thanks to Jenjenk from DevourWorld, they reminded us of the onsen etiquette we forgot to mention. There are etiquettes when using an onsen. You’re supposed to bathe, wash and clean before using the onsen bath. Only after you’re clean, do you get in and soak in the onsen bath. Your skin will be silky smooth!
Have you ever stayed at a ryokan before? What was your experience/takeaways/advice? Do share via our comments section.
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21 Comments
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The food looks amazing! How was the temperature of the water? I went to a place that had a sulphur smell but the water was lukewarm. Fun to do, but expected much hotter.
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One other thing is how to bathe! wash & clean outside of the actual bath & use the hot bath to soak in!! You guys went at the BEST time for onsen – with snow!! so jealous!!! I bet the crap was AMAZING in sapporo!!
the sulfur/rotten egg smell is awful but it leaves your skin silky soft!
did you guys have a chance to have onsen tamago??
jenjenk recently posted..Paris: Le Cordon Bleu Experience
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You are so right! We forgot to mention that! I’ll add your recommendation to the tips section at the bottom of the post! Thank you for the reminder!
Yes, it definitely makes your skin silky smooth! I couldnt get enough of it! The snowy view definitely helps the experience too!
No, we unfortunately did not try the onsen tamago. We’ve heard a lot about it though. Have you tried it? Would love to hear about your experience!
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{MALAYSIA} Snorkel, Dive and Chill at Redang Island
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{Japan} Our Ryokan Experience at Noboribetsu, Hokkaido « @idelishTravel http://t.co/ENjDUo7
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Thx for the RT @DropoutDiaries! Happy #FF to u // {Japan} Our Ryokan Experience at Noboribetsu, Hokkaido http://t.co/KIBpEwB #rtw #japan
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Great post, you’re making me seriously miss Japan too! Hopefully I can work out a visit next spring.
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That’d be awesome if you get to go back again! We too can’t wait for a chance to get back in the future.
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{India} Overnight at 15,000ft @Pangong Tso
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This place looks superb – the beds, the neat tub, the food…. it sounds like a wonderful experience. 🙂
Christy recently posted..Camden Lock on the Regent’s Canal-
Thanks Christy. It definitely was. We went to one more ryokan before this and it again was just as wonderful.
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{Japan} Our Ryokan Experience at Noboribetsu, Hokkaido
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Wow those photos are amazing, I would love that dinner!
BTW I have eaten horse before, it’s common in French cuisine.
Ayngelina recently posted..How to get attacked by a polar bear-
Yes – I’m craving for the kaiseki dinner now! I didnt know horse is common in French cuisine! I learn something everyday 🙂
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{Japan} Our Ryokan Experience at Noboribetsu, Hokkaido
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I could eat sushi every day. Such beautiful presentation in your photos!
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Campo in the City-
I could too! Sounds like Japan would be perfect for you 🙂 The food presentation was definitely awesome. There were more but we focused on enjoying the food most of the time, so missed taking photos of some of the more elaborate presentation!
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{USA} Khao Man Gai @ Portland, OR
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Wow, that bath is amazing! Would love a bath like that with views! Food looked delicious – looks like a great getaway!
Jeremy Branham recently posted..The Elmer Fudd guide on how to balance travel, work, family, and life-
Yeah it sure was! There’s something about bathing in natural hot spring water that makes your skin super soft! 🙂 You should give it a go if you’re ever in Japan!
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{India} Is Khardung La really the Highest Motorable Pass in the World?
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Looks like a terrific experience, and the food looks amazing!
Kris Koeller recently posted..Photo of the Day: The Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City-
It sure was 🙂 We miss Japan tremendously!
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{India} Juleh, the Magic Word in Leh
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Great food shots! Is it kobe beef?
robin recently posted..Rutina-
Thanks! No it’s not kobe beef. It’s actually horse meat! I didn’t know – I actually thought it was pork or beef. After eating it, we couldn’t figure out whether it was pork or beef. We only found out later after we asked the waitress. Not that I condone eating horse meat at all! I didn’t know till after ;(
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{India} Is Khardung La really the Highest Motorable Pass in the World?
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