In the summer vacation of 2022, I stayed at Hotel Bear Monte Superior Twin near the base station of the Asahidake Ropeway in Asahikawa for the second night of my 3-night, 4-day trip to Furano, Biei, and Asahikawa. The room was clean and wonderful, with a spacious living area, Asahikawa furniture, a TV with Netflix, and provided indoor wear and pajamas for relaxation. The dinner was a buffet with a main course of Teppanyaki under the starry sky featuring local meat and vegetables. However, the variety and quality of the food were a bit disappointing. I was hoping for dishes like shrimp chili or pizza, but when I returned to my table, the meat dish was already placed there, which further lowered my excitement. I prefer to eat meat while it's still hot. The location for easy access to the ropeway and the quality of the room were great, but the dining experience was a bit of a letdown.

This year too, thank you for your continued support. Asahidake Onsen is a rare hot spring resort in Japan where you can enjoy natural bitter water (magnesium spring) flowing directly from the source. We visited with our family. The room was a popular loft type for families with children. Meals were buffet style at the restaurant for both breakfast and dinner. Delicious dishes for dinner included pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, and simmered eggplant. Delicious dishes for breakfast included fried rusk. We refreshed ourselves in the hot springs while being mindful of infection prevention measures.

Hotel closest to the ropeway boarding area of Asahidake Onsen. We stayed here during our trip to the Asahidake area using GoTo. The building has a mountain hut-style interior. This time we stayed in a Western-style room, which was spacious and had a calm atmosphere, making it easy to relax. The large communal bath also had an outdoor bath, although the view was not the main focus. The meals were buffet style for both dinner and breakfast, with a wide variety of delicious options. In particular, the Wagyu steak for dinner was so tasty that I was able to eat quite a lot and was very satisfied. The staff were friendly, and with the reasonable rates using GoTo, this hotel is recommended as a base for sightseeing.

After soaking in the hot springs, we had dinner at the first-floor restaurant with an all-you-can-eat buffet style. Due to the impact of the new coronavirus, vinyl gloves and masks were required. The steak cooked right in front of us was one plate per person. The all-you-can-eat sashimi was quite fresh. They also had dishes like Neapolitan pasta and beef stew. The buffet had a variety of options, including delicious vegetables. The difference in water and soil really makes a difference. Especially the water and rice were incredibly delicious.

During the Obon holiday, all visits to the graves have been completed. Taking advantage of the free holiday period, I chose "Asahidake Onsen Hotel Bear Monte" as the starting point for climbing Mt. Asahi, one of the 100 famous mountains in Hokkaido and the highest peak in the region. Hotel Bear Monte is a hot spring hotel nestled in the embrace of Mt. Daisetsuzan Asahidake. It is a hotel that can be used as a starting point for various mountain resort activities such as climbing, trekking, nature watching, stargazing, skiing, and snowshoe trekking during the long winter season. This time, I used the early discount on Jalan to stay for 10,900 yen for 2 people in one room, with a tax-inclusive price of 13,900 yen and a discount of 3,000 yen using the Higashikawa discount. If you order normally, it will be more expensive. The location is about 43 km from Asahikawa, the second largest city in Hokkaido, and about a 1-hour drive away. For more details, please check the Tabelog screen. This year's mountain trip, Mt. Apoi, failed due to rain, and if I had time, I attempted to climb Mt. Moikotan to no avail due to thick fog. I am on a losing streak. This trip to Mt. Asahi is long-awaited. However, on the way back from the last trip, I bought a "teruteru bozu doll (named: Terupura)" and thought, "With this, it'll be okay next time," but I forgot it at home and became ineffective from the first battle. Dark clouds are already looming. There was a heavy squall at night. Upon arrival, the first thing I did was go to the hot spring. The indoor bath has two baths with different temperatures and a relaxing lying bath. Unfortunately, the high-temperature sauna is closed for coronavirus measures, and there is a small sauna for 3-4 people, but no TV. There is also a small water bath for 1-2 people. There is also an open-air bath, but it is not the type where you can enjoy the view. Whether it's a day trip or an overnight stay, if the "hot spring is the purpose," it feels incomplete, and I felt that it is a type that can demonstrate its potential when combined with outdoor leisure activities around it. In fact, it seems that there are many mountain climbers around. As for the activities on Mt. Asahi, they range from pure sightseeing to advanced activities for experts. At this time of year, there were many people lightly dressed with a smartphone in hand. This time, the room was a 10-tatami mat Japanese-style room with a 4-tatami mat "sunken kotatsu." It is spacious and nice compared to the common chairs and tables. The refrigerator does not cool well. I tried to freeze Aquarius to take it with me tomorrow, but it is unclear whether it will freeze or not. (It didn't freeze in the end) Dinner was served in a buffet style to ensure thorough virus prevention. So I will only list what I ate. I'm writing lazily while drinking shochu, and I feel like I'm going to fall asleep. This time's choices: - Appetizer (Wind) Vegetable salad Seafood and seasonal vegetable marinade - Sashimi Tuna and salmon - Stir-fry Zucchini and bacon stir-fry Sweet and sour pork - Grilled dishes Grilled chicken with spicy sauce Wagyu steak - Fried food Tempura (shrimp, eggplant, sasage) with matcha salt Zangi - Rice dish Bara chirashi sushi (salmon roe, hairy crab, salmon) - Soup Horokanai soba - Dessert Seasonal fruits - Option Ordered Asahikawa local sake at an additional charge There may not be many options, but there were no failures, and everything was delicious. The vegetable dishes were delicious as they were made using seasonal vegetables from Higashikawa. The Wagyu steak was limited to one serving per person. It was tender with a good amount of lean meat flavor. Other desserts included cupcakes, etc. I ordered Asahikawa local sake at an additional charge. Depending on the price setting at that time, if you complain about this time's price, you might get bad luck. Enjoyed the hot spring and delicious buffet, and then it's time for mountain climbing! After that, I plan to relax in the hot spring again to heal the fatigue from climbing. Today's forecast was cloudy in the afternoon, but it seems to be holding up in the morning. Let's go.

January 3rd. We stayed at a hot spring hotel that my partner booked for us. It's a hotel in Asahidake Onsen. I remember it as Yukomanbetsu Onsen from my childhood. The hotel, Bear Monte, is close to the Asahidake Ropeway's base station. According to my phone's altimeter app, the elevation is 1100m. The temperature is -15 degrees Celsius. The snow is dry and powdery, perfect for skiing. Bear Monte in Asahidake Onsen is a beautiful hotel. Unlike other famous hot spring town hotels in Hokkaido, we were able to stay here at a reasonable price. Access by winter road is not bad (depending on the weather). The purpose of this inn is to soak in the hot springs, eat at the buffet until full, and sleep. There are no lively entertainment districts in this hot spring town, so you cannot go out for ramen in the middle of the night. If you think there might be and venture out lightly dressed, it could be dangerous, so it's best to avoid it. After soaking in the hot springs, we had a dinner buffet. While there were no visually Hokkaido-esque ingredients like crab, the buffet dishes at the hot spring hotel were delicious. I think there is a wide variety of dishes. The disappointing part was the sliced beef loin steak. It is grilled on a hot iron plate, but they place the cooked meat on a cold iron plate. I think it would be more appealing if they served freshly grilled steak upon order. Other dishes on iron plates are kept warm with a stove underneath. You can make warm soba noodles. Since we are in Hokkaido, I would have been happy if there was ramen available. I was satisfied with the breakfast buffet as well. We were filled up. The underground water from Asahidake is sweet and rich in minerals. I wonder if they use this delicious water in their cooking. Thank you for the meal. This time, we used it in the middle of winter, but next time, I would like to use it during the autumn leaves season.

Asahi-dake ropeway? I heard you're staying at a hotel for that. The schedule was planned by my wife, I'm just a goldfish. It's a plan that includes ropeway tickets, which are expensive. We're running late. I rarely made a phone call saying "We'll be a little late." I couldn't digest the lunch we had, so I was wondering if I could eat dinner. The check-in process was delayed, so dinner was scheduled for 7:30. Is it okay to be late? The room is decently spacious and cozy. The hot spring has separate bathing times for men and women, so we have to try it both days. It's a large bath, but considering the hotel's capacity, it's not that small. But it was empty. The hotel was crowded, mostly with foreigners, especially white people. Is no one going in? At 7:30, we were told "Let's go eat," but it's a buffet and I saw a lot of foreigners, so I wasn't excited at all. After about 10 minutes, I started feeling sorry for my wife, so we went. As expected, it was crowded with people, it was chaotic. It was a letdown. They said it was a "high-class hotel." I said "thank you" just by looking at it. Half of the people were foreigners, and half of them were Eastern European, I guess. They have long legs and thin lower bodies, but upper bodies like Konishiki. It's uncomfortable. There's nothing dirty, but I don't want to get close to them. I just take whatever. I don't expect to eat this much, but I order beer and drink four glasses, but it doesn't taste good. My wife said "Western food is bad." Did she have high expectations? I don't have any expectations, so I'm not disappointed. They gave me a ticket that said "One per person." I wondered what it was, and it was "pork sauté." I got it, but I'm not going to get it multiple times. Beef is common, but pork isn't. It's supposed to be "high-class," right? I can't get used to hot spring hotels. It's okay if it's a room service, but I won't actively use it in the future. There's no good staff. Not a single one. There are a lot of foreigners, so maybe that's why. There's no warm customer service or hospitality at all. No greetings anywhere. I took a bath in the morning, and it didn't change even when men and women switched. I don't feel like eating breakfast, so I canceled it. My wife went to eat and came back furious. She said she was asked "One? Two?" and when she said she was Japanese, she got extremely upset and said, "I am Japanese!!" She's unusually excited and angry.

I spent a relaxing time at a stylish hotel.

Renovated, good service.

Dinner was a bit disappointing, but breakfast buffet was much better with a variety of options. Even though there were fewer items, I liked being able to try a little bit of everything. It's something I don't usually do at home, so it was a nice change. The yakisoba was not as good as I had hoped, but the breakfast had a better presentation. There were also a variety of drinks like orange juice, tomato juice, milk, and coffee. They also had fruits, yogurt, and more. Just so you know, I didn't have miso soup, instead I had grated yam.

Continuing from the Bearmonte Onsen edition, here is the dining edition. First, dinner. It was served in a spacious restaurant, just like breakfast. It was a buffet style. Surprisingly, there was no curry in the buffet. But they did have zenzai! There was a variety of seafood dishes like simmered fish, grilled fish, and sashimi. Huh? Why not? Of course, there were also Western dishes like beef stew. There were various salads as well. Despite feeling a bit disappointed, the sashimi was delicious. The beef stew was a bit thin. The highlight was the one-person-limited beef steak. Overall, it felt a bit lacking or underwhelming. For dessert, they only offered coffee and tea, other drinks were charged extra. (To be continued in the breakfast edition)

It's a day off~ ＼(^o^)／ Skiing and hot springs!! Where should I go? I was looking up reviews and found a hotel that surprisingly didn't have many negative comments despite being a buffet style restaurant - Hotel Beaumont! Usually, buffet style restaurants tend to have complaints like "I wish there were more options" or "the food was not good", but this hotel had good reviews. However, there was one concern - some reviews mentioned that the hot spring temperature was low and it didn't warm up well. Feeling worried, I called the hotel directly and they assured me that they check the temperature daily and it's usually around 41-42 degrees. I decided to trust their words and made a reservation for multiple nights. On the day of arrival, before heading to the hotel, I stopped by a cafe I've been wanting to visit, North Living Design Cafe. Upon arriving at the hotel, I noticed a western-style building covered in snow, giving off a mountain resort vibe. Inside, there was a fireplace in the lobby where you could enjoy free coffee and orange juice from 3-5 pm. We were a bit early but our room was ready, so we checked in right away. As we entered the room, we noticed a strange smell - it seemed to be coming from the wallpaper. While some may be okay with it, we are sensitive to smells so it bothered us a bit. Worried, we headed straight to the hot spring. The temperature variations during our stay were as follows: First, the outdoor bath - due to the low temperatures, it was covered with silver mats to maintain warmth. On really cold days, it was a bit too low to enjoy. The central bath was lukewarm and suitable for longer stays, but might not be hot enough for those who prefer higher temperatures. The window-side bath was too cool to warm up in. The only saving grace was the waist bath, which provided a comfortably warm temperature. Despite the challenges with the hot springs, we were excited for dinner. Each guest received a steak voucher - chicken on the first day, pork cutlet and scallop sauté on the second day, beef steak and shrimp salt-grilled on the third day, and wagyu steak and snow crab on the fourth day. The breakfast and dinner featured delicious local vegetables. As a local, I always enjoy the tasty vegetables, and the special dishes for guests staying multiple nights were a pleasant surprise. Overall, despite the hot spring temperature issues, the delicious food and warm hospitality made our stay enjoyable.

Every Saturday from 11:30 to 12:00, there is a program called "Hokkaido Style" broadcasted on BS Nippon Television. In one episode, they featured the Asahidake Manseikaku Hotel Bearmonte, which is the closest hotel to the Daisetsuzan Ropeway. The hotel has a lodge-like exterior and a corresponding atmosphere inside. The Hokkaido buffet dinner is of high quality, so we chose the Japanese and Western buffet plan. The restaurant does not allow entry in yukata, which was a bit disappointing. We started with a toast of the Hokkaido limited edition Sapporo Classic beer! This time, we chose a plan with wine and cake, and they brought us a nice bottle of wine. The buffet featured dishes made with local ingredients, including Zangi, sweet Inca no mezame steamed dish, Japanese and Western dishes, fish, meat, vegetables, desserts, and about 40 other items. They even had zenzai and warabimochi. Unfortunately, the roast steak was limited to one per person with a ticket exchange. However, there was no shortage of snacks for the drinks! The rice was delicious, made with local Higashikawa rice. Good night... Good morning! Breakfast was also a buffet in the same restaurant, with about 30 Japanese-focused dishes. The milk had a natural taste, and the egg porridge and milk soup were unique. The tomato juice and tofu were both locally sourced from Higashikawa Town. The cod roe was from Shiraoi Town's Torazaki Beach and had a refined taste! I tried the Katsugen drink, which was interesting and lighter than Yakult, making it easy to drink. It was fun to try a variety of dishes! After breakfast, we walked to the nearby Asahidake Ropeway, rode up to the first observation deck from the Kurodake Station, saw the earliest autumn leaves in Japan, and then returned as it was cold. We went in September, so now it must be covered in snow... #680

I used this hotel on a tour organized by ANA Travel. Although it is located near the Asahidake Ropeway, it gives off the impression of a basic business hotel with a hot spring on site (priced around 8,000 yen for one night with two meals for two people on weekdays). The room layout is simple with a unit bath, the service level at the front desk is average, there is no convenience store and the front desk also serves as a cash register with limited items available, vending machines often run out of stock, and the outdoor hot spring is small compared to the size of the hotel. The meals are also on par with a standard breakfast at a business hotel in Tokyo priced around 7,000 yen, with no standout dishes, slow refill of empty dishes, and almost identical menu lineup each day. One surprising dish was the "pork and apple slice gratin." Despite some high-quality service from the waitstaff, it is unfortunate that this will likely be my last visit to this hotel.