Good evening, this is Amataji. After leaving Farm Tomita, the next place I visited was the "Blue Pond" in Biei. I looked it up and found out that the pond was created because a dam was built on the Biei River for disaster prevention, causing water to overflow into the riverbed. Why is it blue? Actually, the Biei River itself is blue. The blue color comes from colloidal particles of aluminum hydroxide, which scatter short-wavelength light. I don't know where the aluminum hydroxide comes from. It was really blue. It looked a bit whitish and cloudy, so it appeared bluish. The standing dead trees added a nice atmosphere (although crows were ruining the atmosphere). Next, I visited the Shirahige Waterfall. Here, water springs from the upper and lower surfaces of a lava layer sandwiched between volcanic sedimentary layers, forming multiple waterfalls that flow into the gorge created by the Biei River. Unfortunately, these places do not have dining options, so they won't make it to food review sites. Next, I headed towards Sounkyo and arrived at the Sounkyo Kanko Hotel a little after 6 pm. Dinner was scheduled for 7 pm, and another group was set to arrive by 7:30 pm, so we were advised to go promptly. This hotel seemed to have added an annex to the main building without proper planning, as the floors were not aligned properly, with some dangerous slopes at the seams. Following instructions, we went to the "Eucalyptus" restaurant on the 2nd floor of the annex at 7 pm. Customers started arriving one after another, but there was no need to queue up. There were plenty of tables available. I wonder when the next group arrived. It seems there was no rush after all. Dinners at these hotels are usually buffet-style, and guests were required to wear masks and plastic gloves (although gloves are not very effective, as acknowledged by experts). The hotel staff didn't seem to be too strict about it. As expected, there was a variety of dishes available, including rice, miso soup, soup curry, mini hamburgers with shrimp, Genghis Khan (grilled lamb), pizza, pasta, acqua pazza, tempura, steak, tonkatsu, and even fondue (which didn't look appetizing). Of course, there were salads and desserts as well. Some dishes were good, but overall, the quality was mediocre. After dinner, the coffee from the drip machine was surprisingly weak. The next morning, breakfast was also buffet-style at the same restaurant. Breakfast offerings included rice, porridge, miso soup, crab soup, grated yam, grated radish, dried young sardines, seaweed, natto, onsen tamago (hot spring egg), pickles, salted fish, scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, salad, fruits, and more. Personally, I prefer simple dishes like rice with grated yam and onsen tamago. The mackerel was not very fatty, and the crab soup contained small snow crabs instead of larger king crabs, but it had a delicious broth. Overall, it was a satisfying meal. Thank you for the meal.

During this time, hotels are fully booked. Especially with the local discount, there are very few hotels where you can stay within budget. Despite this, I stayed at this hotel that fit my budget. I was greeted by parking staff and front desk staff who were foreigners when I checked in. The breakfast time was a choice between 6:30 and 7:00. I had a good night's sleep in the hot spring and the clean room. I went to the restaurant Yukari for breakfast at 6:30. Since there were many seats, it wasn't too crowded. The food was served surprisingly smoothly. The menu was just a normal breakfast, nothing unusual. There were no typical items found in Hokkaido hotel breakfasts. It was quite ordinary. There was no meat or seafood, and no fried items. The only side dish that went well with rice was salted squid? It was good that they had soba, but the broth was a bit light. Overall, the breakfast was not very satisfying, but it was reasonably tasty.

We stayed for 1 night with 2 meals included at Sounkyo Onsen on July 9, 2022 (Saturday)! In the morning, we visited a grave in Shibetsu and offered some lovely purple flowers that my mother-in-law would have liked. Suddenly, a colorful swallowtail butterfly landed on the flowers as if my late mother was pleased. It was quite mysterious. Later, we visited this hot spring, which is known for its reasonable prices. We paid 27,437 yen for 3 people for 1 night with 2 meals on a Saturday! The room was clean and had a nice view. The highlight of this ryokan is the mixed-gender outdoor bath, where guests wear bathing suits. My wife, son, and I enjoyed soaking in the natural hot spring together. After that, we had a buffet dinner at the restaurant Yukara! I was looking forward to the cheese fondue, but it turned out to be chili sauce fondue... I was quite disappointed, but it was still delicious. The best things about Sounkyo Onsen are the quality of the hot spring and the cost performance! We made another wonderful memory here~

The meals are mainly Western-style. There was no all-you-can-drink option, so I ordered a tasting set. The taste was good, but I wished there were more dishes that would go well with sake.

I went to a mixed-gender open-air hot spring bath. The water is nice and relaxing, making it easy to enjoy. I think it would have been fun for the kids when they were younger if there were mixed-gender baths like this. Since my wife and I can enter the bath together, we don't have to wait at the entrance wondering "are they done yet." Our goal is to relax in the hot spring, so we opted for a cheaper plan. Since it's cheap, dinner is a buffet, boasting all-you-can-eat crab. In the past, they used to pile the crab high on plates, but this time it was one plate per person, with a handover system. Once you finish your plate, you have to go back for more. This is probably to promote good manners and save on consumption. I wanted something warm, so I went to the hot pot section. Instead of using the soup for hot pot, I added miso soup, vegetables, mushrooms, shrimp, and crab. And just when I wanted to add ginger for the squid sashimi, I couldn't find any. Nevertheless, the broth from the shrimp and crab made a delicious hot pot (laughs). Finally, I added ramen to finish off the meal. It was a mishmash but delicious!

I went to Asahikawa, and on the way back, I decided to soak in a hot spring in Kamikawa. I didn't feel like staying in Sounkyo, as the hot springs weren't that good. So, I tried the bath I missed last time. It's one of the cheaper options in Sounkyo, only 600 yen. Last time, I couldn't find anyone to help me, so this time I called the front desk from the internal phone. The response was cold and they said day visitors were no longer allowed. I went to a different bath, and the experience left a bad taste in my mouth. The hot spring water was good, with three different temperatures, but the sauna wasn't open, and the outdoor bath was mixed gender. The staff at the front desk this time was nicer, but the experience at the outdoor bath was frustrating. I had to wear a yukata to enter, but the staff's response was rude. I ended up going back to the bath and then enjoyed a beer, which tasted great in my anger.

I used this restaurant on the second night of a budget tour. Both dinner and breakfast were buffet style. The selling point was all-you-can-eat crab legs and ikura, but there was no mention of the place of origin for either. They lacked flavor and the texture wasn't great, so it was disappointing. The freshly fried tempura was greasy and covered in batter, making it likely to cause stomach discomfort. The sashimi was thawed and watery. The ingredients for the DIY table hot pot were also very poor quality, with the meat being thin and dry. The steak labeled as "formed meat," ice cream, and white rice were the only things that tasted good. Additionally, there were five buses from a Chinese tour group and another domestic tour company that arrived on the same day, so the buffet area was very crowded. It was impossible to have a peaceful meal.

I woke up on Saturday morning and the weather was nice, so I decided to go to a hot spring! I made a reservation online through "Jalan" for a hotel where you can stay today. They offer a crab all-you-can-eat buffet for 9980 yen per person. After finishing my lunch plans, I headed there. They had a very large mixed-gender outdoor bath called "Ururi" that was completed. Last time I stayed there, the outdoor bath was still under construction. The time before that, it was a pre-opening and we had to pay 1000 yen! This time, it was free. I enjoyed soaking in the bath wearing a proper bathing suit. My wife and I talked about how nice it would have been to have this kind of outdoor bath when our kids were small. For dinner, they had a crab all-you-can-eat buffet with snow crabs on a boat. The crab meat was really delicious and moist, probably because they were using crabs with missing legs or something like that. I was lucky to get such tasty crab! I loaded up my individual hot pot with plenty of crab for a delicious broth. However, they only had sweet shrimp for sashimi, which was a bit disappointing. The other buffet dishes were just average. After dinner, I drank in my room and went to the bath, repeating the cycle. Breakfast buffet was also delicious. After breakfast, I relaxed in the outdoor bath one more time before heading home. Oh no, mom, you're having a nosebleed! There were a lot of Asian customers, but I think without them, the place would feel empty and deserted.

This hotel is located in the middle of the Sounkyo Onsen, about 15 minutes from the Kamikawa Sounkyo IC, and it is the closest hotel to Asahikawa. The exterior and front desk have a historic appearance, but the rooms in the main building were very clean, suggesting they have been renovated. For dinner, we opted for the buffet instead of room service. The tempura fiddleheads and potatoes had a local touch to them. There were unlimited servings of steak, as well as snow crab, which may be irresistible to some. While there weren't any standout dishes in terms of taste, the quality and quantity would likely satisfy families. They also served Super Dry Extra Gold. This hotel would be a good choice for my next visit to Sounkyo Onsen. Thank you for the meal ♬

I visited a branch hotel for a room service plan. The sashimi was fresh, although not as good as in Sapporo or Otaru. The pork shabu-shabu in a small pot was delicious. Other dishes included hairy crab, sea urchin, and salmon roe rice, targeting mainland Japanese guests. The overall quality was high and satisfying. The pickled okra was impressive. The sake tasting set was well-balanced. The friendly server provided good service. The open-air bath had a refreshing breeze from the valley. Breakfast at the main building's Ajina was a traditional Japanese meal. It was not a buffet, but a selection of typical ryokan breakfast items. The service was good. Overall, I have no regrets about visiting this place.

At a hot spring inn in Asahikawa, dinner was a buffet with all-you-can-eat snow crab this time. There were also 40-50 other dishes available, so you can enjoy a variety of food without getting bored. Unfortunately, the dishes other than crab were not particularly delicious, but for around 7000 yen per night at a hot spring hotel, there are no complaints. However, it was very disappointing that drinks were not included in the price.

I stayed at the hotel on 9/22 for a tour. Both breakfast and dinner were buffet style. The steak they grilled on the spot in the evening was delicious. The snow crab was seasoned just right, with plenty of meat, and I went back for seconds about 5 times, very satisfied. The only disappointing thing was that they only fried vegetables for tempura on the spot (usually there would be shrimp as well). Another disappointing thing was that there was no tarako or mentaiko for breakfast buffet, which I thought was unusual. In Kanto and Kansai regions, it is common to have them at most places.

Last night I ate too much, took a nap, and relaxed in the mixed outdoor bath. It was cold, but refreshing for my head! There are both indoor baths with low and high temperatures, it's a great hot spring. It's a shame that it's far from Sapporo. I watched soccer on TV and ended up oversleeping in the morning. First, I took a morning bath. Then, I had breakfast at the buffet. I started with milk, then had salad, cold tofu, hot spring egg, crab shumai, rice, and miso soup. For the second round, I had cold soba noodles and finished with coffee. I'm so full~ Now, time to relax in the bath again! I love the hot springs here!

After many years, I stayed at the hotel at a great discount for Hokkaido residents. The hot springs were really good, especially the mixed outdoor bath. And the night buffet was amazing. First, I had salmon sashimi and sweet shrimp, followed by dishes with shrimp, avocado, duck, pork, and eggplant. I also enjoyed steak, sausages, and beer. For the second round, I had black pepper chicken stir-fry, shrimp fry, salmon with breadcrumbs, and more shrimp and avocado. For the third round, I had cheese fondue, cheese penne with white wine, and then peeled sweet shrimp for a sweet shrimp bowl. Finally, I finished with cold mountain vegetable udon and shrimp tempura rice bowl. I made my husband wait a long time, but I'm completely full now.

I enjoyed a breakfast buffet with a focus on Japanese cuisine. I was happy to see crab miso soup available and enjoyed the delicious crab broth after a long time.