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I'm traveling to Hokkaido on the 2nd week of December and hoping to find a nice ryokan near Sapporo. I'm kind of lost between Otaru, Lake Toya or Noboribetsu. Can some kind soul suggest some Ryokan names? My dream is an outdoor onsen in the snow (will there be snow at these places at this time of the year?), prefer a private onsen/tub in the room if possible. Budget: USD300 per pax
How long does it take to get to Lake Akan from Sapporo? I'd love to see the Marimo there. Is it worth the trip or is it better to go there in Spring?
Hokkaido - Ryokan Help
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Ryokans on Hokkaido are not like the ones in the rest of Japan. Hokkaido was only populated by the Japanese in the last 120 years so there are no older types of traditional ryokan there. You will only get the big hotel type ryokans or the smaller hotel type. Minshuku would be located in a house or farm setting. Here is one I would recommend in Noboribetsu.
http://japaneseguesthouses.com/db/noboribetsu/daiichi.htm
for a little smaller budget but still able to utilize all the baths at Daiichi
http://japaneseguesthouses.com/db/noboribetsu/takimoto.htm
The drive from Sapporo to Akan-ko would take about 3 1/2 hours in good weather. You will see marimo everywhere on Hokkaido in all the souvenir shops. That said Akan-ko was lovely in mid October last month while we were there.
Aloha!