I visited the late-night snack corner in the hotel and had some kake udon. It was simple and delicious, with slightly sweet broth that suited my taste. The garnishes of green onions and seaweed were also very good.

I stayed overnight and had a buffet. There were various menu items. It felt like they were putting in a little more effort than a regular buffet. It was a bit of a hassle to get the drinks by yourself. The drink menu was extensive.

It rained heavily at times as per the forecast, so we had to abandon our climb and instead crossed the Sangun Pass, visited Nukabira and Lake Shikaribetsu, and returned early to Sounkyo. Tonight's accommodation is located on a hill with a beautiful lawn, where we enjoyed soaking in the hot spring while listening to the soothing sound of rain. The tranquility was delightful, with nothing but the sound of rain. After a refreshing bath, we finally had our eagerly awaited dinner in a private room called "Inankuru" (meaning happiness in Ainu). The interior was spacious and calm, reminiscent of the great nature of Sounkyo. As soon as we sat at the table, the food was served. The "appetizer" titled "Boiling water and wildflowers" consisted of white and green asparagus, red heart radish, cabbage sprouts with carrot sauce, miso-grilled bamboo shoots, sasagi beans with zunda, syrup-cooked mini tomatoes, corn tempura, and myoga egg sushi. The miso-grilled bamboo shoots were deliciously fragrant, and the syrup's slight sweetness paired well with the tomatoes. The myoga with egg was also exceptional. The "soup" was a refreshing cold potato vichyssoise served on the corner of the plate. The "sashimi" was a grand presentation called "A bustling fishing port," with a mountain of ice on a large plate adorned with maple, bamboo, and chrysanthemum petals. It featured fresh and delicious seafood unique to Hokkaido. We enjoyed it with a super dry and traditional sake from Kokki Sake Brewery. The "main dish" was a meticulously crafted piece named "Sounkyo's new greenery and sea of clouds," unveiling smoked oil sauce-roasted Ezo deer. The deer meat was tender and flavorful, reminiscent of liver, and the vegetables were also delicious. The "grilled dish" was presented on a stylish black plate with a sautéed salmon and scallop in the center, lion chili on the right, and flower petals on the left. The sauce complemented the ingredients perfectly, and the scallops were sweet and flavorful. The "hot pot" was a shabu-shabu of Tokachi Ayame beef, which was thick and satisfying, and incredibly delicious. The "rice" dish featured "Kitakurin" rice from Tamana, served with pickled daikon, shiba-zuke, mizuna, and chirimen sansho with red miso. For dessert, we had a "water fruit" plate embodying the summer of Furano, with Furano yogurt Bavarian cream topped with Haskap jelly, Furano melon, and colorful lemon and strawberry macarons. The yogurt was rich, with a refreshing mint aroma and the sweetness of Haskap. All eight courses were beautifully presented, using abundant local seasonal ingredients, and were delicate and gentle dishes. It truly felt like Kamui Mintara - a wonderful work depicting the ephemeral beauty of the foothills and the playground of the gods. Thank you for the amazing meal. We vow to return to Kamui Mintara next year.

It's a revisit after 20 years with a stay including 2 meals. The entrance and interior have been beautifully renovated, with just a hint of the old charm remaining in the East Wing and Chinita no Yu. The hotel, towering on the highest hill in Sounkyo, has a nice touch of luxury overall. The highlight was the outdoor hot spring "Tenka no Yu" on the 3rd floor of the annex Daisetsuzan-so. Both dinner and breakfast were served at the dining "Hinna no Mori". The restaurant was spacious, with a live kitchen serving steak and tempura, as well as local dishes featuring fresh vegetables from Hokkaido. It was enjoyable and delicious. Our little one also had a great time, and I think it's a great value for families to enjoy together.

After finishing sightseeing around Sounkyo Onsen, we stayed at Hotel Taisetsu in the evening. Despite it being a weekend after a 3-day holiday, the lobby was crowded with people. The effect of the national travel support is amazing. Since the hotel was busy, we had to reserve our dinner time at check-in. The 19:15 slot was already full, so we booked dinner for 17:45. After dropping off our luggage in the room, we explored the hotel before heading to the dinner venue. The buffet line was crowded with people, so we waited for about 5 minutes before it cleared out. We then enjoyed our meal slowly, with the highlight being the Hokkaido beef cut steak. It was cooked to a medium-rare, with a perfect sear on the surface, and the combination of steak sauce and horseradish was exquisite. Before we knew it, we had eaten about 7 pieces of steak.

This is my first visit. It is a Japanese restaurant located inside Hotel Taeyuki. All seats are private rooms, so you can enjoy your meal without worrying about the surroundings. The staff were very polite and the food was delicious with just the right amount.

The newly opened Hinnna no Mori at Hotel Taisetsu in Sounkyo, Hokkaido. If you're a Golden Kamuy reader, you should know what "Hinna" means. They offer a wide variety of dishes, making it easy to overindulge. The dishes are served in small portions, encouraging you to try a little bit of everything. It's great to see many dishes made with Hokkaido ingredients.

It had been three years since I last visited Sounkyo. Even though I tried to book a room close to the date, this year it was fully booked. Luckily, there was one room available so I immediately made a reservation. The place was really crowded. I remember being taken care of by the Hotel Taisetsu FM Reveal in the past, but I had never stayed there. I have visited Sounkyo several times before, but this was my first time here. The highlight was the three large communal baths and two outdoor baths. The food was delicious, and I thoroughly enjoyed the baths. I only stayed for one night, but I tried all the baths in the hotel. The underground souvenir shop was under renovation, and the snack bar was not yet open, so the hotel was not fully operational yet. However, the izakaya (Japanese pub) in the basement was open. I had a buffet dinner and was so full, but of course, I had to visit the hot springs. I had the whole place to myself as no one else was there. The buffet was quite delicious, and I didn't need anything else. It felt like they were saying, "Don't come here." But I still wanted to check it out. Surprisingly, the prices at the izakaya were reasonable, similar to those in town. I don't drink much alcohol, so I can't tell if the prices are high or low. The izakaya had menus in Korean and Chinese, but there were only a few people from abroad visiting. I wonder how it was before the pandemic when these menus were more useful. I ordered a highball even though I couldn't handle beer. The feeling of liberation was overwhelming. I felt like I deserved more than just one highball, so I also ordered ramen. The ramen was reasonably priced at 880 yen, and it looked delicious. It had nori, chashu, boiled egg, and green onions as toppings. The soup was rich and flavorful, and the noodles were chewy. The atmosphere in the izakaya was filled with 80s music playing loudly. I hummed along while enjoying my meal. The ramen was surprisingly delicious, and I would definitely visit this place if it were in town. It was so good that I forgot I was already full. The balance of flavors in the ramen was perfect. I would recommend this place to everyone. I couldn't resist eating even though I was already full. I need to exercise more after eating this much. I don't think you can just have ramen here; you have to try other dishes too. Thank you for the meal.

We stayed with my wife during the Ice Waterfall Festival in February. The quality of the room, hot springs, and meals was high for the price. The hot spring on the top floor had a great view and an outdoor bath, so we could experience extreme cold with just our upper bodies. We had a delicious dinner in a semi-private room at Kiseian, with elegant Japanese cuisine. There was a free shuttle bus every 15-20 minutes between the hotel and the festival venue, which was convenient. It's a recommended hotel in Sounkyo.

In the Sounkyo Onsen area, known for being the first place in Japan to see autumn leaves, is the Hotel Taisetsu located on the highest hill. This hotel boasts three large baths and two outdoor baths fed by natural hot springs, making it the only one in Hokkaido. The autumn leaves start appearing at the end of August and reach their peak in late September, so by mid-October when I visited, there were only a few leaves left. However, being past the peak season and visiting on a weekday allowed for a relaxing experience. The lack of inbound tourists to Hokkaido also played a role. The buffet at this hotel is well-known and offers a variety of delicious dishes featuring local Hokkaido ingredients. I was very satisfied with the food. You can also enjoy Ainu traditional cuisine here. The large baths were practically private when I visited, and I was able to relax while admiring the serene view of the beginning of the autumn season. I can only imagine how beautiful it must be during the peak of the autumn leaves. I would love to stay here again if I have the chance.

Hotel located in the highest area of the Sounkyo Onsen in Daisetsuzan National Park. The hotel consists of 3 buildings with baths (3 locations) and a restaurant, making it a bit complicated to move around. Dinner is served buffet-style in the restaurant. We started eating with the last group at 7:00 pm as there was no availability earlier, and some elderly staff seemed irritated and gave orders to other staff in an unpleasant manner. The restaurant closes at 9:00 pm, but around 8:00 pm, one staff member was just watching the remaining guests from a distance, making us feel uncomfortable. When I went to get my last drink for the all-you-can-drink service (before the time limit), the elderly staff member said, "That's the last one, okay?" which made me feel like chugging it in front of them. There were similar reviews on the booking site, and it turned out to be true. Breakfast was also buffet-style, and I was worried after the previous night's experience, but there were no elderly staff members, and everyone else was polite, so I could relax and enjoy my meal. When I passed by the front desk on my way to the morning bath, two staff members (one male and one female) ignored me, so I greeted them instead. The same female staff member was there at check-out, but she was very friendly during the payment process, which reassured me. I chose this hotel because it was one of the few that allowed pets to stay, but I was disappointed. Oh, the staff at the shop were very kind and greeted me with smiles throughout my visit.

"I visited Hotel Taisetsu to take advantage of the GoTo Travel campaign and local revitalization coupons. I wanted to go trekking in the Daisetsuzan mountain range if the weather was good, but unfortunately, it was raining heavily. So, this time, I decided to have a relaxing hot spring one-night trip. The hotel is a traditional large hot spring hotel that has been renovated and is much cleaner than I expected. There are three baths, and I enjoyed soaking in the hot springs leisurely before dinner. The open-air bath on the top floor is particularly nice. The meals were buffet style, which I love. The buffet area, called "HINNA no Mori," was renovated this spring. There is a live kitchen where you can enjoy freshly made dishes and spacious seating with a warm wooden atmosphere. There are about 100 types of Japanese, Western, and Chinese dishes. Alcohol is not included, but there are many craft beers available, which was satisfying. The dishes included snow crab, sashimi, freshly grilled steak, Chinese cuisine, roasted Three-Yen pork, beef stew, freshly fried tempura, and more. There is a wide variety of dishes, and the quality is consistently high, making it very enjoyable. One unique dish was the Genghis Khan BBQ where you can grill your own meat. I also enjoyed craft beer and local sake. The breakfast buffet was also plentiful, and I had a satisfying meal with a self-serve seafood bowl. I refreshed myself with a morning bath before leaving. I had a great stay at a great value and was very satisfied with the quality. There were no noisy tourists, and it was a refreshing experience. I highly recommend this place if you are visiting Sounkyo!"

In September, I finally went on my long-awaited trip to Hokkaido. Despite the threat of a typhoon, I was able to safely reach the day of departure! Last year, my trip to Shimane was also affected by a typhoon, so I felt a sense of déjà vu, but luckily everything was fine this time! It was a tour with Club Tourism, so once we got off the plane, all our transportation was by bus. Both my friend and I are good drivers, so we were grateful for the bus ride. We visited Furano and Biei for sightseeing and then headed to our accommodation for the day. We stayed at "Hotel Taisetsu" in Sounkyo, a large hotel. Since Hokkaido is vast, the travel time was quite long. We checked in close to 6 PM, and dinner buffet was scheduled for 6:30 PM. It seemed to be a two-part system. We didn't have time to relax in the hot springs before dinner, so we quickly organized our belongings in the room and headed to the venue. The spacious buffet venue had designated seating, and we were guided to our seats by the staff. There was a live kitchen where freshly fried tempura and freshly grilled steak were being served. There was a variety of other dishes as well, including a make-your-own seafood bowl station and crab dishes. We didn't try the crab, but it seemed to be popular. The steak was tender and delicious, so I had seconds. I couldn't resist having meat in Hokkaido without trying seafood. Finally, I had a mushroom soup that was absolutely delicious. I had a beer and spent about an hour there, feeling full. We returned to our room, soaked in the hot springs, had more drinks, and went to bed. The next morning, we had breakfast at the same buffet venue. I had two servings of rice and even a bowl of rice porridge, while my friend, who prefers bread, enjoyed two types of bread. We both loved a dish that was like a potage soup with gnocchi in it! My friend had seconds of this dish without hesitation. Before MyRebiT could say anything, I exclaimed, "Take-no-ko, take-no-ko, gnocchi!" and my friend responded with enthusiasm, "One gnocchi!" We were both in sync! Now, we're off to Asahiyama Zoo, the former government building, and the Sapporo Clock Tower! It was hot on the first day in Hokkaido, but today it's cold! I truly felt the essence of Hokkaido!

Hokkaido is a place where you can find hokke fish, and I can't help but feel that way because my friend from Hokkaido loves hokke fish. Last night, I tried to refrain from eating too much crab, but when I started to plate up some delicious dishes, the portions ended up being quite generous. Well, it's a trip so it's okay, right? I was personally delighted to have yudofu (hot tofu) in the morning. I made a DIY seafood bowl with shirasu (whitebait), small shrimp, marinated salmon roe, squid sōmen noodles, and grated yam on top. It may seem extravagant to have this in the morning. However, I preferred the sashimi dishes from last night (tuna, shrimp). There were also other Japanese side dishes, bread, and fruits available, making the meal quite fulfilling. Thank you for the feast. Despite the extreme cold of minus 10 degrees outside, the indoor temperature was set to a tropical level, allowing us to stay warm. Saying goodbye to the Hello Kitty snowman, we are now heading to our next destination.

We stayed at the Sounkyo Hotel Taiki. Both dinner and breakfast were buffet style. We made sure to attend dinner in time for the fireworks display at the Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival (the hotel offers a shuttle bus every 10 minutes). As a fan of king crab, I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have any, but I indulged in snow crab instead. I piled my plate high with it and forgot to take a photo, my apologies. It was my daughter's first time trying snow crab and she was surprised by how little meat there was on the legs. We also enjoyed a delicious self-cooked hot pot with shrimp, squid, salmon, vegetables, pork belly, and macaroni. The tempura shrimp was perfectly cooked. Overall, it was a great meal. Some lucky guests even encountered Ezo deer in the open-air bath. Although we didn't see any deer, soaking in the open-air bath under the diamond dust was a perfect way to relax after a long day. Thank you for the wonderful experience.

I visited this place after relaxing in an open-air bath in the morning. The breakfast buffet was quite crowded as they seem to consider the sightseeing schedule. There was a wide variety of Japanese and Western dishes available. I focused more on the Western dishes this time. The fresh vegetables were of good quality, and I couldn't resist getting seconds. The gnocchi made from potatoes was also delicious. I was planning to eat lightly to avoid feeling unwell during my hike up Mt. Kurodake later. However, I couldn't resist the unlimited seafood bowl with salmon, squid, small shrimp, scallops, and flying fish roe on top! The salmon was especially delicious! I ended up getting really full. Despite that, I successfully reached the summit of Mt. Kurodake in drizzling rain, feeling a sense of accomplishment. On the way back, I encountered a cute Ezoshima squirrel which was very healing.

I visited around the Bon holiday. The lobby is spacious and has a resort-like feel. There are many visitors from China, Korea, and Southeast Asia, making Japanese visitors feel like a minority. Although there are some older parts, overall it was a pleasant experience. Dinner was a mix of Japanese and Western cuisine at the Top of Canyon restaurant. The restaurant has large glass windows, but since it was already dark, there was no view. The restaurant was spacious and had a cozy atmosphere. I ordered an Asahi Super Dry Extra Cold beer. The meal started with appetizers, followed by shabu-shabu with Upkawa pork, and sashimi. The appetizers, especially the white turnip and salmon marinated dish, were delicious. The shabu-shabu was served with ponzu sauce and a variety of vegetables, which complemented the flavorful Upkawa pork well. The sashimi platter included tuna, salmon, scallops, and sweet shrimp. The scallops from Hokkaido were sweet and firm, unlike the disappointments I've had before. The salmon was top-notch, the tuna had just the right amount of fat, and the sweet shrimp was fresh. I was impressed with the sashimi platter and felt like having some sake, but refrained as I planned to soak in the hot springs later. Next, I had a chilled corn and tomato steamed dish, which was refreshing for August. The hotel's specialty, Seafood Gratin with baked onions from Kitami, was served hot and delicious. For the main course, I chose the miso butter hotplate with Hokkaido scallops and beef. The large scallops were cooked with miso sauce and were flavorful and tender. It was a luxurious treat to have two large scallops. The meal ended with rice, red miso soup, and pickles. The Nanatsuboshi rice from Hokkaido was sweet and tasty. The dessert buffet offered cakes and fruits. After the meal, I waited at the table to watch the fireworks show. The fireworks were loud and impressive, making for a memorable experience. Despite the large number of lively foreign visitors from the continent, I didn't feel uncomfortable, as it's common in tourist areas. The food exceeded my expectations, and the hot springs were excellent, especially the outdoor Tenka no Yu bath. Although Sounkyo is quite far, I would consider staying at this hotel again if I have the chance.

There was crab at the dinner buffet, but it was not replenished near closing time. It was fun to make your own hot pot with various ingredients. The dessert was a bit disappointing. The breakfast had typical items like egg dishes, and I ended up eating too much from the morning.

The taste and portion size are good. However, the dishes are served all at once, so they lose their proper temperature. The crab seems to be boiled in a salty way. The main dish might be sea urchin, which is suitable for the season.