The service industry is in a critical situation, and here in Hokkaido, known as the kingdom of tourism, the impact is felt throughout the whole prefecture. I stayed at a hidden resort in Hanano, Kitami during the Obon holiday. There were very few guests, so we had the resort all to ourselves. For dinner, we had delicious hairy crab and shabu-shabu, and the breakfast, although buffet was suspended and served individually, was so much that we couldn't finish it all. With hot springs and luxurious meals, the value for money was the best!

About 40 minutes by car from Memanbetsu Airport in Hokkaido. Located in the mountains of Kitami. I should have stayed in the town center for work, but I chose to stay here because there is a golden hot spring. However, this turned out to be a resort hotel that combines a ski resort and a golf course. The hotel had a rating of 3.5 on Tabelog, with only 2 reviews, which is an unusually high rating. The service staff at the front desk recognized me without even seeing my name. The service and explanations were excellent, but something felt off. The breakfast ticket indicated "Breakfast venue: Azalea on the 2nd floor," but they offered to bring it to my room, which was a nice touch. I went to my room and it reeked strongly of smoke. It was a smoking room... I made a mistake. However, I hadn't made a reservation for dinner, so I needed to go to the restaurant. To my surprise, they told me, "Dinner is by reservation only, so you cannot eat here today." There was nothing around except snow-capped mountains! Luckily, there was a shop in the hotel. I entered, but the lights were off. A woman came out and turned on the lights. However, there were only souvenirs and nothing to buy. Could it be that I was the only guest at this resort hotel today? I gathered my thoughts and went to the private golden hot spring (rich in iron). Oh no! There were people there. They were not in yukata, but in muddy jeans and work boots. They were burly in stature. Ah, I understood. Memories from the past resurfaced. They were staff who stayed behind after the ski season for maintenance work and snow removal tasks, and they would use the guest hot spring after work. Indeed, the ski slopes were closed, but the snow removal vehicles were still operating. I reluctantly changed back into my suit and headed to a soba restaurant about 5 kilometers away. Hmm, it was pitch black. It was closed. Today was definitely a miss. The next morning, I went to the hot spring, thinking it would be empty. I entered at 7:55 AM, but it was already being cleaned. It was over. It ended at 8 AM. Darn. Not very kind, but it was my fault. I gathered my thoughts and had breakfast. They brought breakfast to my room. It was a huge amount of food for one person. The coffee was not served in a pot, but they brought it already brewed, so by the time I drank it, it had turned into iced coffee. This hotel made me think about many things. ・It would be fun to visit during the season. ・I should have done more research beforehand. ・Nevertheless, I need to have a positive attitude to enjoy it.

I arrived at a spacious room after a long corridor, equipped with a large living room, toilet, bathroom, and powder corner, overlooking the ski slope. It was a luxurious room in the former Mebius Resort. However, the resort is now under Korean ownership and struggling financially. Despite its grand scale, with all-suite rooms, it cannot compete with larger resorts. I have visited many ski resorts in Hokkaido and Honshu, but this was my first time in the eastern Hokkaido area. The resort, located near Memanbetsu Airport, did not appeal to me with its course layout and soon faded from my memory. It now serves as a local ski resort popular with families. Enjoy the outdoor hot spring in the snow. In the -20°C cold, the stainless steel door leading to the outdoor bath was frozen shut. After running hot water on it for about five minutes, it finally opened. As I soaked in the bath, my bangs froze instantly. It was amazing. The new management has added hot springs to the resort, emphasizing the quality of the "Golden Hot Spring," comparable to Arima Onsen. The outdoor bath is supplied with water close to 50°C. Dinner consisted of a Japanese kaiseki meal. The appetizer included yuzu-kama with persimmon and salmon roe. The assorted appetizers featured conger eel, herring roe pickled in vinegar, simmered shrimp, simmered black beans with pine needles, mustard greens pickled in miso, chicken in pine needle flavor, and steamed tsubugai with sake. The sashimi included sea bream, tuna, squid, and fresh seaweed. The soup contained rice cake, salmon, chicken, radish, carrot, burdock, and trefoil. The tempura was made with cod milt and shishito peppers. The simmered dish featured the expensive fish "kinmedai." The meal was completed with salmon and salmon roe rice, miso soup with seaweed, enoki mushrooms, and tofu, and dessert with pear and kiwi. The amount of rice served was just right. Breakfast was buffet style in a spacious restaurant overlooking the ski slope, offering a wide variety of food and a pleasant atmosphere without being crowded. I finished with tomato juice, yogurt, and coffee. Address: 829, Nibetsu, Tanano-cho, Kitami City, Hokkaido, Japan.

Today, let's go to "Kin no Yu" (Golden Hot Spring). It's a hotel, but it seems that there is Korean investment involved now, as there are many Korean tourists. They also have a ski resort and a golf course, which I think is the best golf course around here. When you play golf, you get a bathing ticket for the hotel's "Kin no Yu" afterwards. So there seem to be a lot of golfers coming for a bath today. The day-use hot spring costs 800 yen, so unlike the usual crowded baths, I thought I was coming to a relaxed bathhouse, but it seems like there are a lot of golfers returning today. When I entered the sauna, there were people who entered dripping wet without wiping their sweat, and others who went straight into the cold water without rinsing off their sweat. Today, there seem to be quite a few of them. When I was in the cold water, someone came in without rinsing off their sweat and I couldn't help but mutter, "How dirty..." and quickly left. I hope they realize, but it's really troubling. Previously, I overheard two female staff members at the front desk talking about something strange, so I asked, "What's wrong?" They said that since it's 800 yen here, they provide body shampoo, shampoo, and conditioner, but there are people who take the bottles home. And then they bring them back for their next visit! Unbelievable, there are some strong-willed people out there. The water looks orange to me, but it's "Kin no Yu" (Golden Hot Spring). You need to be careful when getting into the bath because you can't see what's ahead. I've bumped my toes quite a bit because I couldn't see the step... so please be careful when using it. I arrived early for a meeting in an hour, so I bought gelato at the shop and decided to wait. Unfortunately, they didn't have rum raisin, so I chose strawberry, which suits me well. I put the cup of gelato on the table and was about to start eating when my wife appeared. I asked, "Do you want some?" just in case, but she doesn't eat these things, so she said, "No need!" I tried it, and it seems like there's no sweetness added to the strawberry. It's delicious! My wife took a bite, but she didn't want more, so I finished the rest. It was a very delicious gelato. Now, let's head back home!

This is a hot spring resort hotel located in the suburbs of Kitami in Okhotsk. The unique and stylish building is surrounded by a large area with a golf course and ski slopes, making it enjoyable in both summer and winter. The hotel also offers hot springs. Depending on the weather and number of participants, you can experience activities such as motor gliding and hot air ballooning. Meals are served in the hotel's restaurant, with options for barbecue on the garden terrace and a food court during ski season. The restaurant has a bright and open atmosphere, but the quality and variety of the food may leave something to be desired. The prices seem a bit high for the dated building, but the taste is decent. The breakfast is mainly Japanese style with self-service for bread, drinks, and fruit. The service and overall experience may vary, but the hot springs are a highlight with a sodium-sulfate spring at a comfortable temperature. The "gold hot spring" name may be a bit of a stretch compared to other famous hot springs.

I came to ski alone in Kitami. After returning from work, I changed clothes and headed to the ski resort... which is the first time in 30 years that I have seriously taken up skiing again. It's quite a hassle, but I'm also eager to drink, so I haven't been able to do it. On my days off, skiing is a must. The local ski resort has good snow this year, but all the courses are groomed, so it's easy to ride. But I can't improve if it's like that, and I want to ride different courses. Today I'm in Kitami, and after I finish skiing, I'll go to the hot springs. Kin no Yu has golden-colored water, and I like it because it gives a strong feeling of being in a hot spring. It's 800 yen, which is expensive, but it's not open to everyone. Maybe it's because of the coronavirus. Oh well, I'll buy some bread on my way back. It's a high-class bread, right? Was it 680 yen? The sliced bread is already moist when I see it in the morning at my usual spot. I should just eat it as it is, but I'll spread some butter and toast it. It's sweet, as I expected. But it's not too sweet, and it's still moist. It's not very chewy, but it's a delicious bread.