Yukichichibu Onsen (Hot Spring + Mineral Mud Bath) Rankoshi

Address: 680 Yunosato, Rankoshi, Isoya District, Hokkaido 048-1321, Japan

Open: April to October: 10am to 6:30pm / November to March: 11am to 6:30pm on Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm to 6:30pm on weekdays

Closed: Tuesdays

Charge: To use the onsen during the day it costs 700 yen for adults and 300 yen for children.

Small Tattoos: Okay / Large Tattoos: Usually Okay / Full Body Tattoos: Not Okay

URL: https://www.town.rankoshi.hokkaido.jp/administration/tourism/detail.html?content=285

For The Taxi Driver:
〒048-1321 北海道磯谷郡蘭越町字湯里680番地

GPS: 42.86959917942369, 140.59825724512538 (Google Maps)

Yukichichibu Onsen in Niseko is possibly the best onsen I have ever been to. Hoheikyou near Jozankei is up there too. It’s really hard to decide between the two, but I think that Yukichichibu might just take it because there is a tiny ski hill walking distance from the hotel. Yukichichibu was also the first onsen hotel I stayed at when I first came to Japan so I have quite an affection for it.

That first time was a memorable group ski trip where we pretty much took over the whole lodge, drank and partied till the early hours in two of the largest rooms upstairs. We also took over the outdoor baths.

There are 11 rotenburos (outdoor baths) in total. Five in one half and six in the other (which also includes a mud bath). The male and female baths usually rotate on a daily basis but every time I have come here I always end up in the same section. I asked some friends and they said the same too. A female friend told me about the mud bath in the “ladies” section but sadly I have never been able to experience it. The outdoor baths are all fairly large and spacious.

An awesome point about Yukichichibu Onsen, which most onsens in Japan don’t allow, is that you can drink beer in the baths while you soak. Drinking beer in a natural hot spring is a perfect combination for relaxation, but the beer will go to your head fast, so don’t drink too much. There are beer vending machines near the reception.

Yukichichibu Onsen is proper old school traditional Japanese style. All the rooms have tatami mats and all the food is Japanese. It’s dirt cheap too. We stayed for one night which included dinner and a breakfast buffet for about 6,700 yen per person.

The food is eaten in a school style canteen with long tables so you are basically sharing your table with other people.

The evening meal included jingisukan, sashimi, assorted tempura, some vegetables, miso soup and unlimited rice. There’s no bar but you can ask the staff to bring you some drinks. We brought all our own booze beforehand because the stores are a drive away and the drink at the onsen is a little expensive if your only supply is from the vending machine.

The breakfast was a buffet with lots of traditional Japanese stuff.

Getting There
By Train
From Sapporo station take the JR train to Konbu station. The cheapest and quickest route is to change at Otaru station and then take another train on to Konbu station. This takes about two and a half hours and costs 2,100 yen one way. Then from Konbu station it's about a 30 minute taxi ride.

By Car
Then From Sapporo it takes about 2 and a half hours by car during the winter.