THE FOREST 阿寒 TSURUGA RESORT

This is a wonderful Hotel where you can fully enjoy the great nature of Lake Akan. The woody interior seems to have been recently renovated and is very relaxing. There is complimentary coffee in the lobby, and luggage storage is done by choosing your own code and using a locker. We splurged on a nicer Room, and it had an outstanding view, plenty of space, and even a microwave. Breakfast was excellent—true to Hokkaido—with not only seafood but also delicious pizza and hamburgers, plus smoothies. We also heard we could use the baths at the main Tsuruga Group building, so we went. There is a shuttle bus, but it’s about a 7-minute walk along the lakeside as well. The baths at the main building were incredibly luxurious.

On my first trip to Kushiro, I stayed two nights and spent the second night at Lake Akan. From the entrance to the front desk area looked just like the photos, with lots of wood throughout, and I relaxed on the lobby sofa before heading to my Room. I took a coffee out the back entrance and sat on a bench overlooking Lake Akan—such a great start.The Room was a double Japanese-style Room, more than enough for one person. It may have been renovated; it was a modern, clean tatami Room with a bed, which was great.The bath was a large indoor bath, but I also took the shuttle bus to an affiliated property and enjoyed their rooftop open-air bath—very satisfying! You’ll regret it if you don’t go (lol).Dinner and breakfast were buffet-style, and everything was delicious. You tend to think “Hokkaido = seafood,” but all the other dishes were also carefully prepared and tasted amazing.I planned to have a drink at the bar next to reception afterward, but I was too full and gave up (lol).The next morning, while taking a walk around Lake Akan, I ran into wild deer! After that, I took an early sightseeing cruise over to Marimo Hall. The cloudy sky wasn’t ideal, but the breeze felt great and it was very relaxing.It was just one night/two days, but I fully enjoyed nature and felt refreshed. I’d love to stay again if I get the chance.