Shiretoko Daiichi Hotel

Meals are served buffet-style, with separate venues for breakfast and dinner and a wide variety of options. Even over two nights, there was more than we could try. Dinner in particular featured Hokkaido specialties such as seafood and Ainu cuisine, with plenty of unique dishes beyond the usual, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The baths were also spacious, with various options like a jet bath and bubble bath, making it very relaxing. If possible, I would have preferred an easy-to-move-in separate outfit such as a samue instead of a yukata—so that is the only reason I rated it 4 stars.

Enjoy the Onsen to your heart’s content in the spacious large public bath, which is available even late at night. Meals are served buffet-style at Marusukoi, featuring freshly fried tempura and nigiri sushi made right in front of you, plus unlimited beer and soft drinks—so you can eat until you’re full. The candied sweet potato (which I somehow missed last time) was a big, fluffy stick and absolutely delicious. We choose Shizenkan every time for our room, and after dinner we enjoyed the magnificent sunset sinking into the Sea of Okhotsk.