Noboribetsu Sekisui Tei

This was my first time staying at a ryokan, and I think it went well. It’s not one of those fancy picture-perfect ryokans with a thousand years of history, but it definitely has its own unique charm — kind of felt like I’d stepped into an old anime, especially with the beautiful view from the window. It was a quiet, peaceful place. Dinner was pretty good, and the staff were quite sweet and welcoming. I saw some reviews mentioning racism, but honestly I didn’t experience anything like that — they actually seemed really happy to have us there. The room wasn’t dirty, just… old. A little worn out, yeah, but in a way that made it feel kind of cozy and lived-in. Not perfect, but not bad either. I’m not sure I’d stay here again, but this ryokan definitely left a little place in my heart.

Sekitsui Tei is a big complex a bit outside of the main area of noboribetsu onsen, however the location is still great for multiple reasons: there is a bus stop in front of the hotel for public transportation, they offer a shuttle to different locations including Sapporo (make sure to reserve a slot) and you can walk in circle to see the main attractions of the town, and then land back at the hotel which is great. They have 2 separate onsen, indoor and outdoor, located in two of the buildings of the complex. Those onsen are always open 24h (except for cleaning times), and do not swap males/females as usually happens as each onsen have separate gender pools - this is great as you can enjoy all the pools at any time. I was in a double room and it was quite spacious, with both western beds and a Japanese tatami where to place the futon, in case one wants to use it (like me). Dinner and breakfast are buffet style with selections of products, although it can be more vary. There is a shop in the central building, vending machines and coin laundry. They also organize a bingo every day at 20.30. Staff nice and available for any requests.

I like the most is the outdoor onsen! February winter time in Hokkaido , outdoor onsen is the most enjoyable!

The hotel location is near Hell's Valley, which is what most tourists come to see. There are several onsens available which are quite large. Some parking lots are available near the hotel. There is a buffet breakfast and dinner available with many food varieties. If you choose the traditional room style, a staff member comes to help you prepare the futon so there are no problems doing it on your own.

This hotel has amazing buffets, for both dinner and breakfast. There was a large variety of delicious foods, and was very satisfying. It can get crowded though, so the staff made the recommendation to go during less popular timings. The room was a lot bigger than we were expecting too, and very comfortable. There was even free snacks provided on the tatami table, and those were tasty.