Dai-ichi Takimotokan

Overall, it's a good and very large hot spring hotel. The bathing area is quite spacious with a wide variety of baths, including outdoor open-air hot springs. My companion said they saw a deer running down from the mountain right up close. Other recreational facilities seem to be closed during the off-season and require an extra fee. The hotel is very close to Jigokudani (Hell Valley).

The hotel is superbly located, and the rooms are spacious—especially the Japanese-style ones, which are full of character. The food is excellent; both dinner and breakfast were very satisfying. The only downsides? It’s surprisingly hot in the room at night during this season, even without air conditioning, and there were holes in the bedding.

Undoubtedly the best in Noboribetsu. Easily the pinnacle of Japanese hot spring ryokan! You can take a direct bus from Noboribetsu JR Station right to the hotel entrance, and there are also buses running to and from New Chitose Airport. The hotel property is huge, with an oversized restaurant and an entire floor dedicated to onsen baths—the outdoor bath alone is probably larger than the entire hot spring area of other hotels. Hell Valley (Jigokudani) is right next door. The hot springs are 100% authentic, certified by the fact that my silver necklace turned black! Dinner is a buffet and it's super lavish, with all-you-can-eat crab legs, and endless salmon and tuna. However, because the hotel is so massive, it gets very crowded, and you have to queue for both check-in and check-out.