Hotel Abashirikoso

“Nice lake view stay!”

Nice place for overnight stay. Friendly stuff, rich and interesting traditional dinner, The room was ok, clean and comfortable size Don’t miss the Onsen! That was really nice experience. The breakfast, both traditional Japanese and continental,was ok, nothing special

“Traditional Japanese Charm”

Surprisingly, this hotel made an impression on us. It was memorable. A step back in time. Starting when we entered the lobby, a traditional host received us wearing a kimono and greeted us with warm wet towels to freshen up. There were no words expressed, but we felt welcomed. The hotel is old … more

Surprisingly, this hotel made an impression on us. It was memorable. A step back in time. Starting when we entered the lobby, a traditional host received us wearing a kimono and greeted us with warm wet towels to freshen up. There were no words expressed, but we felt welcomed. The hotel is old charm. In it’s heydays, it probably was the grandeur of the town. The place to be. I was worried that it was too old, the plumbing wasn’t great. But in Japan, we’ve never been to a hotel like it. The rooms were huge, enough for six person with two twin beds and four futons. The four of us had two rooms; really enough for 12! There is a living room with tatami mats and tea table to do your tea ceremony if you are so inclined. Tatami mats were clean and traditional; not a speck of dust or hair to be seen. Around the twin beds is a lace curtain. Surprisingly the curtain keeps the warmth in while you sleep cause the room is so large. We had a half board booking including a traditional set dinner with 13 or 15 small dishes including Abashiri crab and sushi. Too much to eat, but very memorable, very tasty. Some guests chose to wear the yakata robes at dinner. We should have; to add to the atmosphere. Each dining room has a elevated stage. I guess in 1948, dinner and shows were a big thing. Arrive early. Dinner times must be prebooked and if you arrive later than 8pm, no dinner for you. I had difficulty planning on how to reach this hotel. Could we walk? No. Is there a bus? No. Is there a shuttle from the hotel? No and yes. The shuttle is only twice a day (see pic) From JR Abashiri, the only way is to take a cab, 10-15 minutes approx. There are activities near the hotel on the frozen lake. There’s ice fishing and snow shoeing. The snow shoes can be rented from the hotel @ 1000yen for 3 hours. We should have stayed an extra night. The onsen had several pools inside and out. The only comment is that there are no lockers. Just baskets to place your clothes, towels and keys. So be careful with your valuables. Besides the restaurant, there’s a ramen bar and a small counter to buy ice cream and an arcade for kids. There’s a very good gift shop too.

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“出張利用 Business Trip”

当日は北見市内のホテルが満室だったためこちらのホテルに宿泊。昭和の名残がある国内リゾート旅館という感じでした。 鍵もカードキーではなく物理鍵で、建物自体もだいぶ老朽化していました。 温泉は大浴場で、サウナも完備してました。 目の前に網走湖がありますが、自分の部屋は逆側で景観は良くなかったです。 壁や天井床が薄く、夜中に上階のお客さんの足音がとてもうるさかったです。 ロケーションや質の割には宿泊費がだいぶ高い印象でした。 I stayed at this hotel because the hotel in Kitami city was fully booked on that day. … more

当日は北見市内のホテルが満室だったためこちらのホテルに宿泊。昭和の名残がある国内リゾート旅館という感じでした。 鍵もカードキーではなく物理鍵で、建物自体もだいぶ老朽化していました。 温泉は大浴場で、サウナも完備してました。 目の前に網走湖がありますが、自分の部屋は逆側で景観は良くなかったです。 壁や天井床が薄く、夜中に上階のお客さんの足音がとてもうるさかったです。 ロケーションや質の割には宿泊費がだいぶ高い印象でした。 I stayed at this hotel because the hotel in Kitami city was fully booked on that day. It felt like a domestic resort inn with remnants of the Showa era. The key was a physical key instead of a card key, and the building itself was quite old. The hot spring is a large public bath and has a sauna. There is Lake Abashiri in front of the hotel, but my room was on the other side and the scenery was not good. The room walls and ceiling and floor were thin, and the footsteps of the guests upstairs were very loud in the middle of the night. For the location and quality, I had the impression that the cost of accommodation was quite high.

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“Excellent hotel if you have a sense of humour; terrible, if you don't...”

This is a weird one. A monument of Japan's 80s asset price bubble, this hotel has several wings containing more rooms that it can ever dream of filling up. On the one hand, you can see where the cost cutting has occurred to keep the behemoth going: there's no air-conditioning in the corridors; the… more

This is a weird one. A monument of Japan's 80s asset price bubble, this hotel has several wings containing more rooms that it can ever dream of filling up. On the one hand, you can see where the cost cutting has occurred to keep the behemoth going: there's no air-conditioning in the corridors; the well-worn carpets and furniture look like they have never been replaced since the hotel opened; half the machines in the game room aren't working; bellmen whisk your luggage away on ramshackle trolleys originally meant for ferrying goods. On the other, despite the sad state of the hotel, you can see the staff proudly at work, providing an impeccable level of service. As alluded to in my title, if you come with an open mind this can be a rather enjoyable hotel. The rooms are massive (but in the summer, they can be very hot as the air conditioning struggles to cool the temp down). There's a performance ("so bad it's good") by a local musician in the lobby in the evenings. For furniture lovers, there are some very good examples of mid-century modern pieces scattered around. The hotel has quite an illustrious history if you bother to read up on it on the Japanese-language version of its website. In its heyday, this must have been the grandest establishment in Hokkaido outside of Sapporo. One last thing: I couldn't find any information on whether the hotel has self service laundry, so to pay it forward -- yes there is a little room at the end of the corridor with a separate washer and dryer.

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