Akan Yuku No Sato Tsuruga

“Great Experience!”

Enjoyed our stay! We booked the large Western Suite with outside onsen. It was incredible. Even in Feb, going into the natural onsen was great. Relaxing and refreshing. Very private. Very traditional set up. Staff was WONDERFUL. Views of Lake Akan were breathtaking. Room very comfortable. Food was… more

Enjoyed our stay! We booked the large Western Suite with outside onsen. It was incredible. Even in Feb, going into the natural onsen was great. Relaxing and refreshing. Very private. Very traditional set up. Staff was WONDERFUL. Views of Lake Akan were breathtaking. Room very comfortable. Food was AMAZING! It was a great traditional experience with moder ammenities.

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“Good hotel good service”

This hotel was our highlight in Hokkaido trip! Onsen was very good quolity, and they provided free fried potato on check in as well. Highly recommended!

“Grand Ryokan, Superb Onsen, & a Memorable Final Lesson in Selective Service”

Akan Yuku no Sato Tsuruga is a large Japanese ryokan made up of 2 main buildings, beautifully located beside Lake Akan. Most rooms enjoy views of either the lake or the town. The Akan Cultural Village & Akanko Ainu Theatre are conveniently just a 3min walk across the river, with a Lawson convenienc… more

Akan Yuku no Sato Tsuruga is a large Japanese ryokan made up of 2 main buildings, beautifully located beside Lake Akan. Most rooms enjoy views of either the lake or the town. The Akan Cultural Village & Akanko Ainu Theatre are conveniently just a 3min walk across the river, with a Lawson convenience store directly opposite the hotel. We stayed for 2 nights in midDec before Xmas. As expected during winter, the town was rather quiet, with many shops closed even during the day. If you’re driving, arrival is well organised: pull into the driveway to unload luggage, then follow a map to a designated parking area about 3min away, with a courtesy shuttle back to the hotel for check-in. Onsen Experience Among the many ryokans we’ve stayed at in Japan, the onsens here are some of the most impressive. Think “luxury onsen factory”, massive in scale, yet still beautifully maintained & comfortable even with large numbers of guests. There are 3 onsen areas p/gender available at the same time, offering plenty of choice. The 2 onsens in the main building are particularly stunning, especially the outdoor areas. Bathing in winter while snow falls over Japanese gardens, with Lake Akan & a snow-covered, Fuji-like mountain in the background, was truly magical. Dining We had both breakfast & dinner included, served buffet-style at the main restaurant, Tenga, enormous, efficient, & clearly designed to handle crowds with military precision. The buffet is divided into Japanese (the largest section), Chinese, Western, plus a kids’ area & ramen bar. Seafood & sashimi dominate, & watching some guests stack plates as if preparing for hibernation was mildly entertaining. That said, if you’re not keen on seafood, choices are limited. Also, despite our 2 night stay, both breakfast & dinner selections remained exactly the same. Rooms & Facilities There’s a small indoor shopping area for snacks & souvenirs, & complimentary local steamed potatoes are served daily from 3:30pm (we showed restraint to save room for dinner). Our room in the Wing building was spacious, clean, & comfortable, though showing a bit of age. Throughout most of our stay, staff were friendly & greeted us warmly whenever we passed through public areas. The Departure Experience Unfortunately, the final moments of our stay told a very different story. On departure day, I watched the doorman , Hattori-san, enthusiastically assist Japanese guests with their luggage. Observing this, I admired once again the world-famous Japanese hospitality. When it became our turn, that hospitality appeared to go on an unscheduled break. I pushed the trolley where our luggage was next to our car. With no other guests around, I began loading the luggage myself. Two large suitcases went into the car while Hattori-san stood nearby, watching. The 3rd suitcase was left on the sloped driveway. At this point, Hattori-san suddenly approached. For a brief moment, I thought help had arrived. Instead, he swiftly removed the luggage trolley, as if concerned it might disappear, & resumed watching. As he observed, the final suitcase slowly slid down the slope & fell flat onto the ground. I turned to him. He looked at the suitcase. Then at me. And continued standing there. No assistance. No concern. The only thing missing was popcorn. The contrast b/t his attentiveness toward Japanese guests & his indifference toward us was stark, almost theatrical. Unfortunately, this left us feeling singled out & discriminated against, & it significantly overshadowed an otherwise enjoyable stay. Final Thoughts Akan Yuku no Sato Tsuruga offers beautiful scenery, impressive onsens, generous dining and comfortable accommodation. It remains a place worth experiencing. However, if service were more consistent, especially in those final, lasting moments, it could easily be an excellent stay rather than one remembered for an unexpectedly revealing farewell performance.

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“Lovely hotel & scenery”

Stayed here for 2 nights having got to Kushiro & realised we’d made a bad mistake. We left pronto. Taxi from Kushiro was £120 & well worth it to get here, we had a room with an outside onsen for just under £900 for 2 nights including breakfast (nice, lots of choice) & evening meal (very similar sel… more

Stayed here for 2 nights having got to Kushiro & realised we’d made a bad mistake. We left pronto. Taxi from Kushiro was £120 & well worth it to get here, we had a room with an outside onsen for just under £900 for 2 nights including breakfast (nice, lots of choice) & evening meal (very similar selections + a few more mains to be honest). Food was all decent & really wide selection of Japanese, Chinese & Western, but everything was cold/lukewarm (& it was buffet style). Presume that’s a thing here because no one seemed to complain….but the same stuff hot would have been so much nicer? Room was spacious & nice, bathroom very dated though. Clothes provided for onsen use. Outside room onsen very nice with snow falling onto your head as you sat in there. Only went in the downstairs onsen (no tatts!) & that was very nice - the outside one was spectacular with snow covered pine trees over it. I’m told the 8th floor one was much shabbier….(men in one, women in the other, it switches over each day) Right on the lake, so views were very nice & the town was more than good enough & full of gift shops (plus a perfect little bar in the Leather Shop/Outdoor Shop 🤔). Would stay here again, Hokkaido & this area in particular very nice & worth the effort to get to.

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