Traveling from Sapporo to Asahikawa was very easy with the JR pass. We reserved seats on the express train (though it turns out this wasn't required, as 4 cars out of 5 were for non-reserved seating), and it whisked us away to Asahikawa in an hour and a half.
Arriving at Asahikawa, the first thing that caught my attention was the beautiful architecture of the station. Lots of wood detail, clean lines, and bright lights to give the impression that you had arrived at a first class establishment. I could tell I wasn't the only one in awe - other tourists were taking photos too!
We had an hour to grab lunch in the adjacent shopping mall, then bought tickets for the bus that was bound for Asahidake onsen. It was pouring rain when we were at the bus stop - thank goodness we didn't have to walk too far or wait too long for the bus. During the 90-minute bus trip, we drove through the city of Asahikawa, which was much bigger than I had imagined. As we climbed further into the mountains, we saw forests completely transformed into red, orange, and yellow - these were the fall colors we had been promised! Then, as we gained even more elevation, the reds and yellows turned to white as the rain turned to snow.
When we finally reached Asahidake onsen, the roads were covered in a thick layer of snow, and I was only able to recognize the onsen we had booked because I remembered the photo of the building. No English signs up here! Luckily, the staff were well-versed in both English and Japanese, so we didn't have any issues checking in and getting settled in. The blizzardy weather outside made the onsen seem even more warm and inviting, and the cabin-like atmosphere matched perfectly with the feel of how things were turning out.
After unpacking, we headed to the baths, of course. At Yukomanso, the baths are separated into male and female baths, and the expectation is that you go in stark naked - no towel to hide behind! There is a section that is open to the public, and another private section that's only for guests staying at Yukomanso. The"public" section had 2 indoor baths, and 1 outdoor bath, which was pretty magical with the snow falling - the wintery scenery combined with the hot spring bath was so relaxing I went back a second time. The"private" section was divided into 2 - Shikoro no Yu and Yukoman no Yu. For half the day, the Yukoman section is only open to males, then it switches to females - vice versa for the Shikoro section. The Yukoman section is the oldest onsen in Asahidake (since 1951) and has 5 baths - all of different temperatures and containing different minerals. The Shikoro section was opened in 1997 and contains 3 baths. Trying out the different baths was fun - since the signs were all in Japanese, I wasn't sure what the specific benefits were for each bath, but I know I benefited from each one!
Aside from the baths, there's a coffee shop area for Yukomanso guests, with free tea, coffee, and hot spring water. This was a great lounge area in between visiting the public and private baths to get a cool drink of water.
Dinner was a multi-course experience, served in the dining hall, and included in the price per night. It was a pretty extravagant meal - with fresh sashimi, abalone, seafood hot pot, and even the Japanese delicacy: cod milt (cooked in the chawanmushi). I would say everything was cooked well, and presented well - even the cod milt. (We had to look up what milt was after eating it, and then immediately regretted the new knowledge we had gained. Some things are better left unsaid.)
Our room is a traditional Japanese room with tatami mats, and while we were dining, they prepared beds for us! It's been a pretty awesome first day in Asahidake onsen.
Tomorrow might be a good opportunity to try snowshoeing. With the high winds on the mountain, the Asahidake Ropeway will likely be closed so we'll have to stick to exploring around the onsens.
Comments
Snow and onsen! Perfect combination!