Hokkaido · Sapporo · Onsen Town
Jozankei is Sapporo’s own hot-spring town, about 26 km south of the city centre in a national-park river valley. Since 1 December 2025 the bus company has sent travellers from central Sapporo to a reserved direct bus or to the subway plus a local bus. Below: both routes, free footbaths, day-bathing prices, this winter’s events, and eight hotels compared on shuttles, private baths, hot-spring water in rooms and tattoo rules.
What Jozankei is
Jozankei sits on the Toyohira River in Sapporo’s Minami Ward. The water is a clear, mildly salty sodium chloride spring. The town dates its start to 1866, when the monk Miizumi Jozan was guided to the springs by Ainu people; the valley is named after Jozan, and 2026 is the onsen’s 160th year.
Getting there from Sapporo
Jotetsu, the local bus company, now points central-Sapporo travellers to the two routes below. Some hotel pages still describe an older ordinary bus; follow the Jotetsu notice.
Kappa Liner: the direct bus
The Kappa Liner leaves Sapporo Station from bus stop 27 (Hokuren Building), calls at Odori and Susukino, and serves the onsen town; some departures continue to Hoheikyo Onsen, so check your bus’s destination. Every bus is reserved, bookable from one month ahead until 17:00 the day before; Jotetsu says you can board unbooked if seats are free on the day.
- Winter operation: 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, 11 buses each way.
- From Sapporo Station: 9:10, 9:35, 10:30, 10:45, 11:30, 12:30, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00 and 16:00. The 9:10 reaches Jozankei-jinja-mae at 10:05.
- Back: first from Jozankei at 8:45 (Sapporo Station 10:03), last at 17:06 (Sapporo Station 18:19).
- Fare: ¥1,700 one way, or ¥1,460 booked and paid on Jotetsu’s website.
Subway and local bus
If the Kappa Liner is full, take the Namboku subway line to Makomanai, the end of the line, and change to Jotetsu bus 12J (Jozankei Onsen) or 12H (Hoheikyo Onsen). The bus takes about 47 minutes; check Jotetsu’s journey planner for connections.
From the airport, and by car
Hokuto Kotsu lists a 14:00 bus from New Chitose Airport to Jozankei and a 10:10 return (¥3,000), but its website showed all services suspended on 20 October 2026. Separately, a winter-only direct bus, the Jozankei Onsen Liner, runs daily from 19 December 2026 to 21 February 2027: it leaves New Chitose Airport at 15:15 (international terminal) and 15:18 (domestic terminal), costs ¥3,500 for adults, and must be booked by 18:00 the day before. Check the operator’s current status before planning around either route.
By car, the association gives about 50 minutes from Sapporo and 80 minutes from the airport. The public car park next to Hotel Milione has 54 spaces at ¥500 per 24 hours. If you are renting a car for the wider trip, compare Hokkaido rental cars on Tocoo; see Driving in winter below for tyres.
A day trip: footbaths, day bathing and the river
Free footbaths
- Futami footbath (二見の足湯): semi-outdoor, open to the river, wheelchair accessible. 9:00–21:00 every day; towels ¥300 from a machine.
- Jozan Gensen Park (定山源泉公園): a garden footbath by Tsukimi Bridge, 7:00–21:00. The association says its egg pot is fed with spring water over 80°C and cooks eggs in about 20 minutes; raw eggs are sold at Jozankei Bussankan across the bridge.
- Taro no Yu (太郎の湯): an octagonal roofed footbath by the main road, 7:00–20:00, with a towel machine.
All three are free; bring a small towel.
Hotel baths without staying
From each hotel’s website, checked 20 October 2026. Prices are per adult, except Suizantei’s private bathhouse and sauna, which are charged per session.
| Hotel | Hours | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Shika no Yu | 6:00–9:30; afternoons from 13:00 (Mon, Thu 14:00) to 21:00. November 2026 changes: no afternoon session on 10 Nov, no morning session on 11 Nov, afternoons from 13:00 on 23 Nov and 14:00 on 24 Nov | ¥1,000 morning; ¥1,500 afternoon |
| Hotel Milione | 12:00–20:00 (last entry 18:00); 7:00–10:00 | ¥1,500; towels ¥300 |
| Furukawa | 12:00–15:00 (last entry 14:30) | ¥1,500, towels included |
| Jozankei View Hotel | Non-holiday weekdays: bath, or bath and pool, 14:00–21:00 (last entry 20:00). Weekends and holidays: bath and pool only, bath 11:00–15:00 | Weekdays ¥1,500 bath, ¥2,500 with pool; weekends and holidays ¥3,000 |
| Mori no Uta | Lunch buffet and bath, bathing 11:30–14:30; last entry to the baths with the lunch plan 14:00; lunch closed Tue and Wed; the dinner-buffet day-trip page says day-trip plans are currently suspended; a shabu-shabu dinner plan with bathing is listed separately | ¥3,900 with lunch |
| Daiichi Suizantei | Private bathhouse, 12:00–14:00; private sauna, last entry 14:40 | Bathhouse: ¥8,800 for a two-hour day visit from 12:00 to 14:00, plus bathing tax; advance reservation required (hotel guests: ¥4,400 per 60 minutes); sauna ¥8,800 per 100 minutes |
Shika no Yu stops admitting an hour before closing. At the View Hotel there is no bath-only entry at weekends and holidays, and day visitors cannot use the 16th-floor bath on weekends, holidays or school holidays. Shogetsu Grand sells bathing only with a meal.
Jotetsu’s day pack (¥3,500 online, ¥3,700 at a counter) bundles the Kappa Liner, a one-day Jotetsu bus pass and one bath at Furukawa, Milione, Yunohana Jozankeiden, Hoheikyo Onsen, Hatagoya Jozankei Shoten or, on weekdays outside school holidays, the View Hotel.
Futami Suspension Bridge and the kappa legend
The red Futami Suspension Bridge, built in 1955, is 23 m long and looks over Futami Rock and Kappa-buchi. In the association’s legend, a young man fishing here was pulled under and never found, then appeared a year later in a parent’s dream, living happily with a kappa wife and child. The association also gives the source: in 1965 the cartoonist Oba Hiroshi named the pool Kappa-buchi and wrote the story from an old resident’s memory of a drowning.
Futami Park, where the walk starts, is closed for river works planned over two years; this fiscal year’s phase runs from 24 September 2026 to the end of March 2027. The association planned a pedestrian detour to the bridge from 1 October, but the detour and the riverside path close in winter; check the association’s access notice before you go. Nearby, Iwato Kannon-do (7:00–20:00) has a 120 m hand-dug cave with 33 Kannon statues; cave entry ¥300.
Autumn leaves, lantern nights and winter
Autumn. The association says the town’s leaves usually peak in mid-October. In 2026 they ran a little early: on 19 October it reported fading colours in the onsen town and leaves beginning to fall at Hoheikyo Dam, and its report of 2 November said the leaves had fallen at all five of its main viewing areas as of 1 November, so the 2026 season is over. The 2026 lantern trail, Natsutoro, was scheduled to run in the evenings through 31 October 2026.
Winter 2027. The snow-candle event Yukitoro ended in February 2026 after 15 winters. Its replacement, New Yukitoro 2027, runs from 20 January to 28 February 2027, 18:00–21:30 (last entry 21:15). The association says the 2027 event will no longer use snow candles; check its event page for the programme and any changes. The shrine at night is for guests of local inns. If you are coming for the Sapporo Snow Festival 2027, Jozankei is an hour from Sapporo Station, so one trip can include both.
Driving in winter. Yuraku Soan’s access page asks drivers to fit winter tyres or carry chains, usually from December to early April.
Skiing. Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort is about 30 minutes by car. For guests of member inns, the Jozankei Ski Liner runs from 23 December 2026 to 22 March 2027 (¥2,800 return, book online by 21:00 the day before). For a longer route, see the five-day Hokkaido winter itinerary.
How these hotels were chosen
All eight are listed by the Jozankei Tourist Association, and this comparison uses official hotel and operator pages, including FAQs, checked on 20 October 2026. For each: the shuttle, nearest Kappa Liner stop, private baths, hot-spring water in rooms, day use, dinner and tattoo policy, with a note where the pages checked do not say. Room prices change by date, so none are given. Once you have a shortlist from the table below, check Jozankei hotels for your dates on Booking.com.
The eight hotels side by side
| Hotel | Bath highlights | Day use |
|---|---|---|
| Mori no Uta | Forest open-air bath; 4 cottages with hot-spring open-air bath | With a lunch buffet or a shabu-shabu dinner |
| Jozankei View Hotel | 16th-floor view bath; 4,000 m² indoor pool | Weekdays bath only or with pool; weekends and holidays with pool |
| Hotel Milione | 450 m² bath with open-air; rooms with hot-spring view bath | Yes, bath only |
| Daiichi Suizantei | 7th-floor private open-air bath; private bathhouse | Private bathhouse or private sauna |
| Shogetsu Grand | Hot-spring baths with added water; 2 bookable private baths | With a meal only |
| Yuraku Soan | 4 free private open-air baths, no booking | None found on pages checked; ask |
| Hanamomiji | Premier Suite and Premier Twins with in-room hot spring; 3 private baths | Sister inn Shika no Yu sells it; ask Hanamomiji |
| Furukawa | Source-water open-air bath (guests); private baths | Yes, 12:00–15:00 |
Where to stay, hotel by hotel
Most hotels run a shuttle from central Sapporo for staying guests; all need a reservation.
| Hotel | From | Out / back |
|---|---|---|
| Mori no Uta | Makomanai Sta., free | 3 each way: from Makomanai 10:30, 14:30, 16:30; back 9:30, 11:30, 15:30; phone by 17:00 the day before |
| View Hotel | Sapporo Sta. north, free | 14:00 / 10:00 |
| Milione | Sapporo Sta. north | 14:30 / 10:00 |
| Suizantei | Odori Nishi 5, free | 11:30, 14:40, 17:00 / 10:30, 13:00 |
| Shogetsu | Sapporo Sta. north, ¥1,000 one way (¥500 if booked direct) | 14:00 / 10:30 |
| Hanamomiji | Sapporo Sta. north, free | 15:00 / 10:00 |
| Furukawa | Odori Nishi 1, free | 14:30 / 10:00 |
Yuraku Soan’s free shuttle is booked on its access page. Mori no Uta takes shuttle bookings by phone.
Jozankei Tsuruga Resort Spa Mori no Uta (森の謌): buffet, and four cottages with their own bath
Mori no Uta runs a free shuttle from Makomanai subway station at 10:30, 14:30 and 16:30 (about 30 minutes), returning at 9:30, 11:30 and 15:30. Nearest Kappa Liner stop: Shiraito no Taki. The FAQ lists four cottages with a hot-spring open-air bath; the large baths, with an open-air bath among trees, are open from 11:30 to 9:30 next morning except 2:00–5:00. Dinner is a buffet.
- Tattoos: guests with tattoos, including stickers, cannot use the large baths.
Jozankei View Hotel (定山渓ビューホテル): the family choice, with an indoor pool
The View Hotel is built around Lagoon, a 4,000 m² indoor heated pool with a wave pool. Its baths include a 16th-floor view bath. Dinner is a buffet of about 60 dishes. Nearest Kappa Liner stop: Jozankei Onsen Higashi 2-chome.
- Tattoos: guests with tattoos, tattoo stickers or body paint cannot use the baths or the pool.
Jozankei View Hotel official website
Jozankei Manseikaku Hotel Milione (ホテルミリオーネ): a big bath in the centre of town
Milione is about a minute’s walk from the Jozankei bus stop. Its bath, Bisen, is about 450 m², with four indoor baths and an open-air bath. Some Western-style rooms have a hot-spring view bath. Dinner is a buffet, kaiseki or a set menu.
- Tattoos: refused in the baths, including stickers and body paint.
- Catch: the indoor pool is closed from 1 December 2026 to 25 March 2027 for repairs.
Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizantei (第一寶亭留 翠山亭): private baths, no young children
Besides its large baths, Suizantei has Myotai no Yu, a private open-air bath on the 7th floor (no shower; booked at check-in), and Mori no Yu, a separate private bathhouse at ¥4,400 for 60 minutes for hotel guests (day visitors pay ¥8,800 for 12:00–14:00 plus bathing tax). The hotel’s room list tags every room type 温泉付 (with hot-spring bath), including the 展望風呂 (view bath) rooms. It also offers a private sauna, Suizan Neppa, for 100 minutes. Nearest Kappa Liner stop: Daiichi Hotel-mae.
- Catch: since 1 April 2022 the hotel takes only guests of primary-school age and older.
- Tattoos: not mentioned on the bath, room and access pages checked; ask before booking.
Daiichi Hotel Suizantei official website
Shogetsu Grand Hotel (章月グランドホテル): check which room bath is hot spring
The shared baths use hot-spring water with water added to cool it, as the source is about 75°C. Only suite 801 and the Premium Rooms have hot-spring water in the room. The King-Bed Room also has a view bath, but its description says the water is not hot-spring water. Two private baths run 16:00–23:00, 50 minutes for ¥3,300 booked by the day before or ¥4,400 on the day. Dinner is kaiseki. Nearest Kappa Liner stop: Jozankei-jinja-mae.
- Tattoos: not found on the pages checked; ask before booking.
Shogetsu Grand Hotel official website
Jozankei Yuraku Soan (ゆらく草庵): four free private baths, no booking
Yuraku Soan has four private open-air baths in cypress, ceramic, hiba wood and rock. They are free and first come, first served, with no booking; lock the door and a lamp outside shows the bath is in use. Dinner is kaiseki at 17:30 or 20:00, with free late-night ramen. Nearest Kappa Liner stop: Shiraito no Taki, about five minutes’ walk.
- Tattoos: the operator, Kyoritsu Resort, bars tattoos of any size from the large baths and points guests to room baths or private baths.
Hanamomiji (花もみじ): hot spring in three top-floor room types
Hanamomiji shares baths with its sister inn Shika no Yu: a top-floor view bath, a garden open-air bath and a riverside open-air bath, plus three private baths. Three top-floor room types have hot-spring water in the room: the Premier Suite (105 m²) and Premier Twins A and B (60 m², free-flowing). The top-floor Yamanami and Machinami Twins have only a shower booth. Dinner is kaiseki. Nearest Kappa Liner stop: Jozankei Yunomachi.
- Tattoos: Shika no Yu’s day-bathing page refuses tattooed day bathers; ask Hanamomiji about its own policy before booking.
Nukumori no Yado Furukawa (ふる川): a source-water bath and lower-priced private baths
In Furukawa’s basement is Yumeimi, an open-air bath of untouched source water under old beams and bare bulbs: ¥500, staying guests only, 15:00–23:00, no children. Private baths cost ¥2,200 per room for 50 minutes. Dinner is kaiseki, breakfast a Japanese buffet. Nearest Kappa Liner stop: Jozankei Yunomachi.
- Tattoos: not mentioned on the bath, room and access pages checked; ask before booking.
Paid link: I may earn a commission if you book. Compare Jozankei hotels by date on Booking.com
Which hotel fits which trip
Family with children
The View Hotel for its pool and buffet. Suizantei takes no children under primary-school age.
Hot spring in your own room
Hanamomiji’s Premier Suite or Premier Twins, Shogetsu’s Premium Rooms or suite 801, any Suizantei room, a Mori no Uta cottage, or a Milione room with a hot-spring view bath.
Tattoos
Yuraku Soan, for four free private baths with no booking. Furukawa, Shogetsu and Suizantei have paid private baths; ask first.
Tattoos: what the hotels say
Of the eight hotels compared, Mori no Uta, the View Hotel and Milione (each including stickers) and Yuraku Soan (any size) publish restrictions on tattoos in their shared baths. Shika no Yu, Hanamomiji’s sister inn, refuses tattooed day bathers. The practical answer is a private bath or a room with its own hot-spring bath. For shared-bath basics, see the onsen etiquette guide.
Stay a night or make it a day trip?
A day trip works for a soak and a walk: a morning Kappa Liner, the footbaths and one hotel bath, back by the 17:06 bus.
Prefer a city hotel and a day out? Paid link: I may earn a commission if you book. Search Sapporo hotels on Booking.com. Our guide to where to stay in Sapporo compares the areas.
Stay a night for the evening: the winter light event’s shrine section is for staying guests, hotel shuttles run from central Sapporo, and in winter you get the Ski Liner. Coming from Tokyo? See Tokyo to Hokkaido for flights and the train. For another Hokkaido onsen, see the Noboribetsu Onsen guide.
FAQ
How do I get from Sapporo to Jozankei?
By the reserved Kappa Liner from Sapporo Station (about an hour, ¥1,700 or ¥1,460 online), or the Namboku subway to Makomanai and Jotetsu bus 12J or 12H.
Can I use the onsen without staying overnight?
Yes. The three footbaths are free. Shika no Yu offers a ¥1,000 morning bath; afternoon day bathing at Shika no Yu, Hotel Milione and Furukawa, and on non-holiday weekdays at the View Hotel, starts at ¥1,500.
When do Jozankei’s autumn leaves usually peak?
Usually around mid-October, according to the tourist association. In 2026 they were early. Check the association’s current foliage report before travelling.
When is the winter light event in 2027?
New Yukitoro 2027 runs from 20 January to 28 February 2027, 18:00–21:30. It replaces the snow-candle Yukitoro, which ended in February 2026.
Which Jozankei hotels have hot-spring water in the room?
Among these hotels: every Suizantei room type (all 16 are tagged as having a hot-spring bath in its room list), Hanamomiji’s Premier Suite and Premier Twins, Shogetsu Grand’s suite 801 and Premium Rooms, Mori no Uta’s four cottages and Milione’s rooms with a hot-spring view bath. Shogetsu’s King-Bed Room bath is not hot-spring water.
Can I bathe in Jozankei with tattoos?
Four of the eight hotels compared publish restrictions on tattoos in shared baths. Yuraku Soan’s four free private baths, first come first served with no booking, are the simplest alternative.
Sources
- Jozankei Tourist Association: about, access, leaves 2026, Futami Park works, New Yukitoro 2027, Natsutoro, ski plan, Futami bridge, Kappa-buchi, Iwato Kannon-do, Futami footbath, Jozan Gensen Park, egg pot, Taro no Yu, Hoheikyo Dam, car park
- Jotetsu Bus: Kappa Liner, winter 2026–27, change from 1 December 2025, day packs; Hokuto Kotsu airport bus
- Mori no Uta: FAQ, access, lunch and bath
- Jozankei View Hotel: baths, day use, access, FAQ
- Hotel Milione: baths, day bathing, access, pool closure
- Daiichi Hotel Suizantei: baths, rooms, access
- Shogetsu Grand Hotel: baths, rooms, FAQ, access
- Yuraku Soan: baths, meals, access; Kyoritsu Resort FAQ
- Hanamomiji and Shika no Yu: baths, rooms, access, Shika no Yu day bathing
- Furukawa: baths, access
Before booking, check Jotetsu’s current Kappa Liner timetable and your hotel’s own bath and shuttle pages.
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