Day Trips from SapporoHotel Meguma in Wakkanai: Onsen, a Finnish Sauna and Day Bathing
By Chaporo, a Sapporo local Published 
Quick answers
- Clear, smooth Wakkanai Onsen water, an original herbal bath and a snow-hut-style outdoor bath
- A Finnish sauna where you pour your own löyly, an ice-it-yourself cold plunge and lounge chairs outside
- Day bathing 2,000 yen with towels, closed Tuesdays; hours change by season (check its Facebook or Instagram)
- Rooms look out to the sea and Cape Noshappu; free parking for about 20 cars
Hotel Meguma is a quiet hotel a little outside central Wakkanai, about 5 minutes by car from Wakkanai Airport. I stayed one night; its baths and sauna are the reason to come, and they are open to day visitors too.
The baths and the sauna
Indoors there are the Wakkanai Onsen Koetoi no Yu, clear, smooth sodium bicarbonate water that leaves you feeling fresh, and Meguma no Yu, the hotel's own herbal bath. Outside is Yukiakari no Yu, a bath shaped like a snow hut.
The sauna is by a long-established Finnish maker, and you can pour water on the stones yourself. It holds only five or six people, but it heats up fast with the steam. The cold plunge is a one-person tub you cool with ice yourself, and outside there are lounge chairs in the breeze; even in summer, Wakkanai nights are cool, so cooling off outside feels great.
The view and breakfast
From my room I could see the sea and Cape Noshappu, and hear the seagulls.
Breakfast included Wakkanai seafood, such as scallop sashimi and Rishiri kelp.
Day bathing, price and parking
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Day bathing | 2,000 yen adults, 1,000 yen elementary school children; bath and face towels included |
| Hours | Change by season: check its Facebook or Instagram |
| Closed (day bathing) | Tuesdays |
| Parking | Free, about 20 cars |
See the official site (in Japanese) for details.
How to get there
From Sapporo: over 300 km; about five and a half to six hours straight there, or a full day with stops along the Ororon Line.
In Wakkanai: Wakkanai Airport has rental cars if you fly in. Hotel Meguma is in Koetoi, east of central Wakkanai on the way to Cape Soya.
Near Hotel Meguma
Sapporo to Wakkanai by Car: The Ororon Line Coast Road to Cape SoyaDriving from Sapporo to Wakkanai up the Ororon Line, the Sea of Japan coast road, from a Sapporo local who did it: the stops, the closest view of Rishiri Island, sunset at Cape Noshappu, and Cape Soya and the White Road the next morning.
Urokotei in Wakkanai: Octopus Shabu-Shabu by the PortA local's guide to Urokotei, a seafood restaurant facing Wakkanai port: octopus shabu-shabu, Wakkanai's specialty, and fried surf clams, with prices, hours and parking.
Cape Noshappu: Sunset Over Rishiri and Rebun in WakkanaiA local's guide to Cape Noshappu in Wakkanai, where the Ororon Line ends: the view of Rishiri and Rebun islands, sunset times by month, what to wear, and how to drive there from Sapporo.
FAQ about Hotel Meguma
Q1. Can I use the baths without staying?
Yes, day bathing is 2,000 yen with towels; check its social media for the hours.
Q2. Is there a sauna?
Yes, a Finnish sauna where you can pour water on the stones yourself.
Q3. Where is it?
In Koetoi, a little east of central Wakkanai.