Marukoma Onsen Day Bath: Hot Springs on the Shore of Lake Shikotsu

Marukoma Onsen is an inn on the north shore of Lake Shikotsu, opened in 1915, that could once be reached only by boat. Its baths sit so close to the lake that you feel part of it, looking across the clear water to Mt. Fuppushi. Day bathing is on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only, with entry from 10:00 to 14:00, for 1,200 yen. Tattoos are allowed in the shared baths, according to the inn.

The baths

The photo is the view from the rest area near the main bath; the mountain across the water is Mt. Fuppushi.

Indoor bath: three pools at low, medium and high temperatures, so you can choose the heat you like.
Outdoor area: two pools, one of them a cold plunge, with five chairs and three loungers for cooling off, and the lake right in front of you.
The water: milky and slightly silky. In the outdoor bath the minerals seemed especially strong, and the bottom of the pool was slippery with them.
Sauna: a Finnish sauna for about five people, where you can pour water on the stones yourself. The cold plunge is fed with lake water: 15 to 17°C in summer, and it can drop below 10°C in winter.

Don't miss the natural outdoor bath where the hot water wells up from the ground beneath you, one of only about 20 in Japan. It is about 15 meters across the rocks from the main bath; the water is clear and fairly cool, and you look out over the lake. It sits at the level of the lake, so its depth changes with the seasons. In the changing room there is cold Lake Shikotsu water, drawn from about 20 meters down, to drink after your bath.

Day bathing: price and hours

What	Details
Days	Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only (no day bathing Monday to Thursday); it also closes on some days, so check the calendar
Hours	Last entry 14:00 (from 10:00); out by 15:00
Price	1,200 yen adults, 600 yen children, 300 yen infants, free under 3
Towels	Face towel 250 yen (to buy), bath towel 250 yen (to rent)
Parking	Free

You do not need to book for the bath alone; if you want lunch too, book a bath-and-lunch plan. Tattoos are allowed in the shared baths, according to the inn, and women may wear a bathing wrap. There are also two private baths for day visitors, for up to four people: Koma-no-yu with an open-air bath (5,500 yen for 50 minutes) and Maru-no-yu with a barrel sauna (from 7,700 yen for 50 minutes). Both include the main baths; book online at least two days ahead, and bring your own towels. Check the official site before you go.

How to get to Marukoma Onsen

From central Sapporo: about an hour south on Route 453 to the north shore of the lake. Go over the Poropinai Pass, down toward the lake, and turn onto Prefectural Road 730; the inn is about five minutes along.

From New Chitose Airport: about 40 minutes west on Prefectural Road 16 to the east shore, then north-west along the lake on Route 453 and left onto Prefectural Road 730.

Near Marukoma Onsen

Poropinai, on the north shore, has a lakeside restaurant serving himemasu (kokanee), a small landlocked salmon, and a viewpoint over the whole lake. Lake Okotanpe, a small hidden lake in the hills to the north-west, changes color from emerald to cobalt with the light. On the east shore, Shikotsuko Onsen has the underwater sightseeing boat.