Day Trips from SapporoPipa no Yu Yurinkan: A Hilltop Hot Spring in Bibai
By Chaporo, a Sapporo local Published 
Quick answers
- Smooth, slippery sodium bicarbonate water known as a "skin-beautifying" spring
- Six baths, including a cave-like outdoor bath; sauna around 90°C
- 650 yen; 7:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30)
- Free parking for 240 cars, with a view over Bibai
Pipa no Yu Yurinkan is a hot spring hotel on a rise just off Route 12 in Bibai, open for day bathing from early morning. From the car park, and the outdoor bath, you look down over the town of Bibai.
The baths
The bathhouse is large: indoors there are a jacuzzi, a hot bath, a cooler bath and a cold plunge, and outdoors a cave-like bath, lit up blue at night (the hotel calls itself "Blue Cave Onsen"), and a rock bath. The water is sodium bicarbonate, clear, smooth and slippery, and it is known as a "skin-beautifying" spring because it cleans the skin a little like soap.
The sauna holds about 15 people and is around 90°C. There are no sauna mats, so bring your own if you use one.
Inside
The building is two floors, clean and spacious, with a souvenir corner, rest area and food corner. The shoe lockers and the changing-room lockers take 100-yen coins, so have some change.
Price, hours and parking
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Price | 650 yen adults, 300 yen elementary school children |
| Hours | 7:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30) |
| Closed | Occasional maintenance days (December 7 and 8, 2026); check the official site |
| Towels | Towel set 320 yen |
| Parking | Free, 240 cars |
See the official site (in Japanese) for details.
How to get there
From Sapporo: about an hour and a half on ordinary roads: Route 12 runs straight out of the city toward Asahikawa, through Ebetsu and Iwamizawa. The expressway runs alongside but saves little time.
From New Chitose Airport: a little over an hour and a half, via Naganuma, joining Route 12 at Iwamizawa.
Finding it: Yurinkan is in the hills east of Route 12 in Bibai (about 5 minutes from Bibai IC if you take the expressway).
Near Yurinkan
Fifteen minutes away, the Coal Mine Memorial Forest Park keeps the red winding towers of the old Mitsubishi Bibai mine.
Japan's Longest Straight Road: A Day Trip from Sapporo on Route 12A local's day trip from Sapporo on Route 12, Japan's longest straight road (29.2 km from Bibai to Takikawa): the monuments, Bibai's torimeshi and yakitori, haskap soft cream, a prisoners' memorial, farm gelato and a hilltop hot spring.
Shirakaba Chaya in Bibai: Torimeshi and the Off-Menu OmuriceA local's guide to Shirakaba Chaya on Route 12 in Bibai: torimeshi chicken rice, the off-menu torimeshi omurice, the salt ramen set, hours, closing days and when to arrive.
Onsen Near Sapporo: A Local's Guide to Day-Trip Hot SpringsThe best onsen near Sapporo for a day trip, chosen by a local who has bathed at all of them: Jozankei, Lake Shikotsu, Noboribetsu, Shakotan and Lake Toya, with prices, tattoo-friendly and private baths, and shuttle buses.
FAQ about Pipa no Yu Yurinkan
Q1. How much is Pipa no Yu Yurinkan?
650 yen for adults.
Q2. What time does it open?
7:00, and it closes at 21:00 (last entry 20:30).
Q3. Is there a sauna?
Yes, at around 90°C; bring your own sauna mat.