Day Trips from SapporoYunni no Yu: Coffee-Colored Moor Hot Spring an Hour from Sapporo
By Chaporo, a Sapporo local Published 
Quick answers
- Coffee-colored moor water that leaves your skin smooth
- A sauna for about 15 people at 90–100°C, with a covered cooling area
- The Fushimidai lookout and Farm Restaurant Harvest are close by
- 800 yen weekdays, 1,000 yen weekends; no tattoos; about an hour from Sapporo
Yunni no Yu, in the farming town of Yuni, has brownish, coffee-colored water called moor water (moor-sen). Moor springs are best known at Tokachigawa Onsen, but there are a few near Sapporo, and this is one. The water makes your skin smooth, so it is called a "beauty bath". Moor hot springs, best known at Tokachigawa Onsen, are listed as a Hokkaido Heritage.
The baths and the sauna
The building looks like a lodge in the mountains, and in autumn there are colored leaves around it; from the outdoor bath you soak in moor water looking at the nature around you. The sauna holds about 15 people and runs at about 90–100°C, and the cooling-off area has a roof, so rain is no problem.
The Fushimidai lookout
Yuni lies between the Yubari mountains and the Umaoi hills, with wide farmland. The Fushimidai lookout, 146 meters up on the Umaoi hills and about 350 m from Yunni no Yu, looks down on the fields of Yuni toward Mt. Yubari, and has plenty of parking.
Lunch at Farm Restaurant Harvest
Nearby, Farm Restaurant Harvest is run by an apple farm. Hamburg steak, curry and apple pie are popular, with vegetables from the farm. I had the farm potato and hamburg steak set: the sauce (probably made with apples) is gently sweet and goes perfectly with the hamburg, the cream croquette on the side was soft and melting, and the lightly toasted bread was crisp outside and fluffy inside.
It is popular, but it has two floors and plenty of seats: I went around 11:30 on a Saturday and waited about 10 minutes, but after 12:00 the wait was an hour, so go early. The shop in front sells homemade apple pie and apple juice.
Price, hours and parking
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Price | 800 yen weekdays, 1,000 yen weekends and holidays (adults); half price for elementary school children |
| Hours | 10:30–21:00 (last entry 20:00); morning bath 6:30–9:00 (last entry 8:30) |
| Towels | 370 yen (bath and face towel); loungewear 370 yen |
| Closed | No regular closing day; closed for maintenance in spring and autumn |
| Tattoos | Not allowed (official site) |
| Parking | Free, about 200 cars |
See the official site (in Japanese).
How to get there
From Sapporo: about an hour, east through Kitahiroshima on Prefectural Road 3 to Yuni.
From New Chitose Airport: about 40 minutes, north on Route 337 through Naganuma.
Near Yunni no Yu
Maple Lodge: An Outdoor Finnish Sauna and Forest Hot Spring near IwamizawaA local's guide to Maple Lodge near Iwamizawa: an outdoor Finnish sauna with self-service löyly, a cold plunge of source water, a forest hot spring, red squirrels at the restaurant, price, hours and parking.
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 Yunni no Yu
Q1. What is moor water?
A brownish, coffee-colored hot spring water from plant deposits; moor hot springs are listed as a Hokkaido Heritage.
Q2. How much is Yunni no Yu?
800 yen on weekdays and 1,000 yen at weekends and on holidays.
Q3. How far is it from New Chitose Airport?
About 40 minutes by car.