【Hokkaido Trip – Day 7-8】Showa Shinzan, Noboribetsu Hot Springs & Lake Shikotsu’s “Mizunouta” | Two Days of Epic Onsen, Volcanic Views & the Best Buffet of the Trip

*This post contains affiliate links. Booking through these links does not affect the price you pay.

---

Two days, three hot spring experiences, one unforgettable buffet. Day 7 took us to the volcanic drama of Showa Shinzan and the famous outdoor baths at Midori no Kaze Resort. Day 8 started with a detour to Noboribetsu — one of Japan’s most celebrated hot spring towns — before ending at the refined lakeside retreat of Mizunouta on Lake Shikotsu.

Day 7: Showa Shinzan → Back to Midori no Kaze for Marathon Bathing

The day began with the resort’s lavish breakfast buffet — a spread of Hokkaido ingredients that set a high bar for the rest of the day. Then we headed out.

Lake Toya: Overcast and Underwhelming

Our first stop was Lake Toya, but the weather had other ideas. Heavy cloud cover meant we could sense the lake more than see it — the landscape felt muted and grey. No photos were taken. We didn’t linger.

Lake Toya on a clear day must be spectacular. I’ll have to go back and find out.

Showa Shinzan: Volcanic Drama and the Best Corn of Your Life

From Lake Toya, a short drive brought us to Showa Shinzan — a lava dome that literally rose out of a wheat field between 1943 and 1945 during a period of intense volcanic activity from nearby Mt. Usu. It’s a genuinely strange and fascinating piece of geology, and the landscape is dramatic even on a grey day.

The bear park, however, was difficult to enjoy. Seeing bears confined in concrete enclosures — without the naturalistic spaces of a proper zoo — left me feeling uncomfortable rather than entertained. We didn’t stay long. If animal welfare is important to you, it’s worth knowing before you visit.

What absolutely delivered: the food stalls. Hokkaido corn is famous for good reason, and eating a freshly grilled cob right there with the volcanic mountain in the background was a genuinely excellent experience. We also had Yubari melon, another Hokkaido icon, which lived up entirely to its reputation.

Location	Showa Shinzan, Sobetsu Town
Highlights	Volcanic lava dome, dramatic landscape
Must-eat	Grilled corn, Yubari melon from the food stalls
Bear Park	Note: bears are kept in concrete enclosures — not a naturalistic environment

Midori no Kaze’s Outdoor Baths: The Adult Playground

Back at the resort, the evening belonged entirely to the outdoor baths — and what an evening it was.

The scale of this bath complex is genuinely hard to describe. A large main rotenburo opens onto a series of smaller pools, each with different temperatures and minerals, connected by paths you wander between while still warm from the last soak. Some pools were perfectly hot. Others were lukewarm — almost refreshingly so after the hotter ones.

I’m a grown adult and I found myself genuinely giddy exploring it. It brought out something childlike — the excitement of not knowing what’s around the next corner. This is one of the best outdoor bath experiences I’ve ever had.

Outdoor Baths	Among the largest and most varied in Hokkaido
Buffet Dinner	Wide selection, heavy on local Hokkaido ingredients
Verdict	★★★★☆ — Especially recommended for onsen lovers

Hotel	Midori no Kaze Resort Kitayuzawa
Rates & Availability	Check on Expedia or the official website

Day 8: Noboribetsu Day Trip → Lake Shikotsu’s Mizunouta

Checked out of Midori no Kaze and pointed the car toward Noboribetsu — a town I’d been anticipating since we stayed at a hotel in Sapporo that piped in Noboribetsu water for its baths. I wanted to see the real thing.

Noboribetsu: Daiichi Takimotokan — Japan’s Hot Springs at Their Finest

We went for a day-use soak at Daiichi Takimotokan, the grande dame of Noboribetsu’s hot spring hotels. The facility is enormous. The baths sprawl across multiple floors and sections, with different spring types drawn from different sources.

The water itself is the star: a thick, milky white from the sulfur content, intensely mineral, and wonderfully soothing to soak in. Your skin feels different when you get out. Japan has no shortage of excellent onsen, but Noboribetsu’s reputation as one of the country’s finest is completely earned.

After soaking in the hot spring, we had miso ramen at Enma-ken. Personally, I thought the Enma ramen was better than the miso ramen. After the meal, we finished things off with the classic soft serve ice cream at Milky House. I seriously want to move to Hokkaido.

Honestly, I want to come back and stay overnight. The only reason I didn’t this trip was the Golden Week pricing — the rates were simply too high during the holiday. I’ll be back.

Facility	Daiichi Takimotokan
Area	Noboribetsu Onsen
Water Type	Sulfur spring — cloudy white, mineral-rich
Day-use Bathing	Available (check current hours and fees on official website)
Staying Overnight	Book well ahead — especially for GW and holidays

Lake Shikotsu: Mizunouta — #2 Hotel of the Trip, #1 for Food

From Noboribetsu, about an hour’s drive brought us to Lake Shikotsu and our next stay: Mizunouta (水の謌), a premium ryokan-style resort on the lake’s edge. The lake, like Toya the day before, was shrouded in cloud — but this time the accommodation more than made up for it.

We booked a Deluxe Room, which came with its own private hot spring bath. Private in-room onsen: one of the great luxuries of Japanese travel, and every bit as good as it sounds.

The Italian Buffet: Best Meal of the Entire Trip

Mizunouta is celebrated for its Italian-style dinner buffet, and it absolutely deserves the reputation.

This wasn’t a case of quantity over quality. Every dish was thoughtfully made, drawing on Hokkaido’s exceptional local ingredients and giving them an Italian treatment that felt natural rather than forced. I went back multiple times — more than I should have — and didn’t regret a single plate.

It ranks among the best buffets I’ve ever eaten at, full stop. The breakfast buffet the next morning was equally excellent, which meant I once again ate too much before a long day of travel.

Worth every calorie.

In-Room Hot Spring vs. the Main Baths

After dinner, the in-room spring was the clear winner. There’s something irreplaceable about soaking in your own private bath at your own pace, with no one else around. I did visit the main communal baths too, but honestly they faded from memory compared to the private one.

Trip Ranking	Hotel: #2 overall | Food: #1 overall
Room	Deluxe (private in-room hot spring included)
Dinner	Italian buffet — best of the entire Hokkaido trip
Breakfast	Also exceptional (dangerous levels of delicious)
Verdict	Would return without a moment’s hesitation

Hotel	Shikotsu-ko Tsuruga Resort Spa Mizunouta (水の謌)
Area	Lake Shikotsu lakeside
Rates & Availability	Check on Expedia or the official website

Day 7–8 Sample Itinerary

Time	Activity
Day 7 Morning	Breakfast buffet at Midori no Kaze Resort
Day 7 Morning	Lake Toya (brief stop — overcast)
Day 7 Afternoon	Showa Shinzan — volcanic sightseeing & food stalls (corn, Yubari melon)
Day 7 Evening	Dinner buffet & extended outdoor bath session at Midori no Kaze
Day 8 Morning	Check out of Midori no Kaze
Day 8 Morning	Day-use onsen at Daiichi Takimotokan, Noboribetsu
Day 8 Afternoon	Drive to Lake Shikotsu (~1 hour)
Day 8 Afternoon	Check in to Mizunouta, private in-room hot spring
Day 8 Evening	Italian dinner buffet
Day 9 Morning	Breakfast buffet → Depart for Shiraoi

Wrapping Up

Two days packed with volcanic scenery, world-class hot springs, and food that made me want to cancel my flight home and stay in Hokkaido indefinitely. The outdoor baths at Midori no Kaze and the dinner buffet at Mizunouta were both genuinely once-in-a-trip experiences.

And Noboribetsu — I’ll be back. With a reservation this time.

Next up: the grand finale of the trip. Shiraoi, the Ainu cultural heartland, and the hotel I can only describe as the best I’ve ever stayed in. Coming soon.