Otaru Furukawa

Extremely warm and great hospitality! It’s the second time we stayed in Furukawa, this time with a family of seven people in two rooms. Very convenient location with a great view already overseeing the canal, walkable distance to the photo spot and the shopping streets, also the fish market. We came here just the night before my son’s birthday and we did not make any special booking on that. The staff just happened to find out it’s his birthday and offered to have a photo taking for us at dinner. Without expecting much, the hotel staffs arranged a table mat paper printed with happy birthday and my son’s name even with the years of birthday, then the also gave him a card with a birthday goodie bag. Not only we got the family picture taken and printed out in a birthday card, they offered also a birthday cake at the end of the dinner. Super sweet of the hotel staff and incredibly generous of them. The rooms were as always very cozy and nice, while the meals are all made of local Hokkaido produce. Cannot ask for me and will definitely come back!! Thank you so much!!

Fantastic experience, loved staying the staff were incredibly friendly and as we have two small children they could not do more to help, the public baths also cater to small children with baby soap, bath and amenities. The onsen was lovely with the outdoor fruit bath, indoor fragrance steam room and calming bath. Breakfast is a western style buffet but with quality dishes made with local Hokkaido ingredients.

Otaru Furukawa is an onsen-inn, majority of their clientele are from Japan or speak Japanese. So please keep this in consideration when booking this lovely establishment. English? Very unlikely. Even signs are only in Japanese. While I was there, there was one person who worked in the kitchen/serving who spoke respectable English. Otherwise, the staff speak no English or very, very basic barebones English. However, they are so kind, so hardworking, and so lovely - but they will not understand you if you do not either speak Japanese or use a translator app. I ask that any would-be travelers who would like to come here to please be open-minded and not be disgruntled when the staff are unable to accommodate the language barrier. (Again, most of their clientele are Japanese-speaking.) Overall, Otaru Furukawa is a fantastic onsen-inn. Traditional in appearance from the outside and inside. It is situated right at the docks of Otaru. The rooms are small (barely enough room for a suitcase and yourself) and the bathrooms even smaller. (Honestly, small rooms is a common trait of Japanese accommodations so I won't fault this inn for it.) Note: the rooms are not Japanese-style, but Western-style. So you will not be sleeping on tatami/futons, but on a typical bed. The bathrooms are small because it comes with the assumption that you will be using the onsens for your bathing, and not the fixtures in your room. There are rooms that have their own onsen but I cannot say much about it since I didn't stay in those rooms. You can also reserve an onsen on one of the top floors for a fee. The shared onsens themselves are gorgeous, dimly lit in a romantic sense, and well-designed with wonderful rock fixtures. The waters are soothing, very hot, and continue to warm you up long after you've left. They are separated by men/women, and are alternated daily. Both are very roomy and come with a steam room nearby. The change room was also spacious, but counterspace can be a battle when it gets busy. Luckily I opted to bathe late in the night so the facility was mostly empty save for one other person. I loved the onsens so much, I went every night. Breakfast is included in your lodging, and it was buffet style with Japanese-style foods every day. The dining room was very cozy, especially if you sit by the windows and can see the canal with snow coming down. The lobby also has a lounge area where you are free to indulge in complimentary coffee, tea, and sometimes alcohol. There were several books worth looking through (again, only in Japanese). Side note, the owner has an adorable dog that they also sell merchandise of; you'll see the dog often hanging around behind the front desk. During the wintertime, staff will set out snow boots for free rental in the lobby. So if you catch a snowfall and didn't bring the correct shoes, they'll have some in various sizes for you to borrow! Honestly, this consideration was so touching. (The snow there is not to be underestimated, especially the layers of black ice that is common in Otaru. I slipped on even ground caked in black ice, which was fortunate because hills are super common in Otaru.) I loved Otaru Furukawa and hope to come again. I only stayed a couple of nights, but I really wish I could've stayed so much longer, at least for the onsens. Absolutely one of my favourite stays.