I Looked Into Hakodate Onuma Prince Hotel

On this blog, I've been continuing a routine of researching campgrounds, hot spring facilities, and lodgings that catch my eye, one after another, and writing them up. This time, instead of a campground, I looked into a hotel that seems like it could be enjoyed in a "hocance" (hotel + vacance) kind of way.

What I looked into this time is "Hakodate Onuma Prince Hotel." I learned that it's apparently a hotel with a hot spring located near Onuma Quasi-National Park, and as an indoor type myself, the idea of "a place where I could soak in a hot spring and then just lounge around in my room" caught my interest, so I decided to check it out mainly through the official website.

"Mori no Yu," Featuring an Abundant Flow of 270 Liters Per Minute

Hakodate Onuma Prince Hotel is apparently a hotel located in the Nishi-Onuma Onsen area of Nanae Town, Kameda District, Hokkaido. Inside the hotel there's a hot spring facility called "Nishi-Onuma Onsen Mori no Yu," which seems to be located on the basement level. From the outdoor bath, you can apparently enjoy seasonal scenery across a pond, so it sounds like the atmosphere would change with each season and offer something different to enjoy.

The real highlight of this hot spring does seem to be its flow rate. The source is located right on the property, and it apparently produces a fairly abundant flow of about 270 liters per minute. The water quality is a simple thermal spring (weakly alkaline, hypotonic, high-temperature spring), said to be effective for neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, frozen shoulder, poor circulation, and fatigue recovery. It also seems to be advertised as having a skin-beautifying effect due to an emulsifying action, which might be interesting information for bath lovers. That said, I couldn't confirm on the official website whether there's a sauna.

Day-trip bathing also seems to be available, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, with prices of 1,100 yen for adults and 550 yen for children (ages 4 through elementary school). Even if you're not staying overnight, it seems easy to drop by just for the hot spring. However, cameras and smartphones are apparently prohibited inside the bathing area, so that's something worth knowing ahead of time.

Komorin

Honestly, a figure like 270 liters per minute doesn't really click for me, but I got the sense that it's just a whole lot of water. I'd love to relax while gazing at the pond from the outdoor bath.

I Looked Into the Guest Rooms and Transportation Access

There seem to be several room types: in the west wing, the "Onuma Suite" (62.5 sqm, 4 rooms total); and in the east wing, the "Komagatake Corner Twin" (28.3 sqm, 4 rooms total), "Superior Twin Mountainside/Forestside" (24.6 sqm), and "Moderate Twin" (24.6 sqm). All of these appear to be non-smoking rooms. As for pricing, I didn't find specific figures listed; instead, it seems to be presented through plans such as a family support plan, a wine club plan, and a champagne fair plan. For check-in and check-out times, there are fields for them on the reservation form, but I couldn't find any specific times listed.

Since I don't drive, transportation access was another point I was curious about. From what I found, there's apparently a free shuttle bus for hotel guests connecting to JR Onuma-koen Station, JR Hakodate Station, and Hakodate Airport. On the other hand, I couldn't find any mention of a free shuttle from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, so it seems you'd generally need to use a paid route bus, though it appears free arrangements can be made if you contact the hotel in advance. For Hakodate Airport, there seem to be both free and paid bus options, so it looks like it's worth double-checking which one applies when you use it. Detailed departure and arrival times are apparently compiled in a PDF timetable on the official website, so it seems like a good idea to check that if you actually plan to use these services.

The surrounding area is home to Onuma Quasi-National Park, and there was also mention of a facility called "Onuma Ruche & Komorebi Library," though I couldn't determine the distance or travel time to get there. There also seems to be a dedicated page for the autumn foliage season, suggesting the location offers different ways to enjoy it depending on the time of year. Traveling from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto takes about 3 hours and 57 minutes via the Hokkaido Shinkansen, which might be a more accessible distance than one would expect.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

I tried checking using the official "My Area Connectivity Simulation" tool by entering the address for this facility's location, but no result came up—instead, it displayed a message saying something like "currently undergoing temporary maintenance." It seems this message can appear when the address data for the location in question can't be found, so I wasn't able to check the overall rating this time. Because of that, I'll note the Rakuten Mobile signal conditions around this facility as unknown for now.

Komorin

Honestly, this is the first time I haven't been able to get a result, and it threw me off a bit. As a Rakuten Mobile user myself, I feel bad that I couldn't provide a clear answer. If you're considering staying there, I'd recommend checking it yourself as well.

Wrapping Up

Putting it all together, my impression of Hakodate Onuma Prince Hotel is that it's a hot spring hotel surrounded by Onuma Quasi-National Park, with "Mori no Yu" as its main draw thanks to a flow rate of about 270 liters per minute from an on-site source. With various room types and a shuttle bus service, the amenities for guests seem quite well-rounded, and as someone who doesn't drive, I found it reassuring that access from Hakodate Airport or Hakodate Station seems fairly easy to plan around. On the other hand, I wasn't able to check the Rakuten Mobile signal conditions this time, since the official tool couldn't produce a rating. If you're actually planning to visit, it might be a good idea to check the conditions in your own environment beforehand as well.

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Related Links

• Official Site