I Looked Into Ryokan Ichinomatsu

I've been continuing to research all sorts of facilities in a series-like format, not just campgrounds but also day-trip hot springs and inns. Since I don't drive, checking whether a place is accessible without a car is something I make a point of confirming every time.

This time, I looked into "Ryokan Ichinomatsu." I got curious about how close it is—just 8 minutes by car from Hakodate Airport—and the fact that every room reportedly offers a view of a Japanese garden, so I decided to dig in a bit more.

The Short Version

It seems to be a ryokan featuring a purely traditional Japanese design, where all 29 rooms offer a view of a Japanese garden.
Rakuten Mobile signal conditions came back with an AAA rating, which was a good result.

I'll go over the details below.

A Purely Traditional Japanese Design, With Every One of the 29 Rooms Overlooking a Japanese Garden

Ryokan Ichinomatsu is apparently an inn located in the Yunokawa area of Hakodate City, Hokkaido, within the Hakodate Yunokawa Onsen district. According to the official website, all 29 rooms feature a purely traditional Japanese design, and a major highlight seems to be that every room offers a view of a Japanese garden that changes with the seasons.

Apparently even the hallways are covered in tatami, and seasonal decorative tatami displays as well as works by Japanese artists are exhibited throughout. There's also said to be a sunken hearth and a Kyoto-style garden where koi swim, so it seems like the kind of inn where you could thoroughly enjoy the Japanese atmosphere just by walking around the building. As someone who prefers staying indoors, I was also drawn to the idea of spending time gazing at the garden from inside a room.

Number of rooms: 29 in total, all with a purely traditional Japanese design
Highlight: Every room overlooks a Japanese garden
Interior features: Tatami flooring extending to the hallways, seasonal decorative tatami, art exhibits, a sunken hearth, a Kyoto-style garden

Hot Spring Water Straight From the Source, and the Signature "Deep-Fried Kinki Fish"

The hot spring water is apparently drawn straight from the source, with two types of baths available: "Juraku no Yu" and "Hinoki no Yu." Juraku no Yu is said to be built using juraku-style plaster walls, while Hinoki no Yu is made with granite and cypress wood, so each seems to offer a different atmosphere. As for whether there's an open-air bath or a sauna, I couldn't find any clear mention of this on the official website, so I wasn't able to confirm it. If that's something you care about, it might be worth contacting the ryokan directly before booking.

Both dinner and breakfast are served in the guest rooms, and the kaiseki course meal—featuring the signature deep-fried kinki fish—was highlighted as a specialty. There's also apparently free morning coffee available from 7:00 a.m. while looking out at the Japanese garden, which gives the impression that mornings here could be spent quite leisurely too.

As for room rates, I couldn't find specific figures listed on the official website—it looks like you're meant to check through an external booking system instead. If you're curious, it seems best to go from the official site to the booking page to check directly.

Check-in: 3:00 p.m.
Check-out: 10:00 a.m.
Hot spring: Drawn straight from the source, two types—Juraku no Yu and Hinoki no Yu
Meals: Both dinner and breakfast served in-room, with a kaiseki course featuring deep-fried kinki fish as the specialty
Morning coffee: Served free of charge from 7:00 a.m.
Parking: 20 spaces available

Komorin

Having a garden view from every single room really appeals to me, since I'm the type who likes to take it easy inside my room. It was a bit disappointing that I couldn't confirm whether there's an open-air bath, but even so, the combination of in-room dining and hot spring water straight from the source felt pretty appealing.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

When I checked this facility's location (the Yunokawa area of Hakodate City) using the official "My Area Network Simulation" tool, the overall rating showed up as "AAA." I'm summarizing this here exactly as I confirmed it myself using the tool.

Since the rating came back as AAA, it seems like connectivity within the ryokan should be relatively usable. Things like checking social media or watching videos also seem fairly feasible to some extent.

How I checked: Using the official "My Area Network Simulation" tool
Date checked: September 2, 2026
Overall rating: AAA

Komorin

Since the AAA rating came back, this seems like a ryokan where even someone like me, who tends to worry about phone signal, could relax without concern. As a Rakuten Mobile user, it was a pretty satisfying result to see.

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Access and Reservations

As for access, it's described as being 8 minutes by car from Hakodate Airport, and the ryokan is billed as "Japan's hot spring town closest to an airport." From the airport, it's also about 8 minutes by shuttle bus, with the inn located a 3-minute walk from the Yunokawa Onsen bus stop, according to the description. Since I don't drive, confirming that I could get there by shuttle bus or taxi was an important point for me to check.

From Hakodate Station, it's about a 30-minute ride on the streetcar bound for Yunokawa, followed by a 7-minute walk from the Yunokawa Onsen streetcar stop. By taxi, it's said to take about 15 minutes from Hakodate Station and roughly 7 minutes from Hakodate Airport. Even for people who don't drive, this seems like a ryokan that's fairly easy to reach by combining trains, buses, and taxis.

As for reservations, it seems you can book online—including plans exclusive to the official website—or by phone as well. I couldn't find detailed information about nearby tourist spots or dining options on the official website, so I wasn't able to confirm those. It might be a good idea to also look into information about the wider Yunokawa Onsen area before visiting.

From Hakodate Airport: 8 minutes by car, 8 minutes by shuttle bus (3-minute walk from the Yunokawa Onsen bus stop)
From Hakodate Station: About 30 minutes by streetcar (7-minute walk from the Yunokawa Onsen streetcar stop), about 15 minutes by taxi
How to book: Online reservations through the official website, or by phone

Wrapping Up

Pulling it all together, Ryokan Ichinomatsu comes across as a ryokan with a memorable, purely traditional Japanese design where all 29 rooms offer a view of a Japanese garden. Between the hot spring water straight from the source, the in-room kaiseki meals, and the free morning coffee, there are a lot of elements that seem conducive to a relaxed stay indoors, which made it appealing to me as someone who prefers staying in.

Since I couldn't confirm room rates or whether there's an open-air bath or sauna on the official website, it might be reassuring to check directly before booking if you want more details. As for Rakuten Mobile signal conditions, I was able to confirm an AAA rating, but if you're curious, it might also be worth checking again yourself using the official Rakuten Mobile tool.

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