View from our Hina no Za Suite at Akan Tsuruga Besso Hinanoza


The mysterious Marimo

We spent two nights at this property earlier this month, as Akanko (i.e. Lake Akan) has a variety of things to do and we wanted to make the most of our time there. The Lake Akan area of Eastern Hokkaido is blessed with some of the country's most incredible natural environments including old-growth forests, a pristine lake, scenic mountains, mud volcanoes and the Marimo, a unique and unusual freshwater green algae that is shaped like a green ball and which can grow to about the size of a volleyball. There is also a cultural element to the area, as Ainu Kotan is one of Hokkaido's largest Ainu (indigenous people) settlements with roughly 130 individuals calling the place home. Aino Kotan has a main strip that has a variety of stores selling Ainu handicrafts as well as restaurants serving traditional Ainu cuisine. There is also a museum and a performing arts center, giving visitors the opportunity to enjoy a variety of Ainu performing arts. You can also reserve a private guided tour with an Ainu descendent who you will follow through a pretty forest while he/she explains how the Ainu used to live.


Akan Tsuruga Besso Hinanoza - common area

Winter can be equally enchanting - when the lake is frozen from early February to early March, the locals host a festival every evening, including a nightly fireworks display, food and drink stalls on the lake, and traditional Ainu dances that are performed on a stage made of snow. There is also a ski resort nearby, and ice skating and cross-country skiing are also options. Given the sub-zero temperatures during this time, I doubt that I'll be able to convince Mrs. NRT to pay a visit here in Winter, unfortunately.


Akan Tsuruga Besso Hinanoza - Hina no Za Suite

The top (and probably only) luxury option in Lake Akan is Akan Tsuruga Besso Hinanoza, a 25-room luxury ryokan established in 2004 by the Tsuruga Group. The company has a wide range of properties in Hokkaido (and only in Hokkaido), with three of them - with "Besso" part of their names - being the small luxury ryokans of the lot. The other two are in Niseko (Niseko Konbu Onsen Tsuruga Besso Moku No Sho) and Lake Shikotsu (Lake Shikotsu Tsuruga Besso Ao No Za), the latter having opened earlier this year and which is on our to-visit list.


Akan Tsuruga Besso Hinanoza - Hina no Za Suite

Hinanoza is just steps away from the lake shore, and is ideally situated - almost everything we wanted to experience (Ainu Village, Lake cruise, hiking, shopping) is within short walking distance from the ryokan. That said, the entire town is clustered in a small area along the South shore of the lake, so wherever you stay, it's going to be convenient. The property is in a nondescript 7-story building, although it's in pretty good shape from the outside (which is not the case with many older ryokans of this type.) Inside, in the common areas there are a variety of wood carvings that are on display; the indigenous Ainu are renowned for their woodworking skills, the displays are a wonderful tribute to the local Ainu artisans.


Akan Tsuruga Besso Hinanoza - Hina no Za Suite


Akan Tsuruga Besso Hinanoza - Hina no Za Suite

Of the 25 rooms at Hinanoza, 4 of them are Tokubetsu-shitsu ("Special") units that are 110mē in size, and are denoted as Ama no Za Suite. Our Tokubetsu-shitsu was on the 6th floor (the highest floor among guest rooms), and was named the Hina no Za (#601.) As is the case with most suites at top ryokans, it featured a living room, a tatami room and a separate bedroom. The decor and furnishings were Japanese-contemporary and of high quality, unlike Sanyoan (reviewed above.) The Onsen bath is located on the deck, and is free-flowing and not recirculated... perfect. As was the case with Sanyoan, our Special room had two toilets in different areas of the Suite, although - curiously - featured only one sink. Mrs. KI-NRT would take that trade-off any day of the week Also like Sanyoan, there is a Daiyokujo communal Onsen, but again, given that every room has en-suite Onsen, it was empty every time I visited the Daiyokujo.


From left: Chawanmushi Savory Egg Custard with Japanese Whelk; Sweet vinegar-marinated and fried Japanese Amberjack with Romanesco Broccoli; Kabocha Japanese Squash and Zucchini in cold Dashi broth; Yamame Japanese Salmon simmered in Arima Sansho Peppers; Unagi (Eel); Okra; Fuki (Butterbur Plant Stem); Bamboo Shoots

All meals are served in private dining rooms for each group of guests, although on one occassion they could not accommodate our dinner time preference, which was a bummer. On the bright side, the kaiseki cuisine was terrific. The kitchen did a wonderful job bringing out the goodness of the locally source ingredients, including Okra, Butterbur, Mountain Yam, Corn (very sweet!), Squash and Bamboo Shoots, as well as Salmon, Trout, Whelk and Sea Urchin on the seafood side. Hokkaido beef is better known for its quantity rather than quality, but the charcoal-grilled Kuroge Wagyu that they served was almost at the level of more renowned beef varieties such as Hida and Matsusaka.


Sashimi platter: Thinly-sliced Halibut, Bluefin Tuna, Botan Shrimp, Scallops, Uni (Sea Urchin), Japanese Ivory Shell, Rainbow Trout

Breakfast was equally inspiring. Rather than the typical stuff - miso soup, some fish, rice, pickled vegetables and tofu - they went out of their way to serve them in a creative way, again focusing on Hokkaido-sourced ingredients. One of the highlights on both mornings was the Ikura (salmon roe.) We're not strangers to Ikura, but the ones they serve at Hinanoza are never frozen and have no preservatives. We had no idea that Ikura could be so plump, firm and delightful. I usually try to lay off heavy carbs, but I made an exception here and had two helpings of rice with heaps of Ikura on top. It was sublime.


Breakfast with all-you-can eat Ikura

Service was fine, but not exactly a highlight. I'm guessing it has to do with the ryokan not being family owned; compared to top ryokans, the approach was formulaic and a bit less personalized. They tended to our every needs (which were very few), but the staff didn't seem to wear pride and the Omotenashi ethos on their sleeves. Similarly, the meal servers did not have quite the command of each offering as we've come to expect. We're accustomed to immediate answer to questions like "do you know the specific region in Hokkaido where this Wagyu came from?" or "when is the best time of year for Uni?." Here, they had to continually check with the kitchen staff before coming back with answers. Not a deal-breaker, but I expect ryokan meal servers to be like top sommeliers are to wine.


Akanko Ainu Kotan Village

Overall, we had a great stay. The combination of a solid hard product, delectable kaiseki and a plethora of things to do in the area resulted in a memorable time for us at Lake Akan.