Ryotei Kuki outside entrance

Our previous visit to Esashi was on a day trip, which gave us very little time to explore one of the oldest towns in Hokkaido (it’s a 90-minute drive from Hakodate to Esashi). For our return visit, we wanted to take things much more slowly by spending the night at Ryotei Kuki, the only high-end accommodation in the area. While it is not a destination property, we were thankful that a decent ryokan exists in Esashi at all. It is home to the oldest festival in Hokkaido, and Esashi Oiwake is a famous folk song that originated here. Esashi was once a prosperous fishing village, and many historic buildings and homes are well preserved, especially along Inishie Kaidō Street. A replica of the Kaiyō Maru, a 19th-century warship, is on display at the docks, and the museum inside shows salvaged remains of the original ship. Ryotei Kuki is perfectly situated for sightseeing - the seaside property sits adjacent to the Kaiyō Maru in one direction and the start of Inishie Kaidō in the other.


Ryotei Kuki lounge area


Ryotei Kuki lounge area

Ryotei Kuki was established in 2009, and we learned of the ryokan’s origins from speaking with Mr. Tanada, its chairman. As part of an effort to revitalize Esashi, the mayor reached out to Tanada and asked if he would consider building an upscale accommodation, offering him a prime plot of land as an incentive. Tanada agreed on the condition that an onsen source could be discovered beneath the land. After spending over $500K to dig more than 1,400 meters, he hit the onsen jackpot. Tanada had no experience in hospitality (he ran an electronics store and a farm nearby), so he went to a university to learn about the business. We also learned that the Ryotei in “Ryotei Kuki” has nothing to do with food - while ryotei usually refers to a traditional, high-class Japanese restaurant with private rooms and refined hospitality, the meaning in this case is “travel garden.”


Ryotei Kuki inner walkway

This seven-room modern ryokan was designed by Makoto Nakayama, a Sapporo-based architect also responsible for Zaborin in Niseko, which was created in collaboration with Shouya Grigg. Ryotei Kuki is in no way traditional, and the entire property is surrounded by large rocks and a perimeter wall. While it’s certainly stylish, there is no tall vegetation at all - I’m sure the wall was constructed for privacy’s sake, which is understandable, but the drawback is limited views when you’re indoors.


Ryotei Kuki Japanese-Western Room, 63m²


Ryotei Kuki Japanese-Western Room, 63m²

Inside, it’s modern Japanese - minimalist in style and muted in tone. Furnishings are a mix of Japanese and contemporary Western, which works far better than ryokans that incorporate Taishō-era (Edwardian or Victorian) furniture and decorations. There isn’t much going on inside, however; outside of the lounge area, Ryotei Kuki consists of the guest rooms and seven koshitsu private dining rooms. It does not have a large public bath or private/rental baths. Instead, each of the seven rooms has its own indoor onsen that is straight from the source and not recirculated. As a result, most of one’s time will be spent either in the room or exploring Esashi (which is very walkable).


Ryotei Kuki Japanese-Western Room, 63m² - indoor onsen bath


Ryotei Kuki Japanese-Western Room, 63m² - View from the deck, if you can call it that.

All guest rooms are the same size (63m²) and feature a small tatami room, a larger living area with a leather sofa, coffee table and chairs, a bedroom with Western beds, and the aforementioned onsen bath. There is only one sink, and the Toto toilet was an older model that lacked amenities we’ve come to expect in Japanese accommodations. Because there is very little difference between the rooms, the rates are all the same. As mentioned earlier, the concrete privacy walls encircling the property obstruct the lower half of the view from the rooms - we were able to see the sky and parts of the ocean and marina, but only if we stood up. Similarly, the in-room onsen is unfortunately not of the open-air variety.







The all-koshitsu dining experience was excellent. The vast majority of produce, seafood, and meats were from southern Hokkaido, and the kitchen did a terrific job of showcasing the best flavors of the ingredients. The cooking methods were simple but executed extremely well. The simmered vegetables with jellied dashi broth made for a great start to the evening, as did the fresh spring roll with snow crab and vinegared egg yolk sauce. Naturally, the fresh local seafood - including sashimi of flounder, sea urchin, bluefin tuna, and scallops - was as good as it gets. The grilled herring caught just off the coast was marvelous; it was basted with a sweet sauce that complemented it beautifully. The Hokkaido abalone and maitake mushroom tempura was crispy, light, and not at all oily. The lamb from Takumi Farm (run by Ryotei Kuki’s owner, Mr. Tanada) was a bit of a disappointment, however - it was tough, chewy, and lacked much in the way of umami. Breakfast was similarly delightful - not fancy at all, but the quality of everything, as well as the seasonings, was incredible. Rice harvested in Hokkaido is becoming increasingly sought-after; climate change has improved rice quality to the point that it now approaches the levels found in the Hokuriku region and Niigata, and we were impressed with the rice produced in neighboring Assabu-chō.


Ryotei Kuki breakfast

Ryotei Kuki sits a notch below the top ryokans in Japan; however, we were thankful to have stayed at a high-quality property in an area where we did not expect to find one. If you’re touring southern Hokkaido and want to go off the beaten path (but not too far), you can do worse than visiting Esashi and choosing to stay at Ryotei Kuki.