ryokan, Lake Shikotsu
Ao no Za
Ao no Za is a ryokan of suites on the shore of Lake Shikotsu, an hour from New Chitose Airport, every suite over a hundred square metres with its own open-air onsen facing the lake, and the house where The Summer Tour of Hokkaido and The Wild North Tour of Hokkaido stay at Shikotsu.
- Place
- Lake Shikotsu
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Our tours
- Two stay here
Why stay at Ao no Za
Suites over a hundred square metres
Every room is a suite, with a living room, a terrace and space to spread out.
The lake from the onsen
Each suite's open-air onsen faces Lake Shikotsu and the volcano of Eniwa across it.
An hour from the airport
The first or last night in Hokkaido can be here, by the water, without a long drive.
the setting
One of Japan's clearest lakes, from the onsen on the terrace.
Lake Shikotsu fills a caldera south of Sapporo, deep and still and among the clearest lakes in Japan, ringed by forest and three volcanoes. The ryokan stands above the small onsen town on its eastern shore.
At the door: the lakeshore and its jetty, the forest paths, and the peaks of Eniwa and Tarumae across the water.
the house
Ao no Za in photographs
A lake-facing suite One of the larger suites The lounge
Photographs: Ao no Za
the rooms
The rooms and suites
The suites are modern Japanese, in dark stone, oak and the deep blue that gives the house its name, with sofas to the lake, low beds and a terrace onsen in stone; the largest add a dining table for a party together.
On The Summer Tour of Hokkaido every room is from the ryokan's upper categories or a suite, never the entry room.
to unwind
The onsen and the spa
Every suite has its own open-air onsen on the terrace, the lake beyond the rail. The ryokan adds shared baths, a spa for treatments and a lounge round a fire.
the table
Dining
Dinner is a kaiseki of Hokkaido's sea and fields, plated with care, and on our tours the last evening of The Wild North Tour of Hokkaido is a farewell kaiseki here.
our tours here
The tours that stay at Ao no Za
the region
Hokkaido
Hokkaido is the northernmost of Japan's four main islands, a country of caldera lakes, volcanoes and hot springs. Four of our six tours spend their nights here, most of them at ryokan with their own onsen, and Pure Hokkaido gives the island nine days of its own.
questions
Questions about Ao no Za
Where is Ao no Za?
On the eastern shore of Lake Shikotsu, south of Sapporo, about an hour by car from New Chitose Airport.
Which of your tours stay at Ao no Za?
The Summer Tour of Hokkaido and The Wild North Tour of Hokkaido stay here. Each tour page sets out the nights, the price and what is included.
Which rooms do you book at Ao no Za?
On The Summer Tour of Hokkaido, every room is from the ryokan's upper categories or a suite, never the entry room.
Does every suite at Ao no Za have an onsen?
Yes. Every suite carries its own open-air onsen on the terrace, facing the lake, and the ryokan adds shared baths and a spa.
Can Ao no Za be part of a private journey?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, and Ao no Za can be any night of it. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.
Ao no Za, on your dates.
The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, and Ao no Za can be any night of it. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.