Jozankei
Jozankei is an onsen town in a wooded gorge of the Toyohira River, in the southern hills of Sapporo in Hokkaido, about an hour by car from the centre of the city.
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Journeys
- One includes Jozankei
overview
A river gorge of hot springs, an hour from the city and a world from it.
Jozankei lies within Shikotsu-Toya National Park, where the Toyohira River has cut a steep, forested valley through the hills south-west of Sapporo. More than fifty springs rise along the riverbed and its banks, colourless sodium chloride water that leaves the skin warm long after the onsen, and the town that has grown around them is called the inner parlour of Sapporo: close enough to the city for an evening, far enough to feel like the mountains.
It takes its name from Miizumi Jozan, a mountain monk who came here in 1866, when the valley was wild, and built a pool beside the river so that the sick could be healed by its water. A statue of him stands in the park at the centre of the town, and his story is told in its shrine. The town grew around the springs in the century that followed, and today its ryokan and hotels line both banks of the river.
For the traveller, Jozankei is an onsen first: an evening in open-air water above the river, a kaiseki dinner, a walk across a red bridge in the gorge. It is also a natural place to begin or end a journey through Hokkaido, close to Sapporo and to New Chitose Airport, and on the road to Lake Shikotsu, Otaru and Niseko.
see and do
What to see in Jozankei
Futami Suspension Bridge
A red suspension bridge high over the Toyohira River at the upper end of the town, reached by a riverside promenade through the trees, with the gorge falling away on either side.
Kappa-buchi
A deep green pool in the river below the Futami bridge, tied to the town's legend of the kappa, the water sprite of Japanese folklore. Statues of kappa stand all through Jozankei, each a little different.
Jozankei Gensen Park
The small park at the heart of the town around one of its source springs, with the statue of the monk Jozan, a footbath of hot spring water and a spout where the water rises steaming.
The footbaths
Several free footbaths are set along the main street and the riverside, where you can sit with your feet in the spring water between a walk and dinner.
Hoheikyo Dam
A tall arch dam in a forested ravine upstream of the town, completed in 1972, with a lake of deep green water behind it and steep wooded slopes on every side.
Iwato Kannon-do
A small cave temple near the centre of the town, where thirty-three statues of Kannon line a tunnel cut into the rock, made in memory of those who built the road into the valley.
Jozankei Shrine
The shrine of the town, on a rise above the river, a quiet stop on a walk through Jozankei and the place where its founder is remembered.
Jozankei Dam and Lake Sapporo
A second dam on a tributary of the Toyohira, above the town to the west, whose reservoir is called Lake Sapporo; a museum at its foot tells the story of the waters that supply the city.
experiences
The best of Jozankei
An evening above the river
A night at an onsen ryokan in the gorge, with open-air water among the trees, a long dinner of Hokkaido seafood and vegetables, and the sound of the river below the room.
A walk through the gorge
An easy walk along the riverside promenade to the Futami bridge and back, with a footbath on the way and the kappa statues to find along the route.
The first night in Hokkaido
Jozankei is about ninety minutes from New Chitose Airport, so it makes a quiet first night on arrival, an onsen evening before the city or the lakes.
Sapporo by day, the springs by night
From Jozankei, Sapporo is an easy day: its gardens, its markets and its whisky bars by day, and the gorge and the onsen to come back to.
plan your visit
Jozankei on a journey through Japan
- How long to stay
- One or two nights: one for the onsen and the gorge, two to add a day in Sapporo or at the lakes.
- Getting there
- About an hour by car from central Sapporo and about ninety minutes from New Chitose Airport. Express buses run from Sapporo Station in a little over an hour; on our journeys a private car makes the drive.
- Pairs well with
- Jozankei is the onsen of Sapporo and lies on the road between the city, Lake Shikotsu and Niseko, so it fits at the start or the end of most journeys through south-western Hokkaido.SapporoOtaruLake ShikotsuNisekoYoichiNoboribetsu
where to stay
Luxury hotels and ryokan in Jozankei
The ryokan of Jozankei stand along both banks of the Toyohira River, and the best of them are turned to the gorge, with open-air onsen among the trees and dinners built on the seafood and produce of Hokkaido. The ryokan we choose is one of these, in the town by the river, with its onsen and its dining at the centre of the stay.
The upper end of the town, towards the Futami bridge, is the quietest, and the ryokan closest to the river have the sound of the water. Most guests find one night enough for the onsen alone; two let Sapporo be seen by day.
journeys
Tours of Japan that include Jozankei
Each journey below includes Jozankei; choose one to see its route, dates and price. For a journey on your own dates, the Custom Tour of Japan can include Jozankei and anywhere else you would like to go.
questions
Jozankei: questions answered
How far is Jozankei from Sapporo?
About an hour by car from the centre of Sapporo, a little less in light traffic. Express buses from Sapporo Station take a little over an hour.
Is Jozankei worth visiting?
Yes, for an onsen night close to Sapporo: a river gorge with many springs, ryokan with open-air onsen, a red suspension bridge and free footbaths through the town.
What kind of water is Jozankei onsen?
Clear sodium chloride water, rising hot from more than fifty springs along the river. Salt springs of this kind are known for keeping the body warm after the onsen.
Can you visit Jozankei as a day trip from Sapporo?
Yes, but it rewards a night. Many ryokan open their onsen to day visitors, though the evening, with dinner and the open-air water after dark, is the reason to come.
How do you get from New Chitose Airport to Jozankei?
By car in about ninety minutes, or by an airport bus that runs direct in a little under two hours.
Who was Jozan?
Miizumi Jozan was a mountain monk who arrived in 1866 and opened the springs for the healing of the sick. The town is named after him and his statue stands in Gensen Park.
Which Luxury Japan Travel journeys include Jozankei?
The Autumn Leaves Tour of Northern Japan includes nights in Jozankei. The Custom Tour of Japan can include Jozankei on any dates, created around your party alone.
Can Jozankei be part of a private tour of Japan?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, with a Tour Director beside you, and it can include Jozankei. For independent travel, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.
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Jozankei, planned for you.
Tell us when you would like to travel and what draws you to Jozankei. We will answer with a journey shaped around it: one of our tours, a journey of The Private Collection, or a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone.