Nestled in the greenery of Shinhidaka, Hidaka Auberge Natural Resort Hygeia is an auberge based around the concept of "Nouvelle Hidaka Cuisine." "Nouvelle cuisine" generally refers to modern or creative cuisine that focuses on the freshness and presentation of the ingredients.

In the case of Nouvelle Hidaka Cuisine, the dishes are made with locally-produced Hidaka ingredients. It is a concept created by the Hidaka Auberge Natural Resort Hygeia, and many of their vegetables are grown organically on-site.

The facility is surrounded by luscious forests and mountains, as well as their vast garden with grazing horses. By night you can gaze at the starry sky, unhindered by city lights. Its exquisite course meals and location surrounded by nature are what make it so popular.

The Hidaka region is on the Pacific coast in the south-central part of Hokkaido and is famous for its race horses as well as Hidaka kombu (kelp), which is considered among the best.

Hidaka Auberge Natural Resort Hygeia's cuisine incorporates French and Italian culinary techniques and uses local ingredients such as vegetables grown without pesticides, Hidaka kombu for its superb stock, locally sourced fish, and beef raised on land rich in minerals from the sea breeze.

To take advantage of the freshness and umami of their homegrown vegetables, the chef carefully arranges his masterpieces that look and taste divine.

The menu itself changes with the seasons, but the dinner course is usually a set of 11 dishes. It starts with aperitifs, amuse-bouches, and appetizers. But then it moves on to two fish dishes, which is a characteristic you won't usually find elsewhere. After a palette cleanser, the course moves on to the meat dish, followed by dessert and coffee to finish.

You can also visit just to enjoy the restaurant, but if you want to enjoy some of their delicious alcoholic beverages, staying at the hotel makes for a much easier option.

There are seven rooms in total and all rooms are maisonettes. There are two types of rooms, "Western-style" and "Japanese-style."

From the window, you can take in the relaxing sight of the green trees and horses grazing in the meadow. Each room has a bathroom, but guests can use the private onsen bath in the building for one hour for free. You can also enjoy the spa and beauty treatments for a separate fee.

Getting to Hidaka Auberge Natural Resort Hygeia takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes from New Chitose Airport by car, or about 2 hours and 10 minutes from Sapporo City.

Excluding the busy periods of Saturdays and Sundays and the summer season, the intercity express buses connecting Sapporo to Urakawa and other places will pick you up and drop you off at the facility for free (reservation required). In addition to Japanese, information within the facility can be provided in English and Sinhala.

Health & Safety Measures
Indoor disinfection measures taken - Sanitizer installed - Disinfected after each guest leaves - Ventilation measures in place - Coin trays used - Plastic partitions installed - Staff wear masks, gargle, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature - Limited capacity/increased space between seats - Restricted admission, reservation system in place - Entry declined to anyone who is feeling unwell - Masks requested/temperature check enforced - Restrictions on room service (entry) for staff

Maccarina is a French restaurant that has been going strong since 1997. Not far from Niseko and Rusutsu, famous for their resorts, is Makkari. And in Makkari, you'll find this auberge out in rural Obihiro, at the foot of Mt. Yotei, a gorgeous mountain that makes for the perfect backdrop to your northern vacation.

In the foothills of Mt. Yotei and other nearby mountains, purified water created from the melted snow springs from the ground year-round. Maccarina makes the most of this fresh water, offering course meals with locally-produced vegetables that have grown in the water, as well as dishes incorporating locally caught fish.

Maccarina's extensive menu includes lunch and dinner courses. There are two course options for lunch: Dejeuner A (6 dishes) and Dejeuner B (7 dishes), and two course options for dinner: Tradition (8 dishes) and Luxe (9 dishes). All options are available to those just visiting the restaurant, too. There are also packages that include the dinner course as well as an overnight stay and breakfast.

Dinner starts with soup and vegetables, followed by fish and meat dishes (in the Tradition course, it is one or the other), rice dishes, and finally dessert and coffee. The dishes are made with ingredients that change with the seasons, such as freshly picked vegetables from Makkari.

They also offer seafood delicacies from Hokkaido like squid, clams, shrimp, sea urchins, flounder, and abalone, as well as lamb and duck. Every dish is exquisite, but the most popular are the vegetable dishes that showcase the freshness and sweetness of the local ingredients.

As for the accommodation, there are three twin rooms and a spacious deluxe twin. All rooms have a bathroom, and the amenities used are all from the Japanese nature-loving brand Marks and Web.

There is no shared bathing area or hot spring in the facility, but there is another facility nearby called Makkari Onsen, which is about a 3-minute walk from the Maccarina. So you can put your mind at ease knowing you can experience Japanese onsen culture without venturing too far.

Getting to Maccarina by car takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes from New Chitose Airport and the same from Sapporo. It's only 15-20 minutes from the famous resort towns of Niseko and Rusutsu, so it's a great place to base yourself and explore.

Although the facility services are mainly in Japanese, simple explanations and guidance can be made in English and French. Reservations can only be made by phone.

Health & Safety Measures
Indoor disinfection measures taken - Sanitizer installed - Disinfected after each guest leaves - Ventilation measures in place - Coin trays used - Plastic partitions installed - Staff wear masks, gargle, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature - Limited capacity/increased space between seats - Restricted admission, reservation system in place - Entry declined to anyone who is feeling unwell - Masks requested/temperature check enforced - Restrictions on room service (entry) for staff

Set in the beautiful rolling hills of Biei is bi.ble, an auberge looking out over the natural landscape. They renovated what used to be an elementary school, and refurbished it with a bakery and restaurant.

Biei is well-known for its production of wheat and vegetables, and bi.ble makes good use of that in their dishes and bread. As well as the local vegetables, you can also enjoy their French cuisine that makes use of Hokkaido meat and fish.

Dinner starts with a bang with the impressive appetizer, followed by fish and meat dishes. The French-style course is mainly made with vegetables from Biei, and every dish is top-notch, but their bread is in a league of its own.

There is also a boulangerie (bakery) alongside the restaurant, and many people visit just for the bread. The freshly baked bread made from local Biei wheat is exquisite.

There are five rooms, all of which are twin rooms. And from the windows of the rooms, you can see the golden fields of wheat. After filling up on the freshly baked bread at breakfast, you'll want to sit and watch over the wheat fields all day long. You might even forget about checkout; you'll be that relaxed!

To get to bi.ble by car, it takes about 15 minutes from Asahikawa Airport, or 10 minutes from JR Biei Station.

Nearby you'll find some interesting tourist spots, too, such as the Tree of Ken and Merry, or Furano and its gorgeous lavender fields, which can be reached by car in about 30 minutes. After sampling the Biei culinary delights, you'll have plenty of energy to explore the tourist spots.

Health & Safety Measures
Indoor disinfection measures taken - Sanitizer installed - Disinfected after each guest leaves - Ventilation measures in place - Coin trays used - Plastic partitions installed - Staff wear masks, gargle, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature - Limited capacity/increased space between seats - Restricted admission, reservation system in place - Entry declined to anyone who is feeling unwell - Masks requested/temperature check enforced - Restrictions on room service (entry) for staff

Far from the bustling cities, the Chimikepp Hotel is set in the mountainous region of Okhotsk, by the shores of the lake in a luscious green forest.

In this area, surrounded by the shores of Lake Chimikepp, despite there being Wi-Fi, it is said that only phones on Softbank get service here. But in this secluded area away from it all, you can experience refined and elegant French cuisine.

The Chimikepp Hotel is not open for lunch, but offers accommodation with two meals (breakfast and dinner). There are two courses for dinner: "Standard" (6 dishes) and "Luxury" (8 dishes).

Outside of the high seasons of spring and summer, there are also 3 "Light" options with five dishes. Whenever possible in any of the course meals, seasonal ingredients from Hokkaido are used.

Since the ingredients change depending on the time of year, the menu also changes, but the format generally remains the same. "Standard" starts with appetizers, and is followed by vegetables, fish, meat, and desserts, while "Luxury" also offers a cheese plate.

There are seven rooms in total, with three different types: twin rooms, deluxe twin rooms with a living room, and double rooms.

Every room has the usuals, such as a bed, table, and bathroom, but there is no TV, radio, or clock, so you can enjoy the quiet space and let time pass you by.

Although there is Wi-Fi, some phones won't get a signal. At first glance, this may seem inconvenient, but it is actually a feature that makes it so popular because it is great for a digital detox.

Getting to the Chimikepp Hotel by car takes about 1 hour from Memanbetsu Airport, or about 1 hour and 10 minutes from Abashiri and Akan Onsen. There is also a free shuttle service from JR Kitami Station by advance reservation (takes about 40 minutes) from mid-November to just past mid-April.

If you visit by car and turn off the highway, you'll be greeted by a section of gravel road leading to the hotel. This might give you pause, making you wonder if you've taken a wrong turn. But keep going, and rest assured you'll soon see the lake and hotel up ahead. It's an unforgettable sight welcoming you to a restful trip.

Here you can make the most of the delicious French cuisine hidden among nature, and join the many who sing the praises of this isolated auberge. Services are only available in Japanese, but they are happy to accommodate those with simple or broken Japanese (or by using an interpretation app like Google Translate).

Health & Safety Measures
Indoor disinfection measures taken - Sanitizer installed - Disinfected after each guest leaves - Ventilation measures in place - Coin trays used - Plastic partitions installed - Staff wear masks, gargle, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature - Limited capacity/increased space between seats - Restricted admission, reservation system in place - Entry declined to anyone who is feeling unwell - Masks requested/temperature check enforced - Restrictions on room service (entry) for staff

Tsuruga SoRa is a part of the Tsuruga Group, which runs a number of luxury hotels throughout Hokkaido.

Located near Hokkaido's eastern tourist spot of Lake Kussharo, it is conveniently located just 1-2 hours by car from other famous sightseeing spots like Lake Mashu, Kushiro Shitsugen National Park, and Shiretoko.

It's open only during the summer months, though, so make sure to check their availability before visiting.

"SoRa," in this case, refers to the summer sky when the sun is at its highest point and is written as 昊 in Japanese. Their hope is to welcome guests as the sun shines through the windows of the cabin and to let them enjoy the sense of the scale of Hokkaido while sampling its culinary delights.

The auberge is highly rated for its delicious cuisine as well as its gorgeous view, which is very impressive from the large windows of the restaurant.

As for the food, you'll be treated to creative French cuisine featuring seasonal Hokkaido ingredients, including vegetables from the surrounding areas, fresh fish from Kushiro, and fresh Hokkaido beef brought straight from the market on the day.

There is lunch and dinner, and both are available to those who only wish to visit the restaurant without staying overnight. Dinner and breakfast are included when staying at the accommodation. There are three types of dinner courses: Apé (9 dishes), Nochiyu (10 dishes), and Shikaricup (11 dishes).

The courses involve appetizers, fish dishes, meat dishes, desserts, and the like. Nochiyu and Shikaricup come with warm appetizers, but Shikaricup also comes with two desserts.

The exact contents of each course may change and may be switched out from fish or meat. Throughout the year, the menu varies with the seasons too, but the number of dishes doesn't change.

As for the rooms, there are only two, the "MINT" room with a loft, and the "BERRY" room.

Both have en-suites, as well as bedrooms, living rooms, and terraces. They also have a shower booth and jet bath for a touch of luxury.

The cabin is built in such a way that you get a sense of the warmth of the wood, and it is a popular spot for its green landscape that can be seen from the window, which soothes your mind.

Getting to Kussharoko Tsuruga Auberge SoRa by car takes around 55 minutes from Memanbetsu Airport, or 1 hour and 20 minutes from Kushiro Airport.

The services and menu are only available in Japanese, but the website is available in English, traditional, and simplified Chinese. The staff are also used to accommodating non-Japanese speakers. The spot is very popular, despite its small size, so make sure to book ahead!

Health & Safety Measures
Indoor disinfection measures taken - Sanitizer installed - Disinfected after each guest leaves - Ventilation measures in place - Coin trays used - Plastic partitions installed - Staff wear masks, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature - Limited capacity/increased space between seats - Restricted admission, reservation system in place - Entry declined to anyone who is feeling unwell - Masks requested/temperature check enforced

Hokkaido is a gorgeous area packed with natural beauty, and is known as Japan's leading agricultural and fishing region.

So many crops grow on its vast land, and there is so much delicious seafood just waiting to be tasted. If you want to make the most of Hokkaido's delicious and fresh ingredients, staying at an auberge is the perfect way to do so!

Take in the views, enjoy the food, and sit back with a glass of your favorite beverage. Whichever you choose, you'll have an unforgettable stay in Japan's gorgeous north.

Original text by: Kawashima Yuka
Translated by: Cassandra Lord
*The information in this article is correct as of June 2022. Please check the official websites for the latest information.