Hoheikyo Onsen is a day-trip hot spring facility located near Jozankei Onsen, which is considered a retreat outside of Sapporo City.

It takes about 60 minutes to reach Hoheikyo Onsen from Sapporo Station by car, or about 70 minutes taking the Kappa Liner Bus that starts from Sapporo Station and goes through the Jozankei Onsen area to reach Hoheikyo Onsen (one way 840 yen, requires reservations). There is also a fixed-route bus that goes to Hoheikyo Onsen (one way 840 yen) from Sapporo Station which takes about 90 minutes.

Bathing fees are 1,000 yen for adults, 500 yen for elementary school students.

The highlight of Hoheikyo Onsen is the large open-air hot spring that is surrounded by nature and the hot spring water that flows directly from the source.

The hot spring water also has the effect to make your skin beautiful. There are many residents of Sapporo who come here regularly to experience the atmosphere and the amazing hot spring.

Not only does Hoheikyo Onsen attract customers from all over Japan but, in recent years the number of foreign tourists has increased.

This area gets heavy snow. About a third of the year, from the first half of December to early April, you can enjoy the open-air hot spring with a snowscape view.

Once spring is in the air you can view the cherry blossoms from the open-air hot spring, and in summer you can see the verdant scenery of the mountains.

Autumn is the season when Hoheikyo Onsen is most thriving. The surrounding trees start to change colors and people come to view the autumn foliage, it is so popular that there is even a line of cars waiting outside.

Other than the changing view from season to season, the facility also has a different charm during the day and at night.

Hoheikyo Onsen is a hot spring facility where you can experience the charm of nature at any time.

There are two bathing areas at Hoheikyo Onsen on the second floor. To the entrance side of the building there is one indoor bathing area and one large open-air hot spring Muine Onsen, which could probably fit about 100 people.

Towards the back side there are three indoor hot springs and two open-air hot springs Fukuro Onsen and Yuyu Onsen.

The three open-air hot springs are stone baths and there are flat rocks and logs along the rim and in the center of the hot spring where you can sit on.

At Yuyu Onsen there are two hidden spots where you can lie down. Make sure to look for the hidden spots when you get there. You might find some other hidden things exploring the baths.

The open-air baths temperature are set lower and is perfect for longer baths. You will forget the flow of time and want to spend the whole time soaking in the bath.

The hot spring to the front and back swaps between male and female daily, so your experience will vary on the day. The front side hot springs are male only on odd days and female only on even days, for the back side hot springs even days are for male and odd days are for females.

The location of Hoheikyo Onsen is wonderful, but the spring quality is also amazing!

To prevent the water from oxidizing when it touches the air, the spring water pumped on Hoheikyo Onsen grounds is not stored in a water tank but flows directly to the bathing areas.

The spring water is not heated nor does it have water added to it, and the temperature is managed by controlling the amount of water in the tub. Since there is an abundance of spring water, the overflowed water is not reused by a circulation system.

Also, the water for the shower is from the hot spring. The facility offers hot spring water directly from the source without additives.

The Hoheikyo Onsen water includes minerals such as sodium, calcium, and hydrogen carbonate, which gives the water a slight filmy texture.

The component in hydrogen carbonate has a quality to emulsify keratin and also wash away old skin oil, also it is said that the sodium helps moisturize your skin.

This is the reason behind Hoheikyo Onsen being called the hot spring for beautiful skin, also people with skin conditions come here for bath treatments.

The fresh hot spring water is beneficial to the skin. After I got out of the bath, my skin was very smooth! It felt like a baby’s skin. You are sure to come back for more, once you experience it.

Hoheikyo Onsen has appealing hot springs and food. At the ONSEN Shokudo dining hall, they serve dishes such as curry and Tandoori chicken, jingisukan, and 100% buckwheat soba noodles.

The Indian food is popular among the curry connoisseurs, and there are people who visit the facility to just eat the curry.

There are two types of curry, onion based and tomato based; both are handmade and use different blends of spices and herbs.

There are five levels of spiciness from the lowest level for children, sweet, medium, hot and very hot. You can choose the level of spiciness when you order. The standard spiciness here is medium. Unless you don’t like spicy food, you should still be able to enjoy the standard spiciness.

The curry comes with naan bread You can also get more naan (220 yen for one, 330 yen if you only order naan).

Both onion-based and tomato-based curries are spicy. However they are not too spicy and you can enjoy the delicious flavor of the curry. Also the combination of curry and naan is amazing! The chewy texture and the wheat flavor is great. The naan is delicious with curry or plain.
The onion-based curry is slightly mild due to the sweetness of the onion, and the tomato based curry has a slight sourness to it that gives just the right amount of kick.

For people who want curry and Indian food like Tandoori Chicken, there are set menus.

It is so delicious that you won’t forget the taste. It’s understandable how people come here for the curry and skip the bath, even though the hot spring is amazing.

From late January to mid-March a large snow igloo is made at Hoheikyo Onsen’s Second Parking Lot. How big is it? Well, it’s this big!

You can enter freely and look around. Also you can enjoy charcoal grilled Jingisukan inside the snow igloo!

Entering the snow igloo, we were surprised at how securely it was made, and it was quite warm inside. It’s probably because it’s not affected by the wind blowing outside.

In the snow igloo, they offer two types of meal plans.

1. All-You-Can-Eat Charcoal Grill BBQ Plan 3,500 yen per person
90 minutes all-you-can-eat Jingisukan (with vegetables) and Indian food (naan, Tandoori chicken, spareribs, seekh kebab), 1 onigiri (rice ball) per person

2. Kamakura Jingisukan Plan: 2,400 yen per person
Jingisukan (with vegetables) and 1 naan

*Both plans include hot spring fees, requires 4 or more people and reservation up to three days in advance

Since you are at Hoheikyo Onsen which is famous for Indian food, we recommend the all-you-can-eat plan with Indian food.

The staff will manage the charcoal, so all you have to do is grill the meat when it arrives. Very simple!

The meat is marinated in a special sweet and spicy sauce and is flavored perfectly so you don’t need dipping sauce when you eat it.

You can’t taste or smell the distinct smell of mutton, and the meat is very tender! You can’t go wrong going with the all-you-can-eat plan. It’s so good that it’s hard to stop eating.

Now, here is how you eat Hoheikyo Onsen’s Jingisukan. You wrap the Jingisukan with the naan.

Now you have a Jingisukan naan sandwich. The chewy naan and tender mutton really match. Make sure to try it out, I am sure you will enjoy it and get hooked just like me! The Tandoori chicken is good as is, but it’s also good if you grill it for a bit and wrap it in naan.

The igloo has two entrances and even fans, so the smell of the smoke from the grill isn’t that noticeable. However even if the smell sticks, you are at a hot spring facility, so you can just wash it away.

You can also order the Jingisukan at the ONSEN Shokudo, and during summer they have the BBQ house outdoors that also serves Jingisukan.

We hope you enjoyed our guide to Hoheikyo Onsen, which is popular with hot spring and curry connoisseurs. Curry and hot springs seem like an odd match, but both of them are amazing.

When you are in Sapporo and have free time for half a day, we recommend heading over to Hoheikyo Onsen, which is 1 hour away one-way, and experience a hot spring that makes your skin beautiful and authentic Indian curry.

If you visit during the winter, the experience of eating Jingisukan in a snow igloo will be something you won’t forget.

*All prices in the article include tax. The prices will change after autumn 2019 due to consumption tax revision.