Hot Spring Healing: Hoshino Resorts Kai Poroto

Japan boasts hundreds of hot spring ryokan, each with its own fascinating history and cultural significance. Set on the edge of Lake Poroto and enfolded in forest, this 42-room ryokan convincingly blurs the line between man-made structures and the bucolic surroundings. If you’re looking for exceptional design, and luxury inspired by local tradition, the Hoshino-owned KAI Poroto is the hotel to visit.

The Offer

Kai Poroto isn't just a uniquely designed Japanese hotel, it also pays ode to the country’s very beginning. Its bathhouses, Sankaku-no-yu and Maru-no-yu, are inspired by ancient Ainu villages, filled with mineral-rich water, and occupy a cone-shaped structure with outdoor and indoor baths.

The retreat’s contextual design extends to the rooms too, which each have striking white birch columns, fireplace-inspired tables and Ainu-patterned artworks. Local seafood informs the dinner menu, with dishes such as fragrant daigo nabe, a hotpot teeming with stewed horsehair crab and scallops. Ainu-inspired dishware also accompanies each meal.

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The Location

As suggested by its name, KAI Poroto is in a prime spot overlooking Lake Poroto which means exceptional views are a given. While the hotel feels like it's in the middle of nowhere, that’s in no small part thanks to a unique design created by Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP Architects. The ryokan is still within easy access to a number of attractions worth visiting, notably the Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park and the nearby onsen town of Noboribetsu

Who is it For?

If you’re someone who respects distinctive design intertwined with history and culture, KAI Poroto is calling your name. If you’re anything like me, stepping from inside the turrets to the outside and experiencing the sun rise over a steamy Lake Poroto is bound to be one of your highlights.

Top tip: I stayed in the Western-style Suite RB2, one of only 3 rooms in the hotel with an outdoor bath and terrace overlooking Lake Poroto.

Sustainability

Co-existence with nature at this ryokan is apparent around every corner. Whether that comes in the form of taking a morning soak in one of its two bathhouses, or the meticulous design that sees the outside being brought inside (like the white birch columns stationed throughout), sustainability is of paramount importance.

Kai Poroto uses moor springs, otherwise known as the “springs of beauty”, derived organically from plants and the natural surroundings. Kaiseki course dinners are on offer, showcasing a wealth of Hokkaido’s rich ingredients including locally sourced salmon roe and sea urchin.

Hoshino Resorts also works in close partnership with the town of Shiraoi to protect and preserve the coexistence of indigenous Ainu communities, working together to allow guests to experience Japan’s ancient ethnic groups.

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Important Information

How to get there

Car: The hotel is about 40 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport and 65 minutes from Sapporo.
Train: The closest station (JR Shiraoi) takes around 1 hour 30 minutes from Sapporo, and is 10 minutes away on foot from the hotel.
Check-in / Check-out: 3:00 PM / 12:00 PM
Number of Onsen: 2
Pets: Allowed
Contact: Kai Poroto

1--1018-94 Wakakusachō, Shiraoi District, Hokkaido 059-0902
Find out more via hoshinoresorts.com

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