Jozankei & Shiroi Koibito Park Full-Day Hot Spring Tour

Our guide, Xiao Zhou, was very thoughtful and flexible, providing us with lots of explanations along the way. Jozankei on 10/20/2025 was already a vibrant tapestry of autumn colors across the mountains – stunningly beautiful! For us, Otaru was mainly about trying the highly recommended Uni & Eel rice bowl at Sekaku. Personally, I found it just okay. Otaru's main street is very commercial, filled with shops. Braving the cold to browse stores you could find in any city mall didn't feel worth it, unless perhaps it's beautiful in the snow. Otaru won't be on our must-return list, but it was fine as a side trip on the tour. I wouldn't recommend making a special trip just for it. Finally, the Shiroi Koibito Park factory turned out to be the highlight of the day. Although it's also a commercial venue, it has a genuine appeal: beautiful architecture, lovely gardens, and charming Halloween decorations with real pumpkins. There's even a toy carnival performance every day at 4:30 PM, making it well worth a visit for couples, families, and friends – almost felt like being at Disneyland. Overall, joining the tour for $60+ was very convenient and made for a fantastic value-for-money day.

Our group was interested in seeing beyond Sapporo city and booked this self-directed tour for Jozankei, Otaru, and Shiroi Koibito Park. Before the tour, we were contacted by our driver Yamaguchi-san and picked up at the Tokyu REI hotel without any issue in a small van. We drove for about 1 hour to Jozankei where we were allowed to visit the Onsen and shrine for 1 hour, which was frankly underwhelming but had plenty of beautiful nature views, despite the intense humidity and heat. The highlight of the tour was visiting Otaru, which was very lively and had beautiful canal views, surrounded by trendy shops and restaurants along the Sakaimachihondori street. Fresh seafood, tasty meat, sweet desserts, and various unique items were for sale at each corner, allowing us to maximize the 1.5 hours allotted here. Lastly, we went to Shiroi Koibito Park which was also beautiful and a relaxing way to spend the last hour of the tour, with plenty of interesting sights to see.

The lady tour guide was very friendly and helpful. She kindly stopped for us to take photos at a spot with beautiful scenery and even made a stop so that some of us could experience the first snow of this autumn. Overall, I would rate this tour as good, as we had sufficient time to explore each destination. the Onsen experience was superb!

The guide's instructions were clear, the transportation was smooth, the attractions were unique, there were special foods, authentic small items, and authentic souvenir gifts.

Fuss free experience. Driver picked us up punctually and the drive was all about 1hour in between locations. Onsen is good, would like it more if there were English Instructions. cash payment only. Otaru is great, the biscuits are cheaper here than at the Shiroi factory so good to buy here rather than at the last stop. we ended punctually as well with smooth traffic

The transfer between places was smooth but the itinerary seems a bit rush. Perhaps due to the weather of snowing we didn’t have enough time in Otaru. One box of my souvenirs purchased was lost in the coach. ( bought 4 and left only 3 after getting down the bus ) My advice is to take care of your stuff purchased and do not leave them in the bus while visiting attractions between places.

On December 13th, our party of six, including two senior citizens, participated in the Sapporo Jozankei & Otaru Canal Full-Day Tour with Nature. The staff demonstrated a supportive approach and readily accommodated our family member's wheelchair. The attendant provided exceptional service, exhibiting consistent warmth and attentiveness that ensured all members of our group felt welcome and well-cared for throughout the tour. HIs coordination facilitated a comfortable pace, and his proactive assistance was greatly appreciated by our group.

My family and I were able to fully enjoy the tour, thanks to the guide and driver who were exceptionally energetic, kind, and helpful throughout the day.

"The itinerary is compact and comfortable, the tour guide is professional and enthusiastic, the Jozankei hot springs heal the body and mind, Otaru City is charming, and Shiroi Koibito Park is sweet. It is a trip full of wonderful memories!"

wonderful trip. Mr liu is very nice person, professional and experienced tourist agent. He concerns everyone, helping mum tighten up the baby in the car seat. offered me a free ride on the way home since he knew I am not familiar with the location, got lost when meeting up in the morning. thanks very much for all!