Japan Onsen Atlas温泉アトラス
A mountain rising beyond the lake
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Soica2001 (talk) Public domain View original page

Hokkaido · Onsen area

Marukoma Onsen

まるこまおんせん · 丸駒温泉

Hokkaido · 千歳市

Open100 Onsen to Know Japan — No. 4
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Official classification

Spring type (therapeutic classes)

Chloride springBicarbonate springSulfate spring

Official spring-type name (as recorded)Sodium-calcium chloride, bicarbonate and sulfate spring (neutral, hypotonic, high-temperature)

Source temperature
54°C
pH
Unconfirmed
Flow rate
Unconfirmed
Radon
Unconfirmed

Appearance & feel

Water colour · Feel

Unconfirmed

Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.

What makes it special

The bath is exactly as deep as Lake Shikotsu is high that day: an open-air tub joined to the lake.
Why?

The inn's natural open-air bath sits on the lakeshore where the spring rises through the floor; the official site says its depth rises and falls with the level of Lake Shikotsu. It is one of only about twenty foot-sourced baths in Japan.[2]

Facilities in this area

Facilities come from the register (Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, official sites). Those marked "natural spring unconfirmed" are listed on the basis of their name only.

Ryokan (inn) · Open

Marukoma Onsen Ryokan

Day-use bathing
Yes
Fee
¥1,200checked 2026-10-09
Hours
10:00–14:00(金・土・日)、15:00までに退館checked 2026-10-09
Official site
Baths4
TypeGenderSourceBath temperatureFree-flowingAdded waterHeatedRecirculatedDisinfected
Open-air bathUnconfirmedFoot-sourced natural springUnconfirmedYes[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]
Open-air bathSeparateUnconfirmedUnconfirmedUnconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]
Indoor bathSeparateUnconfirmedUnconfirmedUnconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]
Private bathUnconfirmedUnconfirmedUnconfirmedUnconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]

Getting there

Reachable by public transport

From Chitose Station take a Hokkaido Chuo Bus about 50 minutes to the Lake Shikotsu bus terminal, then the inn's reserved shuttle for about 20 minutes. A bus also runs from New Chitose Airport to the lake in about an hour.

Getting there
Chitose Station · 70
Through the year
During the Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival (31 Jan–23 Feb 2026) a reserved 'Hyoto Blue Liner' bus runs
Checked
2026-10-09
Show on mapOpen in Google MapsOfficial site

About the water

Marukoma's water comes from the volcanic activity of Mt Eniwa and is a neutral spring carrying a balance of salt, bicarbonate and sulfate. The source is 54°C, but in the natural bath it mingles with lake water, so temperature and depth shift with the lake level and the season. The water is used as it rises, without strong colour or smell; the point is the lake view and the feeling of the spring welling up beneath your feet.

SourceSource temperaturepHRadonChecked
Marukoma natural spring54UnconfirmedUnconfirmedno check date

Three things not to miss

An inn on the lakeshore
Photo information
chiyuen CC BY-SA 3.0 View original page
01

The natural lakeside bath

On the rocks below the inn at the lake's edge A foot-sourced spring discovered in 1916 and used just as it rises. Source 54°C; the depth tracks the lake level and changes with the season.

Nowhere else in Japan does a bath share its water level with a lake.[2]

A mountain rising beyond the lake
Photo information
Soica2001 (talk) Public domain View original page
02

Panoramic open-air bath

Off the main bath hall Faces the primeval forest and the peaks of Eniwa and Fuppushi reflected in the lake.

The caldera lake, seen from inside the water.[2]

03

A single inn with a century of history

North-west shore of Lake Shikotsu, Chitose Opened in 1915 by Sasaki Hatsutaro. There was no road; guests crossed the lake by boat from the eastern shore. A member of the Japan Association of Secluded Hot Spring Inns.

It is still the only inn on this stretch of shore.[1]

The story

The horses found it first

Legend says packhorses hauling sulfur from the slopes of Mt Eniwa soothed their sores in a warm pool on the lakeshore. Records show an inn operating by 1893, and in 1915 Sasaki Hatsutaro formally opened Marukoma. There was no road: guests arrived by boat across Lake Shikotsu from the eastern shore.[1]

A bath level with the lake

The spring found in 1916 rises straight through the rock floor at the lake's edge. Only about twenty such foot-sourced baths exist in Japan, and at Marukoma the tub is open to the lake, so the water depth follows the lake level — chest-deep when the lake is high in summer, shallow in low-water seasons. The same bath never bathes quite the same way twice.[2]

One inn inside a national park

The inn stands inside Shikotsu-Toya National Park, where building rules limit it to three storeys. The inn was renovated in 1988 and the bath hall in 1991; today it is a member of the Japan Association of Secluded Hot Spring Inns and admits day bathers at weekends.[1][2]

Going solo

Solo stay unconfirmedUnconfirmed
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerNo restaurants nearby; meals are at the inn
Private bathYes

checked 2026-10-09

Through the year

Recommended months

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Months open

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

"Recommended" and "open" are recorded separately. Check the season for seasonal springs.

Jan · Feb — Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival (31 Jan–23 Feb in 2026)

Jun · Jul · Aug — High lake level makes the natural bath deepest; forest in full leaf

Oct — Autumn colours on Mts Eniwa and Fuppushi

Food, culture & experiences

Available / bookable

Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival

Sculptures made by spraying lake water into ice, at Shikotsu-ko Onsen. 31 Jan–23 Feb 2026[3]

Near the lake bus terminal, about 20 min by shuttle from the inn
Available / bookable

Lake Shikotsu

A caldera lake in Shikotsu-Toya National Park; park rules keep the inn to three storeys[1]

Right in front of the inn

Editors' guide

Bus from Chitose Station to the lake, then the shuttle you booked. Go down to the natural bath first to feel the spring under your feet and check the lake level, then the panoramic bath for Mt Eniwa. Day visits are only Fri–Sun 10:00–14:00, so plan around that; in winter pair it with the ice festival.

The "editors' guide" above is written by the editors from sources; it is not a visitor's opinion.

Photo gallery

Visitor reviews

No reviews yet. While the review platform is being prepared, we do not display fictional reviews or ratings.

Review posting is in preparation, with visit date, facility, comments on water, scenery and access, photos, language and reporting.

Onsen areas nearby

Unconfirmed & notes

  • Whether the natural bath is mixed or separate, and whether bathing wear is allowed, could not be confirmed online
  • Legal notice on water addition, heating, recirculation and disinfection not confirmed
  • Single-occupancy stays not confirmed

Sources

  1. 丸駒温泉 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · 2026-10-09
  2. 丸駒温泉旅館 温泉丸駒温泉旅館 · 2026-10-09
  3. 丸駒温泉旅館 アクセス丸駒温泉旅館 · 2026-10-09

Register sources

Data status

Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished

Updated 2026-10-09

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