Four Itchy Feet

September 10, 2025. Sounkyo, Japan.

After coffee and a light sandwich, we embarked on our drive to Sounkyo. Our journey took us through Asahikawa, the second largest city in Hokkaido, known for its famous Asahiyama Zoo. From there, we drove north, parallel to the mountains, through a vast expanse of farmland, mostly rice, which was a beautiful green and ready for harvest.

Once our drive turned east, we headed back toward the mountains, winding through the stunning Sounkyo Canyon. We arrived at Hotel Taisetsu just in time for check-in. The hotel was so much more than we expected. It had three public baths, or onsens, three restaurants, and multiple lounging areas. Our room was a Japanese-style room: a single room with a table in the middle that they transformed into a bedroom while we were at dinner.

After a thorough soak in the onsen, we headed to dinner, properly dressed in traditional Japanese attire. The dining was superb. Although it was buffet-style, it offered just about any Japanese dish you could think of, from high-quality sashimi to meats you could cook at your table. A bonus was the complimentary beer, sake, and wine. When it came to desserts, the selection was just as plentiful. We strongly suggest you include the meal package when booking your hotel stay, especially in these more remote areas of Japan.

After dinner, we went to the expansive lobby for a traditional Japanese show presented by the local Ainu people. The Ainu are an indigenous group of people native to Hokkaido and northern Japan. They gave us an authentic presentation of storytelling and dance. By the end, the entire crowd was lined in a circle around the lobby, and we joined them in dance and chants—what an experience!

Next up was Japanese Bingo! The cost was 500 yen, but the catch was that everyone won! When the game began, they rolled out a table full of prizes. The first person to get a line on their card called out “Bingo!” and turned in their card to choose a prize. It was so much fun to see people call bingo and come to the table to pick their favorite prize. There were stuffed animals, sake, soup, bread, candy, lotions, and cooking utensils—you name it! I won and picked what I thought were local jams, which ended up being an assortment of salmon and seafood flakes to add to rice. I can’t wait to try them!

Barbara, on the other hand, was the only one left holding a bingo card with an empty prize table. The caller got Barbara up on stage and continued calling numbers until she finally got a line on her card. Then, from behind the table, they brought a box of local chiffon cakes and presented it to her as her prize.

We had an incredible first night at Hotel Taisetsu and are looking forward to exploring the area tomorrow.