Iwanai Onsen in Iwanai Town, Hokkaido, is about 40 minutes by car from the Niseko area. Starting on Sunday, November 15, 2026, the "ONSEN JOURNEY® to iwanai PASS," a tour pass for the area's hot springs and for its seafood, history, culture, and daily life, will go on sale, limited to 200 people. Sales are handled by 円山連携会議 in Iwanai Town.
Iwanai Onsen sits where the Sea of Japan and the Niseko mountain range lie close together. Starting from two types of hot springs, visitors can put together their own trip from a total of 23 experiences and benefits. The pass, an original hot spring towel, and a hair care set containing hot spring water come together for ¥2,000 including tax. It can be used on day trips and on overnight stays.
The public-private collaboration around Iwanai Onsen received the Minister of the Environment Award at the 2025 "Onsen Sosenkyo" (温泉総選挙).
Beyond Soaking: A Trip Into the Town's Memory and Daily Life
Just past the mountains of Niseko, the Sea of Japan opens out. After enjoying Niseko's snowy scenery and activities at IWANAI RESORT, which has sweeping sea views, visitors can spend a warm stretch of time in a port town. From the late Edo period through the Taisho era, the town prospered on herring fishing, and Kitamaebune trading ships brought people and goods through. Its fish-eating culture, its faith in safe fishing, its love of the arts, and the everyday life of the townspeople are all still present.
The pass is meant for time that is neither only about looking at sightseeing spots nor only about bathing. Visitors soak in the water, taste local food, and meet craftspeople and residents going about their work. By walking around the town and talking with people, travelers experience the culture that has continued from the past as their own. This style of travel is called "onsen tabi" (温旅).
Two Hot Springs With Different Origins, Sea and Mountain
Iwanai Onsen has two spring types.
- "Bihada no Yu" (美肌の湯, "Beautiful Skin Hot Spring"): a bicarbonate spring whose water is derived from rainwater and benefits from the Niseko mountain range.
- "Atatamari no Yu" (温まりの湯, "Warming Hot Spring"): a chloride spring of fossil seawater origin that has welled up over millions of years.
One water sparkles clear and the other glows golden. These different spring qualities, found where sea and mountains lie close together, are the starting point of the trip. Visitors can enjoy the local hot spring culture that once soothed people who made their living from fishing, together with the history and daily life behind it.
Food, Prayer, Art, and Everyday Life in Town
Iwanai's fish-eating culture includes not only the seafood landed at the port but also the knowledge of preserving and processing it. Places that convey the town's history and the pride of its people are scattered around town. They include Iwanai Shrine (岩内神社) and Kikoin (帰厚院), where people have prayed for good catches and safe voyages, a museum that presents the works of Kinjiro Kida, and the Arai Memorial Museum of Art (荒井記念美術館), which holds works by Picasso. By going around with the hot springs as a starting point, each experience connects into a story of the place.
Examples of experiences include "Ryoshi-meshi" (漁師飯), in which visitors cook the day's fish with a family of working fishermen and eat together, and a visit to a museum that conveys the history of the port town. Beyond visiting tourist facilities, meeting the people who live here is a major part of the appeal. Note that individual experiences have separate fees and reservation conditions.
Pass Details
ONSEN JOURNEY® to iwanai PASS 2026
- Usage period: Sunday, November 15, 2026 to Wednesday, March 31, 2027
- Sales period: Sunday, November 15, 2026 to Tuesday, March 30, 2027
- Price: ¥2,000 including tax (individual experiences have separate fees and reservation conditions)
- Quantity: limited to 200 people
- Where to buy: front desks of the accommodations in Iwanai Onsen, and Michi-no-Eki Iwanai (roadside station)
- Set contents: (1) the PASS, a tour pass for all 23 experiences and benefits; (2) an original hot spring towel; (3) a hair care set containing hot spring water (two 30 mL bottles)
- Stamp bonus: the first people to collect five stamps receive an original T-shirt, on a first-come basis
- Details: https://iwanai-onsen.jp/news/pass1101/
Each experience or benefit can generally be used once per facility. Experience and accommodation fees are charged separately. December 30 to January 3 is excluded from the eligible period. Advance reservations, conditions for individual use, and temporary closures may apply, so check the official website for details.
Hot Spring Towel and Hair Care Set
The pass includes two souvenirs for during the trip and after it.
Hair Care Set With Hot Spring Water: Carrying Both Springs Home
The shampoo contains the bicarbonate spring water of "Bihada no Yu" (美肌の湯) and the conditioner contains the chloride spring water of "Atatamari no Yu" (温まりの湯), each as a moisturizing ingredient. Iwanai is where wild hops were discovered in Hokkaido, so the set has a refreshing hop scent. The set comes with two 30 mL bottles. It is made by 株式会社MAE of Toyama, a prefecture historically linked to Hokkaido through Kitamaebune trade.
Original Hot Spring Towel: From Bath-Hopping to Daily Life
The towel is a 200 momme, 100% cotton towel in the style long used at Japanese hot spring inns, which dries quickly and takes up little space. It can be carried while going from bath to bath and used in daily life back home, as an easy way to take the memory of the trip with you.
This project is carried out with support from the Japan Tourism Agency's FY2025 supplementary budget program, "Project to Promote Content Development of Regional Tourism Resources for Dispersing Tourism Demand" (観光需要分散のための地域観光資源のコンテンツ化促進事業).
