OTARU KOURAKUEN Travel Journal

Let us introduce the history of Otaru Kourakuen here. A bronze statue of Mr. Seisaku Yoneyama (1895 - 1962) sits in a corner of the garden, which is the specialty of this inn.

Bronze statue of the founder, Seisaku Yoneyama

He is the founder of this inn. Originally from Niigata, he moved to Otaru, Hokkaido, and ran a copper-iron store.
The store thrived, and in 1937, he purchased a vast land of about 45,000 tsubo (about 36 Acres) of farmland and forests, mainly the current "Otaru Kourakuen", from Shimizu Farms.
Then, three years after the purchase, he completed this nature-rich Japanese garden to commemorate the so-called "2600th year of the Imperial Era," the 2,600th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Emperor Jinmu, the first emperor of Japan. For three years, the garden was apparently built entirely by hand, hauling stones from the Asari River and digging a pond. At first, he was thinking of building not a Japanese garden, but something that would surpass the amusement park called "Ryugukaku," which was located on a cliff on the Otamoi Coast of Otaru, and which was very popular before the war.

A big Yoshino cherry tree over 100 years old

With the liberation of farmland after the war, he had to give up some of his land, but he was able to keep his garden, which spans 12,000 tsubo (9.8 Acres).
In 1955, they finally dug up a hot spring and opened the ryokan "Kourakuen" in April 1957.
This was where the ryokan got its start as a hot spring inn. In 1988, an open-air bath was completed in the main building's public bathhouse. In 1992, the annex was opened.

Open-air bath in the public bath "Iwa-no-Yu"

In 1995, "Restaurant Sakura" was opened next to the front gate (now a convenience store).
In 1998, the guest rooms with open-air baths, which have now become synonymous with the inn, were opened. The first three rooms on the first floor of the annex, "Take", "Popura", and "Yanagi", were equipped with open-air baths. This was a great success, and the number of open-air baths was subsequently increased to 16 rooms in total, including Japanese-style rooms with beds in the main building (rooms "Keyaki" and "Momiji"), which are also barrier-free.

In 2006, an esthetic salon was opened in response to a number of requests.
In 2007, in order to increase the occupancy rate of the 19 guest rooms available at the time, a private bath "Kokage-no-Ideyu", was completed. This private bath became popular for its large, public bath-class bathtub and wide-open windows, which gave the bathhouse a half-open-air atmosphere.
It is also open to day-trippers, which has earned it a good reputation.

Private bath "Kokage-no-Ideyu"

In 2008, the area around the entrance in front of the front desk and other hallways were covered with tatami mats and slippers were eliminated.
In July 2009, the long-awaited new dining room "Charyou Kanon" opened, offering an even more comfortable dining experience. Furthermore, in 2010, a new special room "Ajisai" with an open-air guest room bath and footbath was added (currently not available).
Then, in April 2016, after a one-year and five-month closure from December 2014, the hotel reopened with a partial name change from "Kourakuen" to "Otaru Kouraken".

In the summer of 2022, an authentic Finnish sauna was built next to the open-air bath in the public bath "Mori-no-Yuya". Visitors can also enjoy self Löyly, and the "Totonoi Space" has a fireplace with a roaring fire, making sauna fans captivated by the experience.

Open-air bath and Finnish sauna in the "Mori-no-Yuya"

Furthermore, the following December 2023, a Finnish sauna was newly built in the other public bath, "Iwa-no-Yu" as well.
This means that both the "Mori-no-Yuya" and "Iwa-no-Yu" bathhouses, which switch between men and women depending on the time of day, now have saunas that can be used as much as one wants.

Currently, the inn is led by Yukihiro Yoneyama (born in August 1967).
He is the grandson of the founder, Seisaku. After graduating from Hokkaido University, Yukihiro worked for three years in the hotel development department of JR Hokkaido.

President Yoneyama

He then entered the inn in 1994 when his mother fell ill. He was only 25 years old.
That year, he married a woman he had been dating since high school. Of course, that woman, Naomi, is now the landlady of the inn.
Yukihiro has been in charge of the inn practically since around 1998, and officially assumed the position of president and representative director in 2008. In both name and reality, he has become the face of "Kourakuen" (currently Otaru Korakuen).
Then, for this renewal, he put together guidelines and concepts for the future of the inn and put them into practice. It seems that they have created an inn full of charm that will attract new customers while respecting the existing customers.
As for the cuisine, a charismatic chef was brought in from the outside to supervise the cooking, introducing a French taste to Japanese cuisine. As a result, the reputation of the cuisine has improved.

Dinner one day in October

Comments from guests who stayed at this inn