I recently delivered a Powerpoint presentation at my local Toastmasters club about the three things that always stand out for me when traveling in Japan, namely:
1) Over-the-top Customer Service
2) Stunning Natural Beauty
3) Deliciously-Baffling Mysteries
All of these things I experienced in spades on my recent trip to Hokkaido, most particularly at two fantastic, lakeside accommodations: Abashirikoso Hotel and Shikaribetsu Onsen.
Both hotels are in the middle of nowhere, which sums up pretty much everywhere in Hokkaido, Japan’s northern-most island. As soon as you leave the urban environs of Sapporo, Hokkaido’s largest city, you’re in “inaka” – the countryside. In my book, this is a good thing! So many travelers visiting Japan confine their journey to the major cities — Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto – and never experience the “traditional” side of the country, away from the tourist hordes and the neon lights.
Let’s start with customer service, always stellar wherever you go in Japan but perhaps even more so in the countryside.
Upon arriving at Abashirikoso, a modern, multi-story, lakeside hotel in the northeast part of the island, my friend Adam and I are approached in the parking lot by a young woman employee. That’s right, we’re not even in the lobby yet. As we roll our suitcases towards the hotel entrance, the woman offers us a deep, welcoming bow and motions us inside. At reception, a desk clerk stands together with an older woman dressed in traditional kimono; both deliver deep, coordinated bows in our direction.
Looking over my shoulder, I wonder, “Are the bows for us? Surely there’s a dignitary nearby.” But no, this is just the hotel’s normal, check-in formality – like a Motel 6 back at home… in absolutely no way at all.
At Shikaribetsu in central Hokkaido, the check-in process is more mundane, albeit exceedingly polite. What strikes me here, however, is the customer service related to our dinner. As a vegan, finding food in Japan can be a bit of challenge. (Japanese chefs don’t particularly welcome meal changes and substitutions.) Nevertheless, during online booking at Shikaribetsu, they allowed me to request a vegan meal.
As it turns out , a fabulous, multi-course traditional Japanese dinner is included in our booking—complete (in my case) with soup, rice, veggies, tofu and a mushroom hot pot. When I think I can’t eat another bite, out comes seared eggplant and veggie tempura! As we push back from the table at the end of our meal, stuffed to the gills, the waiter rushes up to us in a panic. “Oh no sirs, you can’t leave without your desert:” a perfect little Japanese (vegan) mochi sweet.
Now that’s service!
The second, stunning feature about these two hotels is the natural beauty. Both venues are situated on the shores of placid, undeveloped lakes. As far as I can tell, every room boasts a stunning lake view. The experience of sitting on the deck of your Japanese-style room, complete with tatami and futons, sipping green tea in your yukata bathrobe as you gaze out at the morning light glinting off a mountain lake… Well, it’s indescribable. How these are not $400/night rooms is beyond me – especially Shikaribetsu Onsen, which also includes a hot spring with indoor/outdoor pools. Absolutely gorgeous – and about as far away from cement-and-metal Tokyo as you can get.
Finally, there is the mystery element. On every trip I’ve taken to Japan, there are always *multiple* occasions when I just can’t explain what I’m looking at. Like – why is there a full-scale Stonehenge replica at a local cemetery (Wow Place #323 — Makomanai Takino)? Or a museum recreating all of the world’s greatest artwork on ceramic tiles (Wow Place #4 — Otsuka Museum)? Or a WWII American fighter plane sitting in the middle of a rice field in central Hokkaido?
Then there’s the mystery of the business center in Abashirikoso hotel. As I’m walking from my room to the front desk, my eye latches onto something downright baffling: sitting on a desk, 2 mint-edition, Macintosh Plus computers, circa 1986! What are they doing here? Surely we guests aren’t expected to use them! (Although how cool would that be!)
It’s just another delicious mystery that is so common on a trip to Japan.
There are many, many reasons to come to Japan for a visit. Some come for the castles, the gardens, the bullet trains… the sumo, the geishas, the ninja. Heck, some come for Godzilla and Pokemon.
But I say, stay for the customer service, the natural beauty and the mysteries.
(When someone asks you to, “Tell me something about yourself,” how do you answer? Most of us either start talking about our jobs, family or hobbies, or outlining our personal history. Rather than launching into a calendar chronology of our path through life, what about instead sharing some recurring “themes”? For example: “The recurring motif in my life is exploration.” Or “If there is one constant, it’s constant learning.” Or “My life has been characterized by travel.” What would be YOUR three themes?
(Dave Blum is the creator of Dr. Clue Treasure Hunts, www.drclue.com, a teambuilding company featuring over 150 treasure hunt locations worldwide. He has visited over 40 countries in his 60+ years of life and plans to keep traveling until he gives up the ghost. Dave lives in Northern California with his wife, Donica, and their 18-year-old Maine Coon, Ava — an indoor cat who dreams of one day escaping captivity and exploring her own neighborhood Wow Places.)