Bokoro at Hawai Onsen: The Detective Conan Ryokan Reviewed

This time, for a stay during a trip to Tottori, I stayed at Bokoro, a ryokan at Hawai Onsen on the shores of Lake Togo — a 12km-around lake that connects to the Sea of Japan.

It holds an impressive 4.5 rating on Rakuten Travel!

In this post, I’ll share my honest impressions and review of staying at Bokoro at Hawai Onsen.

If you’re wondering whether Bokoro is worth staying at Hawai Onsen, or you’re looking for a good place to stay around Hawai Onsen, this post should be exactly what you need — hope you’ll read to the end.

Who Is Bokoro a Good Fit For?

There are around 10 ryokan near Hawai Onsen, and while picking a hotel is part of the fun of planning a trip, it’s also nerve-wracking not knowing if you’ll really be satisfied with your choice.

Depending on the trip, people want different things — staying cheap on a budget, finding great food, or being near famous sightseeing spots.

I agonized over the choice more than usual myself, but having actually stayed there, here’s who I think Bokoro suits best:

• You want to relax and soak in the outdoor baths while taking in the view of Lake Togo.
• You’d rather spend your time at the ryokan itself than visiting nearby sightseeing spots.
• You care more about atmosphere and food than getting the cheapest price.

The outdoor bath built right over the lake is genuinely refreshing, and the lakeside view is sure to leave you feeling relaxed.

The breakfast buffet, with around 50 dishes, was also seriously satisfying.

Getting to Bokoro

Bokoro is about 70 minutes via Route 179 from the Chugoku Expressway’s Innosho IC, or 45 minutes via Route 313 from the Yonago Expressway’s Hiruzen IC, and a 15-minute drive from Matsuzaki or Kurayoshi Station on the San’in Main Line. Standing right in the middle of Lake Togo, it’s sometimes described as a paradise on the water, and its large communal bath had a renewal reopening in 2019.

The area within walking distance of Bokoro is mostly other ryokan and residential neighborhoods, so keep in mind there are no restaurants or convenience stores nearby.

Plans and Pricing at Bokoro

The plan I actually booked was Rakuten Travel’s “Casual Hot Spring Relaxation — One Night with Breakfast” plan: no dinner, breakfast included, weekend/holiday rate, at 14,300 yen per person.

That price naturally included access to the large communal baths, including the outdoor bath over the lake.

Plans with dinner included start around 18,000 yen on weekdays, putting it in the upscale category.

*Prices shown are the lowest weekday rate for 2 guests with breakfast/dinner, before any coupons or discounts. Check the official listing for the latest rates.

Overview of the Ryokan

Now let’s take a look at the details of Bokoro, where I stayed.

I took the free shuttle bus from Kurayoshi Station to reach the ryokan. Stepping off the bus and looking up at the building, it was bigger and more impressive than I expected — instantly reassuring.

A large, roomy shuttle bus, just what you’d expect from a hot-spring ryokan!

Check-In

Walk into the building and the front desk is right there on the right. I was helped by a kind, older staff member during check-in!

They explained that breakfast runs on a strict reservation-slot system.

• Shuttle reservations are required, so be careful. Call the hotel and let them know your arrival time at Kurayoshi Station, and they’ll come meet you.
• The pickup spot is in front of Yoko Plaza at Kurayoshi Station — you’ll spot it easily since they carry a purple Bokoro flag.

I checked in around 4:30 PM, and maybe because it was a weekend, slot 2 (7:50–8:50) was already full.

Made sense, really — that’s the slot everyone wants. Had no choice but to go with slot 3.

• If you’re also taking the shuttle back, the last bus leaves at 9:50, so booking the “③9:00–10:00” breakfast slot makes the morning quite rushed. Get your morning bath and checkout prep done ahead of time.

At check-in, I received a milk voucher (worth 150 yen), a shampoo-bar ticket, and a discount coupon for the Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory. Incredibly generous service!

After checking in, staff walked me through the hot springs — the baths run on a men’s/women’s rotation system (more on that later).

Tama-Moo-chan greeted me with a smile — I think it’s their hot-spring-touring mascot character.

Facility Map

Bokoro has 8 floors: guest rooms start on the 3rd floor, dining is on the 1st and 2nd floors, and the signature lake-view outdoor bath and large communal bath are on the 1st floor.

I headed to my room via the elevator in the center of the building.

Guest Room

The hallway lighting had a warm bulb-color glow that set a relaxing ryokan atmosphere. My room was 306.

It was a Japanese-Western combo room — the Japanese-style side already had one futon laid out, with a table next to it. An unusual layout. This time, two of us were staying.

The Western-style side had a single bed and a storage shelf.

Between the Japanese- and Western-style sides was a sofa roomy enough for three.

It wasn’t angled toward the TV, and since I wanted to relax looking out at the lake instead, I ended up rotating the sofa 90 degrees. Ha.

The TV was a bit disappointing — smaller than 30 inches.

My room was on the 3rd floor, but it was still a lake-view room overlooking Lake Togo!!

The weather wasn’t great, but I could still see the outdoor bath floating out on the lake right in front of me. Wonderful.

By the next morning, the weather had cleared up. Thank you, sun.

What a gorgeous lakeside view!

The room snacks were San’in-style sand cookies (Dai-Furoshiki) and Inaba White Rabbit baked buns.

The rabbit-shaped baked buns had a nice chewy texture and a pleasantly understated sweetness.

At the back of the Japanese-style room were yukata and ponchos in small, medium, and large (two of each), plus an analog safe.

A nice little touch that there’s a size for every body type.

Bathroom & Sink

The sink area looked a bit dated, but the separated bath and toilet made it spacious and easy to use.

Amenities aren’t placed in the guest rooms — instead, you grab them yourself from a corner next to the front desk.

Along with a razor and toothbrush, there were even drawstring pouches, shampoo, conditioner, and body soap available. That genuinely surprised me.

The bathroom itself had plenty of space.

At a ryokan whose main draw is the hot spring, you won’t really need the in-room bath anyway, so it’s not something to worry much about.

Breakfast at Bokoro

The breakfast hall is on the 2nd floor. A line formed as each time slot approached, but since it runs on a strict reservation-slot system, it never actually got crowded.

It’s a long hall with the buffet counter running down the center. Tatami covers the entire floor, and just being in the room feels great.

Breakfast is a Japanese-Western-Chinese buffet with around 50 dishes. It’s wonderfully varied — made-to-order tamagoyaki, onigiri, Chinese-style sticky rice dumplings, and more — easily enough to justify overeating first thing in the morning!

*Prices shown are the lowest weekday rate for 2 guests with breakfast/dinner, before any coupons or discounts. Check the official listing for the latest rates.

The Hot Springs at Bokoro

The biggest draw at Bokoro has to be its two outdoor baths with stunning lake views, plus two indoor communal baths.

With four different baths in one stay, you’re guaranteed to get your fill of hot-spring bliss.

• Outdoor lake baths: Asahi-no-yu (Morning Sun Bath) — a full 180° panoramic view of Lake Togo. Yuhi-no-yu (Sunset Bath) — a beautifully crimson lake surface for a soothing travel mood.
• Indoor communal baths: Shinwa-no-yu (Mythology Bath) — a glass wall with flowing water modeled after the lake’s gentle ripples, for serious relaxation. Tennyo-no-yu (Celestial Maiden Bath) — an inkstone-shaped tub carved from a 15-ton boulder, with a sauna.

Asahi-no-yu and Tennyo-no-yu are the men’s baths on your arrival day, while Yuhi-no-yu and Shinwa-no-yu are the women’s.

From 5 AM the next morning, the men’s and women’s baths swap, so you get the chance to enjoy all four.

The Communal Baths at Bokoro

This is Tennyo-no-yu. It seems to lead the way to Bokoro’s pride and joy, Japan’s only outdoor bath built over a lake — well worth taking your time to enjoy the ever-changing view of Lake Togo.

Hawai Onsen, where Bokoro sits, draws directly from a spring at the bottom of Lake Togo — 100% straight from the source, with no added water or heating.

This is a hot inkstone-shaped tub, and the sense of freedom when you have it all to yourself is something else.

There’s a sauna in the back left as you enter the communal bath, but it’s small and limited to one person at a time. At around 85°C it runs a touch mild — as a sauna fan myself, I’d have liked it a bit hotter.

This is Shinwa-no-yu. It’s the women’s bath at night and switches to the men’s bath in the morning.

You can soak in a hinoki-scented wooden tub while listening to water flowing down the glass wall.

There are three wooden tubs, two of which run hotter, at around 41.5–42°C by feel.

The cool-down chairs here are seriously comfortable.

The Outdoor Baths at Bokoro

It’s about a 30-second walk to the outdoor bath. Umbrellas are provided in case of rain, but be careful — the floors inside get quite slippery in slippers.

Drop your phone and there’s a real risk it ends up in the lake if luck isn’t on your side.

This is Asahi-no-yu, overlooking all of Lake Togo. Let’s hop in here too.

It genuinely feels like you’re bathing while standing right on the lake itself. The changing area is a bit tight, but the outdoor bath area has 4 washing stations fully stocked with shampoo, conditioner, and body soap.

This is Yuhi-no-yu, the women’s bath at night and the men’s in the morning.

Washing stations sit on both sides of this outdoor bath too, with a full view of Lake Togo. Asahi-no-yu offers an even more open feeling, though.

Up the stairs next to Yuhi-no-yu, there’s even a rooftop foot bath.

On a nice day, you could probably sit soaking your feet here forever.

Massage at Bokoro

Near the 1st-floor lobby lounge, there’s a small space offering full-body and foot-reflexology massages.

It seems to be run by a single massage therapist from Kurayoshi. To wash away the day’s fatigue, I went with the 40-minute full-body course for 4,400 yen. My neck and shoulders loosened right up — wonderful. You can charge it to your room and settle up later.

If you’re planning a massage for a group, book ahead of time. They apparently take appointments quite late into the night, but slots fill up fast.

Things to Do at Bokoro

Beyond the hot springs, Bokoro has plenty for guests to enjoy, so here’s a rundown: making your own hot-spring egg, enjoying a welcome drink, pairing your hot-spring egg with a glass of beer, a glass of milk after your bath, and reading the Detective Conan volume set at Bokoro.

Make Your Own Hot-Spring Egg

First, pick up an egg (one per person) at the Mizuumi dining hall, then head to the “egg bath” next to the outdoor lake bath. Lower the netted egg into the hot water and wait about 25–30 minutes.

Enjoy a Welcome Drink

While your egg is cooking, grab your drink of choice from the welcome-drink station and relax in the lobby lounge.

It’s not limited to just one glass either — Bokoro generously offers free-flowing drinks. It runs until 6:30 PM, so it works even after your bath.

Hot-Spring Egg & a Glass of Beer

After 30 minutes, go pick up your hot-spring egg and head back to the Mizuumi dining hall for a toast with your perfectly boiled egg and a glass of beer.

A hot-spring egg you made yourself — so good!

A Glass of Milk After Your Bath

Take the milk voucher you got at check-in to the 1st-floor shop and trade it for your drink of choice (fruit-milk, café au lait, or plain milk).

A drink after a bath is the best thing in the world!

Read the Detective Conan Story Set at Bokoro

Volume 69 of Detective Conan, “Murder in the Steam,” by Tottori-born manga artist Gosho Aoyama, is set at a ryokan modeled after Bokoro.

The front desk lends out a copy for free, so give it a read if you’re interested.

The anime episode is also currently available on YouTube!!

Story summary: Conan and the Junior Detective League arrive at Yumoto Onsen. At the ryokan where they’re staying, four other guests — Fukashio, Junsaku, Genji, and Unpei — are also staying. At 4:50 AM the next day, Conan’s group heads to the outdoor lake bath. Right after entering the women’s bath, Ai and Ayumi let out a scream — Genji lies dead inside the women’s bath. It turns out to be a locked-room murder disguised as an accident…

*Prices shown are the lowest weekday rate for 2 guests with breakfast/dinner, before any coupons or discounts. Check the official listing for the latest rates.

My Impressions of Staying at Bokoro

Soaking in the outdoor bath over Lake Togo was, to put it mildly, pure bliss!

There are actually fewer than 200 hot-spring ryokan nationwide with a lake or ocean view — it’s genuinely rare.

On top of that, with breakfast included, a lake view from the room, essentially unlimited bathing from morning to night, a wonderfully varied breakfast buffet, and a clean, retro-feeling ryokan — there’s really nothing to complain about.

On a weekday with the same plan, it apparently runs about 3,000 yen cheaper, around 11,000 yen, making it an even better deal.

Bokoro’s outdoor lake bath also served as the setting for a Conan murder scene, so if you’re a fan of the series, it’s well worth a visit — I think it’d add a whole extra layer of fun.

*Prices shown are the lowest weekday rate for 2 guests with breakfast/dinner, before any coupons or discounts. Check the official listing for the latest rates.

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About the author

Joe

I love hotels, hot springs, and saunas across the whole country!!
I’ve made it to 40 prefectures so far.
Around 100 hotel stays and 50+ saunas visited, and the count keeps climbing.
My hobbies are travel, golf, snowboarding, saunas, and the gym.

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