Journal | 2026.09.11
This journal is for people who live in Sapporo, and it is about a single night away at the weekend. Mori no Auberge Mitsu is in the town of Atsuma, about 75 minutes by car from central Sapporo.
Because it is close, you can decide to go without much planning. Yet the quiet of the forest and a night with no television feel clearly apart from the everyday.
Mitsu is a small auberge with three rooms, named Ki, Mi and Tsuki, and three groups a night. Here are two ways to spend the weekend: leaving on Friday evening, or on Saturday.
What 75 minutes from Sapporo really means
Mori no Auberge Mitsu is in Atsuma, about 75 minutes by car from central Sapporo. By expressway, it is about 15 minutes from the Atsuma interchange on the Hidaka Expressway.
That closeness changes how you plan a trip. You do not need a long holiday; a single weekend is enough to come.
In fact, about 60% of guests at Auberge Mitsu come from within Hokkaido. About 40% come from outside it, and of those, the largest number come from the Kanto area.
For directions, see the Access page.
Leave on Friday evening, or on Saturday
There are two main ways to use the weekend: leave after work on Friday, or set off on Saturday.
Check-in is from 15:00 to 19:00. Even on a Friday evening, if you arrive within that window, you can stay that night.
If you leave on Saturday, a relaxed midday start still works. After you arrive, you can rest quietly until dinner.
Dinner is an omakase kaiseki course that follows the Hokkaido season. Except on room-only plans, breakfast is served the next morning too.
A night with no television, and a soaking tub
The evening at Mitsu is quiet. There is no television in the rooms, so the slow hours of the forest take over.
Every room has its own goemon-style soaking tub in Shigaraki ceramic ware. It is not a natural hot spring but heated water, and there is no shared bathhouse.
You can soak in your own room, with no one to hurry you. With no television, it is easy to step away from a screen, and Wi-Fi is available in every room.
The quiet is one of the things guests praise most about Auberge Mitsu.
A 120-year-old farmhouse and Hokkaido kaiseki
The building is a 120-year-old farmhouse. It was built in the traditional style of Toyama, then taken down and raised again here.
Its thick central pillar and beams are joined without metal fittings. Time moves differently here than it does in the city.
Dinner is an omakase kaiseki course that follows the Hokkaido season. The cooking made from Atsuma ingredients is one of the things guests praise.
Close by, yet it feels far away. That gap is what makes a single weekend night feel special.
Sunday morning, and the drive back to Sapporo
The morning begins with breakfast. Except on room-only plans, breakfast is served.
Check-out is at 10:00, so there is no need to rush. You can feel the quiet of the morning before you set off slowly.
From Mitsu to central Sapporo is about 75 minutes by car. By Sunday afternoon, you are back in ordinary life.
For more on staying in the area, see the Staying in Atsuma page.
For drivers: parking and payment
There is parking for 10 cars at Mitsu. It is free of charge and needs no reservation, and there is no valet service.
Payment is cashless only. Credit cards, electronic money and QR code payments are accepted, and cash is not.
There is no shuttle service, and pets cannot stay. From Sapporo, coming by car is the easy way.
The guide price is from about 28,000 yen per person with dinner and breakfast, based on two people sharing a room, and it changes with the room and the season. Rates are subject to change; please check the booking site before you travel.
You can read more on the A quiet stay and Rates and plans pages.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to reach Mori no Auberge Mitsu from Sapporo?
It is about 75 minutes by car from central Sapporo. By expressway, it is about 15 minutes from the Atsuma interchange on the Hidaka Expressway. From New Chitose Airport, it is about 30 minutes by car.
Is it realistic to come just for one weekend night?
Yes; it is about 75 minutes by car from central Sapporo, so you can come on a Friday evening or on Saturday. Check-in is from 15:00 to 19:00, and check-out is at 10:00. You do not need a long holiday to stay.
Is the bath a hot spring, and is there a television?
Every room has a goemon-style soaking tub in Shigaraki ceramic ware, but it is not a natural hot spring; it is heated water, and there is no shared bathhouse. There is no television in the rooms, but Wi-Fi is available in every room.
I want to drive. What about parking and payment?
There is parking for 10 cars, free of charge and with no reservation needed. Payment is cashless only, and cash is not accepted. There is no shuttle service, and pets cannot stay.
Related: Access / Staying in Atsuma / A quiet stay / Rates and plans | Back to the journal