Staying in a Ryokan – a traditional Japanese inn with woven matt floors, sleeping on futons and eating all your (local and delicious) meals in the room – is one of those classically Japanese things to do. Doing so in the northern island of Hokkaido by a classically round active volcanic lake in the snow is even further accentuates the true Japan vibe. Only issue is you should chose wisely on the location.
We stayed in the Toya-ko Onsen town, which was easy to reach from Niseko / Sapporo, and the Daiwa Ryokan was great fun, but it’s not the most attractive town. I would suggest trying to find somewhere else, maybe a bit more isolated. Considering just how beautiful the surroundings are, it would be worth a bit more of a detailed search, even if you have to plough through the Japanese websites! (few are on international sites)
For something a bit unusual (more unusual) – head up to the Windsor Hotel, which is still on the rim of Toya-ko, and is an uber 5 star hotel that hosted the G8 summit in 2008. It’s nice to walk around and has superb views of the lake, but also bizarrely has 2 Michelin 3* restaurants on the top floor which, based on what we saw, are largely empty. Bear in mind there are only 135 Michelin 3* restaurants in the world, so you get the idea how random this is. We tried the French one which was great.
Unless a bit desperate for something to do (you mean you’re bored sat in one Ryokan room for 2 days?), don’t bother with the ferry ride around the lake. My girlfriend likes to say it’s the worst date we’ve been on. Instead, head up to the Usa-zan viewing platform.