Mizu No Gakko

Overview: Accommodation (guest house/rental of the whole building) in Shari-cho, Hokkaido, where you can bring your dog. You can stay at a very reasonable price, and it is convenient for sightseeing, mainly in Shari-cho and Abashiri in the eastern Okhotsk region. (Visited: Late February 2023) Raiun Water School is an accommodation (guest house/rental of the whole building) in Shari-cho, Hokkaido. It is located about 3km south of Nakashari Station on the Senmo Main Line and 3km east of Kiyosato-cho Station. It is also about 10km away from the center of Shari-cho. Also nearby is Raiun Shrine, which is known as a power spot with beautiful water. The facility was originally Raiun Elementary School, but has been renovated with the old school building turned into a rider's house and management office, the teacher's residence turned into a rental villa, and the grounds turned into a tent site. There are few accommodations in the Okhotsk region, including Shari-cho, that allow you to bring your dog, so it is a rare facility. The conditions for bringing a dog to this facility are in accordance with the rules of "STAY WITH DOG", which provides information on accommodations that allow dogs. The outline is as follows, and for details please check the above website. ・Bathrooming must be done 2-3 days before staying ・Not during heat or within 2 weeks of heat ・Do not make a mess indoors, be well behaved ・Do not use beds for people There are no special facilities for dogs. Because it was a snowy season, the grounds were completely covered in snow, so it was not possible to use it as an exercise area for dogs (please contact us for use outside of winter). There are no special amenities, so you will need to bring all the things you normally use. It also costs 1,100 yen per dog per night. There are two types of accommodation available for rent: standard (60 square meters, former teacher's residence) and superior (85 square meters, former principal's residence). We stayed in the standard room this time. The facilities are structured as follows: parking (can accommodate one car, but there is parking in a separate location), living room/kitchen, three bedrooms, bathroom, and toilet. The three bedrooms are broken down into two Japanese-style rooms and one bedroom with a single-sized bed. During this stay, we mainly slept and lived in the living room and bedroom with the bed, so we closed off the unused rooms to improve the heating efficiency. The kitchen was equipped with an induction range, refrigerator, microwave, and other equipment, as well as cooking utensils, plates, and cups. If you feel like it, you can cook (only in the smoking building if smoke is produced). The heating was also strong, so we were able to stay comfortably even in late February, when the temperature is below freezing all day. What bothered me was that the bathroom was small and had a slight smell, probably due to the old building, and the toilet and bathroom were cold. Also, check-in is from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., so if you have dinner in Abashiri city before heading to the facility, you will be just in time, and check-out is at 9:00 a.m., which is quite early. That said, considering the excellent cost performance (9,000 yen per night for two adults and two small dogs), I think it is okay to look past the shortcomings. As for nearby facilities, there are no restaurants, convenience stores, or supermarkets in the immediate vicinity. The closest one is around Kiyosato-cho Station, 3 km away. The same goes for hot springs, with Ryokuseisou near Kiyosatocho Station being the closest, followed by Hotel Kiyosato (closed in 2023), Shari Green Hot Springs (10km from the facility), and Papasland Sattsuru (12km from the facility). 　The reason for staying here this time was to visit the drift ice in Abashiri and Shiretoko. Both the roadside station Utoro-Shirietoku and the roadside station Drift Ice Highway Abashiri, which are destinations for drift ice sightseeing, could be reached within an hour. Also, looking south, Lake Kussharo, Lake Mashu, and even Kaminokoike Pond and Atosanupuri can be reached in about an hour, so it is a good choice as a stopover point when touring eastern Hokkaido and the Okhotsk Sea. 　When it comes to sightseeing with dogs, please consider that it is basically just about enjoying nature (except in winter). In Shiretoko, there are places like Oshinkoshin Falls, Oronko Rock, and Shiretoko Pass; in the Shari area, there are places like Ikushina Primeval Flower Garden, Road to Heaven, and Koshimizu Primeval Flower Garden; and in the Abashiri area, there are places like the Hokkaido Prefectural Okhotsk Park, Omagari Lakeside Park, Lake Notoro Coral Grass Colony, and Cape Notoro. However, there are very few places where you can dine with your dog. There are only a few restaurants that offer terrace seating in the summer. Summary: This is an extremely cost-effective accommodation (guest house or rental) that can be used as a base for sightseeing in the Okhotsk and eastern Hokkaido areas with your dog.