A Log Lodge Beside a Mountain Pond
High on Mount Soranuma, southwest of Sapporo, a small log building stands at the edge of Mankei Pond. This is the Soranuma Hut, owned by Hokkaido University and built in 1928 (Showa 3). It came about through the wish of Prince Chichibu, Yasuhito, and was designed by the Swiss architect Max Hinder, who lived in Sapporo in the 1920s and left a series of buildings across Hokkaido.
The hut is two stories, built by log construction, and modest in size, yet planned to sleep as many as thirty people. Reaching it means a walk of roughly two hours from the Soranuma trailhead, so it belongs to the mountain rather than the roadside, and the pond beside it makes the setting quietly memorable.
Why It Was Registered
Max Hinder (1887–1963) was born in Zurich and came to Japan in 1924, working first in Sapporo before moving to Yokohama. In Hokkaido he designed houses, mission schools, churches, and mountain huts, and is remembered as a pioneer of modern architecture in the region. The Soranuma Hut is one of his surviving works.
The building was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on 29 June 2022 (Reiwa 4), a much more recent listing than the campus buildings in central Sapporo. The registration recognizes a small structure that is functional yet carefully made, with metal fittings, generous timber members, and an open space around the stove that recalls the well-built mountain huts of Switzerland. A repair was carried out in 2016 (Heisei 28).
What to Look For
Inside, the character comes from the timber itself. The log members are thick, the metalwork on the fittings is designed with care rather than left plain, and the space rises around the stove into a small open void, so warmth and light gather where people sit. These are the details that connect a Hokkaido mountain hut to an Alpine one, and they are the reason a working lodge earned cultural recognition.
Because the hut sits deep in the mountains and remains in use, visiting is not a casual walk-up in the way a city building is. Hikers heading for Mankei Pond and Mount Soranuma pass it on the trail, and it functions as a base for mountaineering. Anyone planning to use or enter it should confirm current arrangements with the university in advance, and treat it as the living mountain facility it still is.
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Q&A
- Who designed the hut and why?
- Swiss architect Max Hinder designed it, built in 1928 at the wish of Prince Chichibu (Yasuhito). Hinder lived in Sapporo in the 1920s.
- How do I get there?
- It stands by Mankei Pond on Mount Soranuma, about a two-hour walk from the Soranuma trailhead. It is a mountain facility, not a roadside site.
- How many people can stay?
- The hut is small but planned to sleep up to about thirty people.
- What makes it feel Swiss?
- The thick timber, the carefully designed metal fittings, and the open space around the stove recall a well-built Alpine mountain hut.
Basic Information
| Name | Hokkaido University Soranuma Hut |
|---|---|
| Location | Tokiwa, Minami-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido (Ishikari Forest Management Office section, near Mankei Pond, Mount Soranuma) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (registered 29 June 2022) |
| Built | 1928 (Showa 3); repaired 2016 (Heisei 28) |
| Structure | Timber, two stories, sheet-metal roof, log construction; building area 56 m²; 1 building |
| Designer | Max Hinder |
| Owner | Hokkaido University (National University Corporation) |
| Access | Mountain hut reached on foot; confirm current use and access with the university in advance |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Hokkaido University Soranuma Hut
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014219
- Cultural Heritage Online — Hokkaido University Soranuma Hut
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/599619
- Hokkaido University — mountain huts (student life)
- https://www.hokudai.ac.jp/gakusei/campus-life/college/hut/
Last verified: 2026.07.02