Hokkaido, Japan · Countryside / satoyama
Postcard-perfect lavender fields and rolling farmland in summer, quiet skiing in winter.
Train — Train from Sapporo, though a car makes it easier to get between the fields
Fields of blooming lavender, the most iconic image of Hokkaido in summer.
A circuit through north-west Biei linking the Ken and Mary tree, Zerubu no Oka, the Seven Star tree and the Hokusei viewpoint. Essential rule: drive only on asphalt and park in the marked car parks, because the gravel tracks are private farmland.
A pond of blue water formed by a volcanic erosion-control structure, famous for once being an Apple wallpaper image and for its winter night illumination.
A landscape of cultivated hills in colourful patches, known as the 'Patchwork Road.'
From late October to late April the pond is lit from nightfall until nine, with a different start time each month. The Shirahige waterfall is lit all year. In midwinter the ice hides the blue colour, and parking costs 1,000 yen per car.
Electric bike rental next to Biei and Nakafurano stations. It is the right way to tour the hills without adding more cars to narrow roads that are already saturated.
The Fuji TV series filmed in Furano between 1981 and 2002 is what put this place on Japan's tourist map. You can visit Goro's Stone House, open only from late April to late November, the House Made of Collected Things, and the Rokugo forest.
A dish codified by the local council with six compulsory rules: Furano rice, a local egg with a small flag stuck in the centre, Furano cheese or wine, local vegetables and meat, one side dish plus a glass of Furano milk, and a maximum price of 1,300 yen before tax. Barely a dozen accredited restaurants serve it.
Open-window carriages and an exclusive three-minute stop at a seasonal halt beside the lavender fields. IMPORTANT WARNING: JR Hokkaido is withdrawing it - its last service is 23 September 2026, after twenty-eight years, and from 2027 it is replaced by an express from Sapporo with no open carriages.
On 28 and 29 July in Furano city. It comes from Furano being the geographic centre of Hokkaido: participants paint a huge face on their abdomen, cover themselves with a straw hat and dance down the main street. Visitors are allowed to join on the spot.
Biei's southeastern route culminates at the Takushinkan, the gallery of photographer Shinzo Maeda, opened in 1987 in a former primary school and free to enter. Maeda is literally the man who made this landscape famous.
Two areas with different calendars: the Furano zone opens in late November and runs through to early May in spring, and Kitanomine opens in late December. There is night skiing from mid-December to late March.
Free, open twenty-four hours, mixed and with no changing room: two open-air pools on the slope of Tokachidake, in Kamifurano. Soap, fire and camping are prohibited. Ten minutes away on foot there is a lodge with a day bath and changing rooms for anyone not comfortable with mixed bathing. Access from the Biei side is closed by snow from late October to early May.
It is in the city of Asahikawa, a different municipality, some thirty kilometres from Biei: a day trip, not a local attraction. Its fame comes from enclosures designed to display animal behaviour - the underwater penguin tunnel, the polar bear dome - a first in Japan. That said, it is still an urban zoo with limited space for large carnivores.
An active volcano of 2,077 metres, climbed from the Kamifurano lodge between July and September. Always check the volcanic alert level before setting out, and there are long stretches of volcanic terrain with no shelter.
Glassblowing, woodcarving, ceramics and dyeing, many of them concentrated at Ningle Terrace and along the Kitanomine strip.
The municipal market in central Furano, with produce from local farmers and food to take away. It is the useful shopping stop for anyone without a car.
The town's flagship product, bought and eaten at the roadside direct-sales stands and in the municipal market, in July and August.
A tethered balloon over the fields with the Tokachi range behind, at sunrise or sunset, roughly from June to October. It is very sensitive to wind and is frequently cancelled.
Whitewater with the May snowmelt and family descents in summer, with departures open to ages five and up, and calm canoeing at dawn.
A hillside planted with stripes of colourful flowers, another visual icon of the area.
Besides the tasting and the ice cream, the annexe building has hands-on workshops for cheese, butter, bread and ice cream, with prior reservation.
A private flower garden in Biei with free access to the grounds and paid buggies to ride around it. It is the legal, responsible alternative to walking into other people's fields.
Two poles: central Furano, with izakaya run by the local trade, and Kitanomine, with ski resort bars open mainly from December to March. It is a small scene: do not expect city nightlife.
Handmade dairy products from Furano's farming region, with tastings.
A shop-museum themed on Kuramoto's television dramas, on the hotel grounds next to Ningle Terrace and the forest cafe.
A municipal winery producing wine from grapes grown on the hills of Furano, with facility tours and free tastings.
A wooden walkway through the forest of the Shin-Furano Prince Hotel lined with fifteen artisan cabins working in glass, wood, and leather, lit up at night.
A small hot spring village on the slopes of Mount Tokachidake, with milky-white waters and access to the nearby Shirahige Falls.
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