Biei & Furano Flower Fields and Blue Pond Day Tour from Sapporo

Furano, the flower capital of Hokkaido

Furano sits almost exactly in the centre of Hokkaido, in a wide valley between mountain ranges, and its farms have turned the town into the island's best known flower destination. Lavender was first grown here for perfume oil, and today fields of purple, red, white and yellow cover the gentle slopes of Nakafurano and Kamifurano each summer, drawing visitors from all over Japan and abroad.

On a Furano day trip from Sapporo the flower farm stop is the moment most guests wait for: rows of lavender, poppies and other blooms framed by distant peaks. Lavender usually peaks from early to late July, while other flowers bloom from late spring into early autumn. Farm shops sell lavender soft-serve ice cream, local melon in summer and fragrant souvenirs, so this is also a good place for a light lunch at your own expense.

Shikisai-no-Oka flower hills

Shikisai-no-Oka, whose name means hill of four seasons, is a large flower park on the rolling hills between Biei and Furano. Its fields are planted in broad stripes of colour that run over the curves of the land like a painted carpet, with the peaks of the Tokachi range rising behind. There is also a small alpaca farm on site, a favourite with children.

Admission is included in this tour, and you have time to walk the paths and find your own viewpoints. Is Shikisai-no-Oka worth visiting? From June to September it is one of the most colourful places in Japan, and even in late spring and early autumn there are fields in bloom. In winter the park becomes a snowfield where snowmobile and snow activities are offered, though this summer-focused tour concentrates on the flowers.

The Blue Pond (Aoiike) in Biei

The Blue Pond lies in a quiet forest near Shirogane, at the foot of the Tokachi volcanoes. It was created by chance after an eruption in 1988, when an erosion-control dam was built to protect the area from mudflows. Water from nearby hot springs carries fine minerals that scatter sunlight, giving the pond its milky blue colour, while dead larch trunks stand in the water like sculptures.

How to get to the Blue Pond without a car? Buses are infrequent, so most visitors arrive on a tour like this one. A short, flat path from the car park leads along the shore, and around 30 minutes is enough for photos. The colour is strongest on calm, sunny days; after heavy rain it can look greener. In winter the pond freezes and is lit up in the evenings, a different scene from the summer blue.

The patchwork hills of Biei

Biei is a farming town of soft hills where fields of wheat, potatoes, beans and flowers form a quilt of different colours. Its scenic country roads are known as the Patchwork Road and the Panorama Road, and they pass lone trees and small groves that have become famous photo spots. With the Tokachi mountains on the horizon, the landscape looks more like rural Europe than the Japan most visitors imagine.

On this tour our driver-guide stops at viewpoints among the hills so you can take photos without worrying about narrow farm lanes. Please stay on public roads and paths: the fields are private farmland and walking into them damages crops. A Biei day trip from Sapporo is at its greenest in June and July, turns golden at harvest in August and September, and becomes a white snowscape in winter.

Biei and Furano through the seasons

What is the best time to visit Furano? For lavender, plan for July, when the fields are deepest purple and the summer weather is usually mild and sunny. June brings fresh green fields and early flowers, while August and September offer later blooms and harvest colours. Autumn, from late September to October, adds red and gold leaves in the forests around the Blue Pond and the mountains.

The route takes about two hours each way from Sapporo along the expressway and country roads, which is why a full day of around ten hours is needed. Flowers vary by season and weather, and the tour runs whatever is in bloom, so we suggest checking your travel dates with us. Halal food is limited in this rural area; vegetarian dishes and snacks are easy to find, and Sapporo has some halal restaurants for dinner.