Furano, Hokkaido

Hokkaido is such a popular destination for Singaporeans, although i encountered far more tourists from Hong Kong and Taiwan when I was there. interestingly, Hokkaido’s trains that service tourist destinations and the airport have announcements in mandarin and korean, as compared to just english and japanese in any other part of the country.

Visitors should definitely get the Furano/Biei Free Pass as it saves you loads of money than if you were to travel without (savings of more than 5000yen), and from Sapporo, look out for this sign that tells you where the train will stop:

I visited Hokkaido this year from 23rd to 28th July, and a warning to anyone reading this – late july is TOO LATE to visit Hokkaido.

One big reason is because it rained most of the time i was there. We only had 2 sunny days when we were there; according to weather forecasts, around that time is when the warm and cold fronts coincide over northern japan, resulting in rains (it flooded in Sendai and some other places) in that area but scorching hot temperatures in the central and southern region.

Another reason is because the end july is the END of the flowering season. Take for example the famed lavender fields of Furano that tourists flock to see:

 

they were bare of lavender! when i visited in mid-july 3 or 4 years ago, this entire slope was in bloom and was so gorgeous. the lavender that was still remaining at Farm Tomita also seemed a bit dull. its colour was this:

when it should have been something more like those in the picture below – the first flower field that visitors encounter once they enter the farm. now, just imagine the first lavender field above covered with bright lavender like those below!:

 

what was also a bit disappointing was the Irodori Field. This is what it’s meant to look like – and this was indeed what it’ll look like in early to mid july:

instead, they’d harvested the flowers and it looked like this instead:

 

of course there were still some poppies and fuzzy purple flowers in the fields, but the Hong Kong couple who came here for their wedding photos didnt seem too happy:

 

farm tomita is a great place to visit, and even more so when all the flowers are in the height of bloom. there’s a sunflower patch on the way to the farm:

there are cute lavender coloured vehicles in the farm:

   

but best of all, there’s lavender-flavoured ice cream! it’s an amazing flavour that i’ve never seen elsewhere in Hokkaido – lavender ice cream is very light and refreshing, and does not smell of lavender at all. in fact, the whole of Farm Tomita doesnt have a strong lavender smell at all, and those who dislike the smell of lavender – like myself – need not worry, and should definitely try the lavender ice cream. it was so delicious that i had two, and was the first thing i zoomed in on, upon arriving at Farm Tomita.

The Furano/Biei Free Pass allows you to take the Norokko Express. ‘Express’ is a little bit of a misnomer as it doesn’t travel very fast at all – instead, it moves along at a steady pace through the fields of Furano and Biei, allowing passengers to admire the view. Just perhaps try not to take it in the late afternoon, else you’ll get sun shining in your eyes!

Some of the fields near Farm Tomita are pretty – shadows of people waiting at the temporary station nearest to the farm:

 

It is a must to plan your trip to Furano very very precisely, as buses and trains run infrequently and the schedules do not coincide at all. Most of the recommended itineraries required us to depart Sapporo on an 8-something train, which i think is quite ridiculous. but if you’re willing to wake up early in the morning (but it’s a holiday!), perhaps you can check out more sights in the area, like this tiny cheese factory that was 5min and 1350yen by taxi away from Furano station:

i wouldnt call it a must-see as it’s really small and you can’t the exhibits for the cheese-making process are rather lacking, but it has some fun stuff, like this robotic cow that you can ‘milk’ and have it moo for 100yen:

the cheesecakes, cheese-custard and other cheese items on sale (there’re limited cheese samples, like that of squid ink cheese!) are AMAZING though. they were so delicious that i’d have bought more if not for the fact that they needed to be refrigerated and i had to leave Japan and my apartment 4 days upon returning from Hokkaido.

oh – there was also an old tractor out at the front that children and shameless adults like me can climb onto:

good fun! :)