Why Furano is Easier on Your Wallet Than You Think Here’s what surprised me about Furano: it’s genuinely affordable for a Hokkaido tourist destination. Most of the best things to do are free or close to it. The flower fields don’t charge admission. The winery tastings are complimentary. You can cycle through some of the … Read more
Why Furano and Biei Are a Photographer’s Playground The Furano-Biei area is one of those places where you don’t need to be a good photographer to take good photos. The landscapes do most of the work. Rolling hills striped with color, impossibly blue ponds, lavender fields that stretch to the horizon. Point your camera in … Read more
Why Asahikawa Makes a Great Day Trip From Furano Furano is a great base for exploring central Hokkaido, but after a few days of lavender fields and cheese factories, you might want something different. Asahikawa, Hokkaido’s second-largest city, sits about 73 minutes north by train and packs in enough to fill a solid day. I’m … Read more
Furano is a great base, but if you stay in town the entire trip you’re missing out. Some of the best stuff in central Hokkaido is within an hour or two of Furano, and there’s enough variety — mountains, hot springs, a world-class zoo, ramen alleys — to fill a week of day trips without … Read more
Most people visit Furano in summer for the lavender. That’s fine — but if you want my honest opinion, autumn is the better season. The crowds thin out, hotel prices drop, the mountains turn gold and red, and the air is crisp enough to actually enjoy being outside. October in particular is the month that … Read more
If you’re planning a ski trip to Hokkaido, you’ve probably been going back and forth between Furano and Niseko. They’re the two most talked-about ski destinations on the island, and they attract very different crowds. I’ve skied both extensively, and I think the “right” choice depends entirely on what kind of trip you want. This … Read more
Furano isn’t a food destination the way Sapporo or Hakodate is. There’s no ramen alley, no morning fish market, no sprawling izakaya district. What it has instead is a small collection of restaurants that take local ingredients seriously — Furano cheese, Hokkaido dairy, seasonal produce from the surrounding farms — and a handful of places … Read more
The Furano Cheese Factory (富良野チーズ工房) sits on a hill about 3km from Furano Station, surrounded by birch trees and overlooking the town below. It’s free to walk in, watch cheese being made through glass windows, and sample products in the shop. That alone takes maybe 15 minutes. But the real draw is the hands-on workshops, … Read more
Furano is the obvious base for a Hokkaido ski trip if you want to avoid the Niseko circus. But sticking to just one resort for your entire trip means missing out on some of the best skiing in Japan – and it’s all within a couple hours’ drive. The Hokkaido Powder Belt is a roughly … Read more
Furano doesn’t get the hype that Niseko does. Good. That’s exactly why I keep going back. While half of Australia crams into Niseko’s lift lines, Furano sits quietly in the interior of Hokkaido, collecting some of the driest, lightest powder snow on the planet. The prices are lower, the crowds are thinner, and the snow … Read more
Furano isn’t a food destination the way Sapporo or Hakodate is. There’s no ramen alley, no morning fish market, no sprawling izakaya district. What it has instead is a small collection of restaurants that take local ingredients seriously — Furano cheese, Hokkaido dairy, seasonal produce from the surrounding farms — and a handful of places … Read more
The Furano Cheese Factory (富良野チーズ工房) sits on a hill about 3km from Furano Station, surrounded by birch trees and overlooking the town below. It’s free to walk in, watch cheese being made through glass windows, and sample products in the shop. That alone takes maybe 15 minutes. But the real draw is the hands-on workshops, … Read more
