Furano & Biei 6 hour Tour: English Speaking Driver only, No Guide

Furano & Biei 6 hour Tour: English Speaking Driver only, No Guide - Ningle Terrace in the forest

Furano and Biei are made for a car, especially when lavender, flower fields, forest shops, cheese, wine, and the famous Blue Pond all compete for your time. This private six-hour tour lets you choose three or four stops instead of following a fixed route, with pickup and drop-off in Furano or Biei. I like the … Read more

Shikisai-no-Oka and Furano Tour with buffet lunch from Sapporo

Shikisai-no-Oka and Furano Tour with buffet lunch from Sapporo - Shirogane Blue Pond and its strange blue water

The big draw here is simple: you get far beyond Sapporo in one long day, reaching Biei’s turquoise Blue Pond, Furano’s flower farms, and the rolling fields along Roller Coaster Road. I especially like the wide range of scenery and the chance to visit both Shikisai-no-Oka and Farm Tomita without arranging several train and bus … Read more

Hokkaido Day Tour from Sapporo: Asahiyama Zoo, Blue Pond Japan

Hokkaido Day Tour from Sapporo: Asahiyama Zoo, Blue Pond Japan - A Hokkaido buffet with more than 30 dishes

The star of this long Hokkaido day is Asahiyama Zoo, where penguins march, seals glide through clear tubes, and polar bears plunge into the water. You also get the striking blue water of Biei, the snowy spray of Shirahige Falls, and a woodland stop at Ningle Terrace. I like the unusual zoo enclosures and the … Read more

Sapporo: Furano Lavender & Biei Blue Pond Tour with Lunch

Sapporo: Furano Lavender & Biei Blue Pond Tour with Lunch - Biei Blue Pond: 30 minutes of strange blue water

Biei’s Blue Pond is the star of this Hokkaido day out: still water, pale blue and green tones, and bare birch trunks that look almost painted. Add Shirahige Falls, Furano’s huge flower fields, and a buffet lunch with optional Yubari melon, and you get a lot in one long day. I like the small maximum … Read more

Hokkaido Lavender farm & Furano Flower Tour from Sapporo

Hokkaido Lavender farm & Furano Flower Tour from Sapporo - Rolling through Biei’s Patchwork Road

The best reason to take this day trip is simple: it gets you from Sapporo to Biei and Furano’s open countryside without the cost or trouble of renting a car. You move from the turquoise Blue Pond to rolling farm fields, then walk among flowers at Shikisai-no-Oka and a seasonal final stop. I especially like … Read more

Sapporo: Furano Flower Sea & Biei Blue Pond Tour w/ Pickup

Sapporo: Furano Flower Sea & Biei Blue Pond Tour w/ Pickup - Blue Pond at 10:30 AM

Biei’s Blue Pond is the star here, and it earns the fuss. Mineral-rich water shifts from blue-green to cobalt in the sun, while pale tree trunks rise from the pond like the remains of a drowned forest. Add Furano’s flower fields, a buffet lunch, and a long but well-filled day, and this is an easy … Read more