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, the on-site pizza restaurant, and some genuinely good ice cream made with local Furano milk.
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What You’ll See Inside
The main building has a viewing corridor where you can watch the production floor through large windows. Depending on when you visit, you might see cheese being pressed, aged wheels being turned, or milk being processed. Morning visits tend to have more activity on the floor. By afternoon, production often wraps up and you’ll mostly see the aging rooms.
The product lineup includes Camembert, gouda, a wine-infused cheese (made with Furano wine), mascarpone, and their most talked-about creation: squid ink black cheese. It’s exactly what it sounds like — cheese dyed black with squid ink. The taste is actually mild and creamy, not fishy at all. But the color makes it an interesting souvenir or conversation starter.
The shop sells all of these plus butter, cream cheese, and various dairy gift sets. You can sample most products before buying. The Camembert and the wine cheese are the best sellers, and for good reason — they’re legitimately good, not just novelty items.
Workshops
This is where the Cheese Factory earns its reputation. Three hands-on workshops run daily (subject to availability):
Cheese-making workshop: About 40 minutes, 1,200 yen per person. You make your own batch of fresh cheese from local milk, then take it home. It’s straightforward enough for kids but interesting enough that adults don’t feel bored. You actually learn something about how temperature and timing affect the final product.
Butter-making workshop: About 30 minutes, 900 yen. Simpler and quicker — good for younger kids. You shake cream in a jar until it becomes butter, then eat it on bread. Satisfying in a primal kind of way.
Ice cream-making workshop: About 40 minutes, 1,200 yen. You make soft-serve style ice cream from scratch. The result tastes noticeably better than store-bought because the milk is fresh and the fat content is higher.
Important: Workshops need to be booked in advance, especially from June through September when Furano is packed with tourists. You can reserve by phone (Japanese only) or sometimes through the tourism office. Walk-ins are possible on quiet weekdays in spring or fall, but don’t count on it during summer.
Pizza Factory
Attached to the Cheese Factory is the Pizza Kobo (Pizza Factory), and it’s the best reason to visit if you’re not doing a workshop. They make wood-fired pizzas using the cheese produced next door, and the quality is genuinely good — thin, crispy crusts with properly melted local cheese and fresh toppings.
The menu has about 8-10 pizza options. The Margherita (1,100 yen) is the classic choice and lets the cheese speak for itself. The four-cheese pizza (1,320 yen) uses multiple Furano Cheese Factory products and is my pick. There are also seasonal specials — in summer you might see melon or corn toppings, which sound weird but work.
Expect a wait during lunch hours (11:30-13:00), especially on weekends and throughout July-August. Waits of 30-45 minutes aren’t unusual in peak season. If you can, go at 11:00 right when they open or after 14:00 when the rush dies down.
The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating. On a clear day, the outdoor terrace has a decent view of the surrounding hills. It’s a pleasant spot to sit even after you’ve finished eating.
Ice Cream
There’s a separate ice cream counter near the entrance. Soft-serve cones start at 350 yen and come in flavors like milk, melon, lavender, and combinations. The plain milk flavor is the move — it tastes like cream that barely made it into ice cream form, rich and clean without being too sweet.
In summer, there’s usually a line. It moves fast though.
Practical Information
Address: Nakagori, Furano, Hokkaido 076-0013
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (April through October), 9:00 to 16:00 (November through March). The Pizza Factory has its own hours, typically 10:30 to 16:00 with last order at 15:30. Closed some Tuesdays and Wednesdays in winter — check before making a special trip between November and March.
Cost: Free entry to the viewing area and shop. Workshops: 900-1,200 yen per person. Pizza: 1,000-1,500 yen per pie. Ice cream: 350-500 yen.
Getting there: By car, it’s a 5-minute drive from Furano Station heading west up the hill. Follow signs for チーズ工房 (Cheese Kobo). Free parking for about 100 cars. By bus, take the Furano Bus “Cheese Factory” line from Furano Station (runs a few times daily, check schedules at the station). A taxi from the station costs about 1,000 yen.
How long to spend: If you’re just browsing the viewing area, sampling cheese, and grabbing ice cream: 30-45 minutes. Add a workshop and it’s 1.5 hours. Workshop plus pizza lunch: plan for 2-2.5 hours total.
Is It Worth the Trip?
If you’re just coming to look through the glass at cheese being made, I’d say it’s underwhelming as a standalone destination. The viewing area is small and the process isn’t exactly riveting to watch.
But combine the viewing with a pizza lunch, ice cream, and maybe a workshop? Then it becomes a solid half-day activity, especially for families. The pizza is reason enough to visit. It’s the kind of place where you go for one thing and end up staying longer than planned because you keep adding “just one more” — one more cheese sample, one more ice cream flavor, one more pizza slice.
It pairs well with a visit to the broader Furano area. If you’re driving around checking off sights, the Cheese Factory fits easily into a day that includes the winery, Ningle Terrace, or the flower fields. For a full list of things to do in the area, the outdoor activities page covers it. And for more on what to eat while you’re in town, the Furano food guide has restaurant recommendations beyond this one spot.
Getting here without a car takes a bit more planning. The getting around Furano page has details on buses and taxi options from the station.