Hokkaido Official Tourism Site HOKKAIDO LOVE!

This endless yellow carpet stretching before your eyes is Hokkaido’s famous Hokuryu Sunflower Village, a stunningly beautiful place with some 1.5 million blooming sunflowers in summer. The field is so vast that the best way to tour it is perhaps on a bicycle — which you can rent here to explore the area thoroughly. The best viewing time is from mid-July to late August. Besides viewing the flowers and taking beautiful photos, you can also enjoy sunflower mazes and other activities. Of course, this is also an excellent location for your next top Instagram photo up! It gets very hot here, so when visiting, please wear a hat and sunblock cream.

Take a bus from Takikawa Station’s bus terminal in the direction of Hekisuishigai and get off at Hokuryu Chugakko-mae (It takes about 40 minutes.) If going by car, it’s about 17 min from the Fukagawa-Rumoi Expressway IC. A charter bus from Sapporo Station is also in operation in summer during the sunflower blooming period.

143-2 Itaya, Hokuryu, Uryu-gun, Hokkaido

0164-34-2111 (Hokuryu Town Himawari Tourism Association)

Free parking

Only about a 20-minute drive away from Sapporo Station is Horomitoge, home to a beautiful lavender garden. With about 5,000 blooming flowers on display throughout July, the sea of purple is quite a sight. Beyond the field, visitors can see the skyline of Sapporo city, a rare but stunning contrast between nature and urban. Travelers can also try harvesting their own strands of lavender!

But the garden is not only a popular spot for lavender viewers. It also reveals a breathtaking night vista that visitors can enjoy from the comfort of their cars from the parking lot.

A 10-minute drive from Maruyama Park metro station

Throughout Jul.

*Night vista can be enjoyed from April 1 through November 30.

9:00–17:00 *The parking lot is open 24 hours.

In the lavender fields of the Makomanai Takino Cemetery stands the Hill of the Buddha, Sapporo’s latest lavender sightseeing spot. World-renowned architect Tadao Ando designed it in the summer of 2016 and its name derives from the fact that visitors can only see the statue’s head in the distance.

In the summer, the combination of 150,000 purple lavender plants and a bright blue sky creates a mystical sight. On their way to the site, visitors can cleanse their might through the Water Garden before entering this beautiful location.

Before you leave, you can stop by the lavender cafe and gift shop for a snack and a bit of shopping. You’ll find exclusive goods too!

Mid to late Jul.

Apr.-Oct.: 9:00–16:00 / Nov.-Mar.: 10:00–15:00

About 30 minutes from the Kitahiroshima exit on the Hokkaido Expressway. From Sapporo metro station, get off at Makomanai Station and take the 108 bus bound for Makomanai Takino Cemetery (about 23 mins.)

If you visit Hokkaido in the summer months then there’s no way that you can miss the incredible lavender fields of Farm Tomita, which are visited by tens of thousands of sightseers every year.

The lavender which stretches out across the entire hillside of farm Tomita’s Traditional Lavender Field looks just like a big purple carpet! If you take a look into the distance you will see the fields of Nakafurano stretching out before you, backed by the distinctive form of the Tokachi Mountain Range. The best time to see the lavender here is from early July to early August.

Not only is Farm Tomita a great place to see lavender, but there is also plenty more flora to be discovered here too. For example, flowers of seven colors including purple lavender, white baby’s breath, red poppies, pink garden catchflies, and orange California poppies adorn the Irodori Field, painting a beautiful rainbow upon the hill. You are sure to want to capture this colorful array of flowers which stand in contrast to the bright blue sky! The best time to see the “Irodori Field” is from mid-late July.

Once you have finished checking out the flowers, why not enjoy the taste of locally-grown melon? All kinds of goods including cut melon, melon soft cream, melon bread, and other melon-flavored sweets are available to purchase on-site. Also be sure to try the lavender soft cream, with its sweet smell and refreshing flavor.

By bus: From Asahikawa Station take the Furano Lavender Bus (about 90 mins.). Disembark at “Nakafurano”, from where it is a 25-minute walk or a 5-minute taxi journey.

By train: 25-minute walk from “Nakafurano Station” on the JR Furano Line.

*From June to October JR Hokkaido operates the seasonal sightseeing train “Norokko-go.” During the summer period, the Norokko-go stops at “Lavender Field Station” on the JR Furano Line. From Lavender Field Station it is a 7-8 minute walk to Farm Tomita.

A visit to the Panoramic Flower fields of Shikisai-no-oka is sure to be one of the highlights of your trip to Hokkaido!

At Shikisai-no-oka, it is possible to enjoy incredible panoramic views of expansive flower fields backed by grand views of the Daisetsu mountain range from Spring right through until Autumn. From July when the lavender reaches its peak, to Aug. when the hills are painted with bright scarlet sage, and Sep. when the surrounding mountains are covered by autumn foliage; it is impossible to take a bad photo here! Each year many people enjoy seeing the various colors of the landscape on social media as they change along with the seasons.

Why not take a trip around the grounds on the Shikisai Noroko-go tractor bus to enjoy views of the hilly landscape and the Daisetsuzan mountain range? You can even take a commemorative photo during your ride.

The grounds are large, so it is highly recommended that you hire a buggy or cart to explore the flower fields.

Be sure to visit the adorable alpacas in the on-site Alpaca farm as well. You are sure to be charmed by their lovable countenance!

In the winter fun snow activities such as snowmobiles, rides are also available, allowing visitors to enjoy the entirely different atmosphere of Shikisai-no-oka in the winter months.

Jul.-Sep.

Take the train to JR Bibaushi Station on the JR Furano line, from which it is approximately a 25-minute walk. If you plan to visit by taxi, alight at Biei Station where you will find a taxi rank in front of the station. (There are few taxis available from Bibaushi Station)

Apr.-May and Oct. : 9:00-17:00 / Jun.-Sep. : 8:30-18:00 / Mar. and Nov. : 9:00-16:30 / Dec.-Feb. : 9:00-16:00