Furano
Visiting the Furano area of Hokkaido in the summer, a popular tourist destination for Japanese
· Furano is in the mid to midwest region of Hokkaido
· It’s a famous tourist destination for Japanese people
· It appeals to travelers both in the summer and winter seasons
In the middle of Hokkaido is Furano, a landlocked area surrounded by vast green mountains. For Japanese tourists, this area is a popular tourist destination, especially in the winter and summer.
I was able to visit the area once in the summer in 2022. It was my third time to Hokkaido, and while I had visited Sapporo and Niseko in the winter, this was the first time visiting in the summer.
How to get there
Like most of Hokkaido, Furano is accessed best by car.
About Furano
The greater Furano area is quite vast, and has a population of just over 22,000. It’s popular in the winter because of its ski areas, and in the summer because of sightseeing destinations like its lavender fields as well as its overall cooler climate versus the majority of Japan.
Where we stayed
Hoshino Resorts Risonare Tomamu
Our first stay was at the Hoshino Resorts Risonare Tomamu, a large resort located at the base of a ski area.
The Tower at Hoshino Resorts Risonare Tomamu
It’s a different line from the KAI resorts that I have often stayed at, but under the same company. This resort is very different as rooms are located in 4 main towers, and is quite spread out.
We stayed in the towers towards the top. They’re a bit dated and the shower took a while to get hot, but it was very spacious. There was a bathroom in the master room and another with a sauna and jacuzzi facing the windows in it.
There are various restaurants and cafes, a couple of all-you-can-eat buffets, a lot of different activities that you can partake in, and areas to relax and have a picnic at.
One of the main commercial areas is Hotaru Street, which is in between the two pairs of towers.
Hotaru Street with cafes and restaurants at Hoshino Resorts Risonare Tomamu
We came across wild deer and rabbits roaming the vast grounds, but there are also areas that have sheep, goat, cows, even ponies.
The highlight of the stay is the trip up above the “Sea of Clouds” to Unkai Terrace. This happens in the summer.
A shuttle will pick everyone up before the sun’s out, and take them to a ski lift. The lift will bring you above the clouds up top where there are cafes and various different viewpoints and photogenic spots.
It’s absolutely gorgeous up there with views as far as the eye can see. I shared a little more in the video I made about this trip.
Above the Sea of Clouds at Unkai Terrace
Fenix Furano
The second place we stayed at was at the Fenix Furano, a luxury apartment-style hotel geared towards visitors planning to hit the ski slopes right across at Kitanomine.
Rooms here are fully equipped and range from hotel-style rooms to 3-bedroom apartments and penthouses. Its modern design is beautiful and it was a pleasure to stay the night.
Where we went
Aoi Pond
Aoi Pond
Yes, it’s actually that color.
Aoi Pond is actually a recent discovery in 1997 after being an unintentional creation while work was being done to control erosion.
There’s a parking lot and you can walk about half the perimeter of the pond. It’s beautiful, especially with the trees.
Chateau Furano
The Furano Winery, or Chateau Furano, dates back to 1972. At this little winery, you can check out the cellar with a collection of old bottles, see some of the production process, and do some wine tasting.
They make both red and white wines, however I have yet to taste a good red made here or anywhere else in Japan. If you like clean, crisp white wines, Japan makes some decent ones.
If you’d like to watch a video of traveling to all these places, check mine out here.
Tomita Melon House
Hokkaido and Furano, specifically, are known for melons. While we were a bit too early to see Farm Tomita’s lavender fields, we were able to go to their neighboring melon outpost, Tomita Melon House.
They have some of the juiciest melons I’ve ever had in my life here to eat, to buy and to ship domestically. They also have desserts centered around their melons.
A good place to stop if you want some of the most high quality melons around.
Genghis Khan King
Hokkaido is known for Genghis Khan (pronounced Jingisukan), a local style of barbecue that is focused around mutton and vegetables. For this, we went to Genghis Khan King on the grounds of Hoshino Resorts Risonare Tomamu.
The food is grilled on a special grill that is raised in the middle, causing the juices from the meat to drip down around the rim where the vegetables are. To my surprise, the meat here was not gamey at all, and instead was rather tasty.
Easy to eat, fun and delicious. Dig in.
Keep in touch:
More Travels:
Sapporo and Niseko
Two trips to Sapporo for the Snow Festival and a little snowboarding trip to Niseko didn't disappoint.
Two winter trips to Sapporo, Hokkaido has made one thing clear: It's not just another Japanese city.
The foreign influence is quite visible just by looking at the western-style, block layout of the city. Other Japanese cities tend to have a lot of winding streets and narrow alleys that you randomly wander down. Add to that the icy slick and snow galore during the winter, and it's a different Japan.
The Sapporo Snow Festival is a main attraction during winter, and it's worth checking out. Ice sculptures and food stalls line the streets in between more gigantic ice sculptures, some of which serve as stages for concerts and performances. There's also a ramp in the streets where snowboarders are jumping of and performing aerial tricks.
On my second trip, we headed a couple hours outside the city to Niseko. It's a well done ski resort - not quite as upscale and fancy as some others, but the facilities, runs and snow itself are great. Powder!
Niseko
An ice cave bar alongside the main street leading up to the Niseko runs.
Do check out some food in Sapporo as it's a tweak on the Japanese dishes that many know of. Due to the cold environment, foods like their ramen tend to be rich and hearty. Their ramen style is a heavier, miso broth, thick noodles, various seafoods and corn with a slice of butter on top. The cold climate also leads to excellent seafood, but yakiniku BBQ is also a big deal. When it's time to get your grill on, it's all about the lamb.
Hokkaido's butter miso ramen
KEEP IN TOUCH:
Visiting the Furano area of Hokkaido in the summer, a popular tourist destination for Japanese