Furano & Biei Bus Tour Review: Farm Tomita, Blue Pond & Shikisai no Oka in One Day

Tour Schedule and Useful Details

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One particularly convenient feature of this tour is the choice of pickup and drop-off points. You can select whichever location works best for your hotel, and the guide sends a detailed map of the meeting point by email the day before departure.

・Meeting point 1: Odori Subway Station Exit 31, meet at 7:40 AM; depart at 7:50 AM
・Meeting point 2: JR Sapporo Station North Exit Bus Parking Lot, Platform 5, meet at 7:50 AM; depart at 8 AM
・Return drop-off: Choose either JR Sapporo Station North Exit or Odori Subway Station

To avoid the biggest crowds and make the most of the day’s lighting conditions, our guide adjusted the itinerary on June 25 to: Farm Tomita → Lunch → Blue Pond → Shirahige Falls → Shikisai no Oka.

The support was also reassuring for a solo traveler. The guide emailed the day before the tour and added me on WeChat for easy communication, while commentary during the trip was provided in both Chinese and English.

Tour Highlights and Flower Conditions

Flowering periods can vary considerably from year to year depending on temperatures and planting schedules, so it is worth checking each farm’s official website before your trip.

Farm Tomita

(Image credit: LIVE JAPAN editor)

(Image credit: LIVE JAPAN editor)

As of June 25, around 80% of the lavender flower spikes had already turned a rich purple, with a gentle lavender fragrance drifting across the fields. Based on conditions during my visit, the main viewing season looked set to continue for roughly another month and a half.

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After exploring the fields, don’t miss Farm Tomita’s signature lavender soft-serve. The creamy lavender-flavored ice cream costs 450 yen (tax included) in a waffle cone.

Lunch at HERB GARDEN FURANO

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The tour stops here for lunch, with both a restaurant and souvenir shop on-site. The guide made it clear that there was no obligation to buy anything.

I ordered the pork curry set for 1,200 yen (tax included). It was tasty, filling, and arrived quickly, leaving plenty of time to browse the souvenir shop afterward. Lavender skincare products were among the most popular local items.

Shirogane Blue Pond & Shirahige Falls

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Next came one of Biei’s most famous landscapes, the Shirogane Blue Pond, which became internationally recognizable after appearing as an Apple Mac wallpaper. In the sunlight, the water takes on its distinctive Tiffany-blue hue, contrasting beautifully with the pale trunks of the standing trees.

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Nearby Shirahige Falls offers a very different scene. Groundwater emerges directly from cracks in the rock face and tumbles into the river below, surrounded by lush summer greenery. After walking around under the summer sun, the cool waterside setting felt especially refreshing.

Shikisai no Oka

(Image credit: LIVE JAPAN editor)

(Image credit: LIVE JAPAN editor)

During my visit, the lavender season here was running noticeably later than usual, with the larger fields expected to come into bloom around mid-July. Catmint, perennial blue salvia, daisies, and poppies were already flowering, although the vast multicolored carpets Shikisai no Oka is famous for had not yet fully developed.

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Besides the lavender and melon soft-serve, another snack worth trying is the Hokkaido potato croquette. Fluffy, slightly sweet, and satisfyingly rich, it turned out to be one of the unexpected food highlights of the stop.

Should You Book the Furano & Biei Bus Tour?

For 7,500 yen (about US$48/NT$1,509/₩ 65,800), this tour covered more than 100 kilometers of transportation in a single day while also providing bilingual guide support. For travelers who want to see Furano and Biei without worrying about rental cars, train connections, or sparse local bus schedules, booking a seat in advance can make the whole trip considerably easier.

And this route isn’t limited to the summer flower season. In winter, the itinerary changes completely, with tours typically visiting attractions such as Asahiyama Zoo for its famous penguin walk, Ningle Terrace, Biei’s solitary Christmas Tree, the illuminated Blue Pond, and snow-covered Shirahige Falls. It’s a very different side of Hokkaido, but every bit as photogenic.