Hokkaido, Japan: Take the Lavender Train to Furano
The lavender season peaks in July. Japan has the perfect climate for growing lavender in the mountainous regions such as the soft hills around Furano and Biei in central Hokkaido. In summer, the fields are in bloom and the soft landscape becomes a sea of flowers that attracts visitors from near and far. So does Furano’s Belly Button Festival in July – celebrating that Furano is the navel of Hokkaido!
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If you are staying in Sapporo, you can easily visit Furano on a day trip – in case you have purchased a Japan Rail Pass, it conveniently covers the train journey.
Lavender fields at Furano, Hokkaido | Photo: Travel In Culture
In winter, the Furano hills in Hokkaido turn into a popular skiing area in Japan that appeals to both cross-country and downhill skiers. All year round, there are lifts running up the gentle slopes, which bring you up to a breathtaking view of the flower fields and the surrounding landscape in summer and the white landscape in winter.
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From Sapporo there are several ways to travel to Hokkaido’s lavender fields around Furano and Biei – by bus, train or join an organised tour. Whichever you choose, you will pass through an extraordinarily picturesque landscape.
Biei, located between Asahikawa and Furano, offers a beautiful rural landscape with flower parks, e.g., Shikisai Hill, where you can explore the fields from a tractor-pulled wagon. The park features a variety of flowers including beautiful lavender. To the east of Biei, the spectacular Blue Pond, Aoiike, whose crystal blue colour is due to natural minerals, is another popular tourist attraction.
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A few kilometres south of Biei, you will arrive at Nakafurano and Furano. Since the 1940s, lavender has been cultivated here. Originally, it was a pure agricultural product, but over the years (beginning in the 1960s), due to Japan’s import of lower priced lavender, the lavender cultivation has shifted to having a focus on agricultural tourism. In addition to the many lavender fields, other flowers such as poppies, lilies, sunflowers, and lupins also cover the fields between June and August.
Photo: Travel In Culture
Photo: Travel In Culture
If you choose to go by train from Sapporo, you can either take the Furano Lavender Express from Sapporo to Furano – or the limited express train from Sapporo to Asahikawa. Here you change to the local Furano train, which slowly meanders through the countryside.
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The Lavender Express is faster and direct – probably ideal for returning to Sapporo in the evening – and lets you explore the valley next to the Takisato Lake, following the course of the Sorachi River between the mountains before joining the north-south-bound Hakodate Line. Whichever train you take, you will pass through flat rice fields, as well as lush mountainous landscape.
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Nevertheless, if you choose to travel via Asahikawa on the local JR Furano Line, you will get the chance to discover more of rural Hokkaido from a train that runs at low speed through the scenic landscape, rice fields, and villages. In summer, a special tourist train, the Furano-Biei Norokko, operates with several departures a day. This train is sometimes decorated with lavender garland hanging from the ceiling!
In some of the trains there are panoramic seats along the wide open windows where you sit on wooden benches facing the landscape to enjoy the gorgeous views. Seat reservations are free for Japan Rail Pass holders. It is recommended to make reservations in advance, as the seats sell out very quickly in the lavender peak season!
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Both the Furano Lavender Express and the local Furano-Biei Norokko lavender train provide you with ‘certificates’ that you have done the lavender itinerary!
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When you take the Furano-Biei Norokko train from Asahikawa or Biei in the direction of Furano, you pass several lavender farms and flower fields along the way. Before Furano, right after Kami-Furano, you can get off the train to visit Farm Tomita. In summer, there is even a temporary stop Lavender-Farm Station just off Farm Tomita, shortly before arriving at Nakafurano.
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Farm Tomita is a perfect place to see the lavender fields with all shades of purple. Many kinds of flowers are cultivated here. Lavender dominates, but other flowers also add to the beauty of the rolling fields, e.g., thousands of pretty poppies.
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However, lavender is the focus at Farm Tomita. In addition to the flowers themselves, one can buy various lavender products in the shop, including the popular lavender soft ice cream!
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You can catch a glimpse of the production facilities for lavender production near one of the farm restaurants.
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A few kilometres east of the main Farm Tomita, there is another farm, Lavender East, which can be reached from Farm Tomita with the ‘lavender bus’. The fields here are larger than at Farm Tomita, and thus more impressive. Other farms around Furano include Nakafurano Flower Park next to NakaFurano Lavender Fields Chair Lift, and Flower Land Kamifurano with tractor-pulled carts.
The Town Hall Park at Nakafurano | Photo: Travel In Culture
Nakafurano itself is a small town with a few restaurants, schools, temples, and a town hall with attached park.
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Continuing down to the main city of Furano, you will come to the heart and navel of Hokkaido – famous in Japan for its ‘Belly Button Festival’. The Hokkai Heso Matsuri Belly Button Festival has been taking place since 1969 and is an annual event held at the end of July.
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The focal point of the festival is everything related to the theme ‘belly button’. Participants dress up in colourful costumes and paint funny, original faces on their bellies.
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One of the highlights of the festival is the Heso Odori, a dance where the dancers wear straw hats to conceal their real faces and perform with the ‘zubara’ face paintings around their navel as fabulous funny faces for the dance.
Furano is the navel of Hokkaido | Photo: Travel In Culture
All around Furano you can spot small statues of the belly button dancers – and even a monument of the central latitude and longitude reference point of Hokkaido (the navel).
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Hokkaido, Japan: Take the Lavender Train to Furano
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