Going to See Flowers in Hokkaido in the Most Beautiful Season! - A Day Trip to Furano and a Guesthouse Stay

We took the Furano Lavender Express No. 3 from Sapporo JR to Furano, 9:05-11:00, direct. This is a special train that runs in summer. On ordinary days, to get to Furano or Biei, you have to go from Sapporo to Asahikawa and then transfer. So this was much more convenient. We had reserved seats; although there was no dedicated luggage space, it was still very spacious.

When the train passed through a tunnel, I felt like I was in a Studio Ghibli world, secretly hoping for some miracle. The "clack-clack, clack-clack" of the train wheels against the tracks sounded delightful.

Furano JR Station. Even though the station was small and not very crowded, some effort had been put into decorating it. It reminded me of so-called tourist cities in China—no matter the size, none of them manage to be as clean and comfortable as this. The station had coin lockers; large ones cost 600 yen. We ended up leaving our luggage at the Information counter nearby for 500 yen, open until 6 PM.

Since we had checked the timetable earlier, we rested a bit and then boarded the Furano Biei Slow Local No. 2 at 11:52, heading to Lavender Field Station. This is a station that only stops in summer. After getting off, we walked about 7 or 8 minutes to Farm Tomita. Hokkaido Railway Company is quite considerate of tourists; every summer they introduce these Furano Biei Slow Local trains, with the front painted green, the dark brown vintage carriages, and even woven grass flowers hanging from the ceiling. The train crawled slowly through the pastoral scenery. From the spacious carriage, we could gaze at the beautiful and vast natural landscape. Along the way, a conductor even handed out "Ride Certificates"!

Farm Tomita felt a bit commercialized, not exactly the vast rural countryside I had imagined, but more like a small botanical garden-style leisure spot. There we ate the most delicious melon and raw corn. There were many tourists; I could hear various Cantonese and Shanghai dialects all around.

The hillside covering about 12 hectares was planted with four types of lavender, including fragrant and vividly colored varieties, some not yet fully bloomed. Red and yellow poppies, as well as white baby's breath, added color to the fields.

The overwhelming sea of flowers filled our view. Standing in the fields, we could also see the famous Daisetsuzan and Tokachidake mountain range in the distance, with snow still not completely melted on the peaks. Furano's unique advantage is its expansive views; looking far away are rolling hills and farmland at the foot of the mountains, reminiscent of the Nordic landscape—truly refreshing.

Seeing a smoking area, we sat down to rest. My husband lit a cigarette, and I bought a purple lavender ice cream. It was stunning in color. When I took a bite, I felt like I was eating lavender essential oil... haha, but the cold, smooth texture quickly helped me get used to the unique lavender flavor.

In my memory, on the way from Farm Tomita to the Town-Run Lavender Garden, the sky was very blue, the breeze gentle, the road slightly long, and very quiet. The Town-Run Lavender Garden is on a hillside of Hokusei Mountain covered in lavender. Beside the garden was a small sightseeing cable car, very simple, probably used for skiing in winter, which could take you to the top of Hokusei Mountain.

After leisurely descending from the lavender garden, we walked ten minutes to Naka-Furano Station and returned to Furano. We sat with a scattering of fellow travelers on the comfortable little train, relaxed, gazing out at the green farmland and distant mountains, letting our minds go blank and simply enjoying the moment. That's the feeling of a traveler... so happy.

Pension Ashitaya owner Jimmy picked us up right on time at 6 PM at Furano Station in his minivan. His English was very good, and he was quite humorous. Along the way, Jimmy pointed out the fields we passed: this plot was wheat, that one corn, and so on—he was very proud, though we couldn't really identify them. After a few turns, up a slope, through a patch of woods, we soon arrived home.

Jimmy first showed us around the rooms, restroom, and bathroom. It was a two-story villa. The downstairs had a living room, dining room, and kitchen, plus a bathroom for guests; upstairs were the guest rooms and a smoking lounge (equipped with an air purifier). We stayed in the only Japanese-style tatami room, which was very spacious. There was tea and a refrigerator in the common area; we could label our milk and desserts and put them inside. Both the lounge and the guest room had WiFi. Bright and clean was my first impression of Jimmy's place.

My booking included dinner, and we needed to notify him in advance roughly what time to eat. The small dishes on the plate were exquisite and pleasing to the eye. The most memorable was the dish made with salmon from the sea between Japan and Russia—its flesh was delicious. After dinner, there was also dessert, and I instantly felt how wonderful life was. Most of the time, the guesthouse owner was busy in the kitchen. Because the meal quality was very good, I ordered breakfast from Jimmy for the next day at 1,000 yen per person, and confirmed the breakfast time and the time he would take us to the station.