Day2: Biei (Shirogane Blue pond -> Shirahige waterfall)
Biei: If you are coming from Asahikawa, Biei can be reached first before Furano. My point of interests here was
Shirogane Blue pond is a manmade pond as a part of the erosion control system that was built to protect Biei town from volcanic mudflows, however the color is blue because of the natural minerals in the water. One can take a stroll around the pond and also see some parts of erosion control system nearby. Best time to view this is especially in winters when it is illuminated, it looks drop-dead gorgeous! (I will put a picture from internet to explain this since I was here in Autumn)
Shirahige waterfall (aka white beard waterfall , here you see 3 or more different colors of waterfalls cascading to form a gorgeous blue color at the bottom and this waterfall can be enjoyed from blue river bridge just in front of the falls. The best time to visit this place is definitely autumn for me!
Additionally, Area of Biei is known for its typical country side scenic spots- mountains & fields! This area is known to be a shooting spot for many commercials and there are many popular trees no less than celebrities after their appearances in TV commercials like Mild Seven Hill (from a cigarette commercial), Ken and Mary Tree (from a car commercial), the Seven Star Tree (which appeared on cigarette packages), A group of oak trees is known as the Parents and Child Tree.
Day3: Furano (Farm Tomito-> shikisai no oka->Kamifurano) & Sapporo (Mt.Moiwa)
Furano is a city known for flower gardens, especially lavender gardens in summer, it has been a dream always to me to wander around lavender fields and click pictures. I have visited tulip gardens in Netherlands, but lavender is still a dream! In Nakafurano area many other flowers are also grown like sunflowers, roses, lilies, velvet flowers so on...Now, what is the best way to explore these gardens if you don’t have a car? Hire an e-bike and go cycling in this beautiful city. You will find a popular bicycle renting spot just behind the train station, it costs 600 JPY per hour. You need 4 hrs. to explore say 3 gardens. I picked
Farm Tomito (very well organized garden with a lot of shops to eat and buy gifts including a shop full of dried and preserved flowers),
shikisai no oka (here you can take a tractor ride which takes you around the colorful flower beds, costs 400 JPY)
Kami Furano and I definitely recommend visiting the first 2 gardens! From summer to the beginning of the fall is an ideal season to visit the gardens & click some picture perfect shots for your memories :)
Sapporo is the capital city of Hokkaido and new chitose (CTS) airport is an hour long journey from Sapporo city. As such I dint have time to explore the city much but I did visit Mt.Moiwa (Japan's one of the three best night view spots- Sapporo, Nagasaki & Kobe)
Hokkaido is the northern most prefecture of Japan. It is most popular for snowfall and winter vacations. Sapporo's (capital of Hokkaido) snow festival looks gorgeous. However Hokkaido is also popular and worth vising in summer witnessing beautiful flower gardens and in autumn with colorful fall foliage. Autumn starts earlier in Hokkaido than the rest of the Japan! I was here in September.
Although there are so many popular destinations in Hokkaido, I had only 3 days & I picked few places which interested me the most.
Day1 : Noboribetsu (Noboribetsu onsen town -> Demon Spotting -> Jigokudani -> Oyunuma)
Noboribetsu city is known for:
Natural Hot springs or Onsen: known for having a "Wealth of Hot spring Types" like Sulfur, Aluminum, Salt, Iron, Acidic Iron, Mirabilite, Melanterite, Alkaline & Radium water springs!!! Each of which comes with their own health benefits! For ex: Sulfur/Sulphur water springs being milky-white in color having peculiar smell (it took me back to my class 12 chemistry labs ;)), tough to produce lather with soap is known to help ease chronic bronchitis, hardening arteries and chronic dermatitis!
Demons: Yes, you read it right! Noboribetsu onsen town is also known as "Japan's Demon town". People here, believed that only demons can survive the sweltering temperatures as Hell valley is just above the town. There are around 11 different demons known to protect the city. So you can go demon spotting in the town and also there cute demons for success in business, study, romance!!! A small hint is that Demon spotting starts with an 18-metre tall demon standing guard at the Highway round about for Noboribetsu, and the Welcome Demon sitting just outside JR Noboribetsu station.
Jigokudani (volcanic crater Jigokudani aka Hell Valley) gives you an opportunity to witness volcanic crater of geothermal activity created by eruptions 20000 years ago. Steam vents, geysers, and boiling lakes can usually be smelled before it is seen! For me this was the guide to reach the spot! It’s an experience of a lifetime that's hard to put in words, this day was filled with unreal spots and experiences and its totally worth a visit when you are in Japan
Oyunuma can be reached after walking for about 25-30 mins from Jigokudani. This walking trail is beautiful as you walk through the forest.... Oyunuma is a gourd-shaped lake formed by an explosion crater of Mt Kuttara & is one of the world’s rarest and largest hot water lakes. Surface temperature ranges 40-50 degree Celsius while at the bottom sulfur spring gushes out nearly at 130 degree Celsius! Another gorgeous experience here is Oyunuma brook Natural Foot-bath - an all-natural foot-bath that features rustic chairs and benches made of logs, great place to take a break & take in the lush surroundings of the forest
Bears and wolves are popular in this region and there is a bear park that can be visited which has some shows as well!
Lakes nearby are Lake Toya & Lake Shikotsu , since I made only a day trip to Noboribetsu and the public transport isn't that great in this area, we couldn't visit the lakes.
Noboribetsu is kind of once in a lifetime experience for me! :)
General information:
What to eat (vegetarian)?
I tried Potato bun and Lavender Ice cream which is crazily popular in Furano. In general melons are quite famous as well in this area. Also Ramen is very popular in Hokkaido area!
How to commute in Hokkaido?
Car is undoubtedly the best way, Plan B - As per my itinerary, the best way was to buy Hokkaido Intercity Bus pass (3 days), you also have Hokkaido budget Bus pass which allows you to travel to Hakodate, Otaru also, all the timetables for bus routes are available in the internet and they also have sample itineraries which is very helpful.... If you want to avoid traffic and take trains then you have JR - Hokkaido Rail pass. In both the cases, you must plan before the timings and connections as the connectivity is limited!
Where to stay?
I stayed 2N in Sapporo and 1N in Furano. I really recommend staying in Log Yukari Guest House, Furano. This is a handmade log house and as per the guest reviews indeed it looks like a fairytale house in the middle of a forest with friendly hosts
How to reach Hokkaido?
option1. Take a flight to either Asahikawa or Sapporo option 2. Shinkansen (Bullet train)
Other places to visit: Asahikawa Zoo, Sapporo City - chocolate factory, clock tower, Hakodate, Otaru city..... Sapporo snow festival and Noboribetsu Demon festival is popular!