Biei and its surroundings

Located on the immense island of Hokkaido, for lovers of remote nature, Biei is a small village at the foot of the Tokachidake mountains. It is best known for its beautiful blue pond of Biei and the flowery landscapes of Shikisai no oka. These two aspects of the island will allow you to enjoy a pleasant day in wonderful and varied colors.

Biei Blue Pond

Biei is known for its delicate flower slopes, as well as its blue pond (simply nicknamed Aoi Ike: the blue pond) resembling a painting. This area was created almost unwittingly in 1988 after the eruption of the Tokachidake volcanic mountain and the willingness to remedy the damage caused by it and to prepare for possible future damage.

Shirahige Falls

Continuing a little further south of the blue lake, you can admire Shirahige Falls, a waterfall about 600 m above sea level in Shirogane Onsen, named after the creations that look like white moustaches. It is the rare waterfall in Japan created by the underground water that falls from the cracks of the rocks, and it is one of the famous falls with the Furepe Falls in the Shiretoko Peninsula and Funbe Falls in Hiroo in Hokkaido.

Shikisai no oka

The shikisai no oka is a hill of nearly 15 hectares covered with colored flowers in tight strips forming perfect alignments during the months of April to October. Visual and olfactory delight or lavender, lupines, sunflowers from Japanese anemones or even dalias can be recognized. These colourful parts will offer a gentle stopover during a stay as these almost “European” landscapes are rare in Japan.

The entrance to the Furano Garden is free of charge but a participation of 200 yen is used for the maintenance of the park and flowers.

At the garden farm, you can enjoy many of Hokkaido’s specialities as well as local products made on the farm, including delicious ice creams (especially the taste of seasonal flowers).

For walking, you will have the choice of walking by foot, golf carts (approx 1500Y every 15 minutes) or even by tractor. The Shikisai-no-oka Norokko (tractor bus) is a very popular route that slowly runs through the vast Shikisai-no-oka park, which is full of the rich scent of flowers and offers spectacular views of the hills, Mount Daisetsu and the flower garden. He stops once during the journey to take photos on a background of breathtaking flowers.

Zerubu hill

Zerubu Hill is a flower garden managed by the company Atom-nouki along the Furano National Road (National Highway 237) in the city of Biei. Colorful flowers are planted with Mount Asahidake and the Tokachidake mountain range in the background, and visitors can enjoy a typical view of Hokkaido. You will find fields of flowers, a grassy green area, the hill Atomu (

Take the JR Furano Line to Bibaushi station. The site is 25 minutes walk away. You can also take the JR Furano Line to Biei Train Station and then a taxi (12 minutes drive).

Ikoigamori Park

Ikoigamori Park is the place where Biei organizes its annual cherry blossom festival. Close to the city centre and easily accessible by foot or by car, it is an ideal place to enjoy the flowered cherry trees of Biei.

On the Japanese continent, the most common cherry is a variety called Somei Yoshino. On Hokkaido, the favorite flower comes from Ezo-Yamazakura, or “Ezo mountain cherry” (“Ezo” is the old Japanese name for Hokkaido). While Somei Yoshino is a hybrid created by humans, Ezo-Yamazakura is a wild variety. Looking at them gives you an idea of what the flowers of Japan looked like a long time ago.

Dozens of Ezo-Yamazakura cherry trees are planted in the park. The petals voltify all around you and create a magical pink and white forest. You can climb on an observation platform in the centre of the park to enjoy a breathtaking view of the flowering cherry trees.

Getting to Biei

There is about one train per hour from the train station of Asahikawa to the station of Biei, or from Furano to the station of Biei coming from the opposite direction (about 35 minutes). Biei is about halfway between the Asahikawa and Furano stations.

From Sapporo you can easily find bus routes such as the Biei View bus or Round trip bus.

The area itself has few public transport options for tourists, apart from a local bus that connects the station to Blue Pond (stop to Aoiike Iriguchi) and Shirogane Onsen. In summer, the JR Twinkle tourist bus covers Panorama Road and Patchwork Road, making short stops at attractions. Outside these months, you will need to travel by taxi, rental car or bike.

Biei’s fame of beauty has crossed the borders of its small city to attract world-class photographers, advertising directors and television directors. But despite its popularity, this pastoral paradise remains calm and quiet.

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