Hinata's Summer in Hokkaido #4/5 - Furano & Biei
(This post is Part 4 of 5, Hinata's Summer in Hokkaido, August 2013.)
So after Kushiro, we headed for Furano and Biei. We slept in a little that morning, then got up to go go go. We stopped for early lunch at Ramen Houryuu (ラーメン 寳龍) just a few km before the exit into the highway.
The elderly Japanese man and woman who operated the shop were really lovely! Hubby and I were actually there 20 minutes before their opening time (around 11am?). They saw us hovering outside the door checking for signs and then returning to our car. After about 5 mins, the old lady came out and gestured for us to enter the store. Even though it meant them opening 15-20 mins before opening hours. 私は本当に感動しました。
After lunch, we headed for Furano (富良野), passing several sunflower fields along the way. Hinata and I absolutely adore the sight of sunflower fields, the golden-yellow heads and faces turned toward the sun... Totally heart!
Hinata loves Farm Tomita (ファーム富田) at Nakafurano (中富良野). She said she could see why Mommy and Daddy (i.e. us) love being in Hokkaido in the summertime. She said in this all-knowing tone, "The food is fresh and delicious, the air is clean and fresh, the weather is lovely, the sights are beautiful, and the flowers! the very many pretty pretty pretty flowers!" ＼（＠￣∇￣＠）／
We find Farm Tomira a nice place to hangout and chill -- well, if you forget the hordes of tourists. We admired the lavender (which were past their peak, sadly), and the other fields. Sadly the Irodori Field (彩りの畑) was gone -- we arrived the day after their cut everything.
We lazed at the cafe. Ate the potato croquette and potato in butter -- both the potatos and the butter are locally produced in Hokkaido, which is known for its dairy products.
Ate a signature Farm Tomita lavender soft serve ice cream and had the lavender soda. I wanted to eat the pudding too, but it was sold out. ༼ ༎ຶ ෴ ༎ຶ༽
Hinata isn't the least bit shy about taking photos, but I kind of still a bit am. A cute little Japanese girl pointed at Hinata while I was photographing her and said to her mother (in Japanese): "Mommy, look, that doll is so cute! I want one like her too!" Aaawwww....
We went to Ningle Terrace (ニングルテラス) at the New Furano Prince Hotel (新富良野プリンスホテル). Like so many places in Hokkaido, the name "Ningle" is derived from the Ainu language. In Ainu folklore, Ningle was supposedly the name of a dwarf that lived in the forests of Hokkaido.
Ningle Terrace is basically a collection of boutique shops housed in cottages. The shops sell specialty arts and crafts and other handmade items, and the creator/artist is usually present in each shop, ready to explain each item, help you with purchases or choosing an omiyage or simply to just talk about their craft.
Not my and Hubby's first time there, but Hinata was enchanted with the quaint timber cottages scattered among the trees. The atmosphere there is peaceful and the air fresh and cool.
Hinata insisted that we buy 2 beautiful snowflake pendants to use as pull charms for Yuki (my Lavender Hugs). Isn't she sweet? They were made by 2 different artists.
We stayed at Ningle Terrace past the magic hour of dusk and twilight, watched the fairy lights of Ningle Terrace slowly come on as the sky deepened into a rich darkened blue and faded to black. Then we went for dinner.
We had dinner at Teppanyaki Masaya (てっぱんやきまさ屋), a popular okonomiyaki joint at Furano, of which Hubby read some good reviews.
I love okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) in all its regional forms and variants. I very quickly and easily decided on the prawn and squid okonomiyaki.
Hubby hesitated and decided on the cheese and potato okonomiyaki. Mine turned out like a classic okonomiyaki, while his turned out to be a super-high okonomiyaki. Quite like a Japanese cake, rather than pancake! Hahaha. It was delicious though!
There's not much to say except that I loved photographing Hinata at Kanno Farm (かんのファーム). Hubby was not as enthused - because he got giggled at.
So we head next to Biei (美瑛). This time, we went to Shirogane Aoiike (白金青い池), a pond with bright turquoise waters. The trees in the pond though are white and bare.
The reason why Aoiike's waters are this vibrant turquoise colour is due to dissolved aluminium minerals from the reinforcements in the area that have seeped into the water.
Driving along, we again passed several sunflower fields. But we passed one that was such a delight - an entire hillside covered with sunflowers in peak bloom.
This hillside of sunflowers was just the epitome of what Hinata and I adore about sunflower fields -- countless masses of nodding golden-yellow heads with their faces toward the sun, stretching out further than the eye can see. The sun was shining on them and the entire hillside looked like it was covered in gold. It was so so so breathtakingly beautiful... The photographs just don't do it justice.
Finally, we went to Zerubu-no-Oka (ぜるぶの丘), another lovely flower park in Biei.
Around the Furano and Biei region, there are other flower parks like Zerubu-no-Oka and Kanno Farm that have a greater variety of flowers and manicured beds than Farm Tomita. Farm Tomita is really mostly about the lavender and the lavender-infused sweets and souvenirs.
Hinata's Summer in Hokkaido (August 2013)
- I. Shiretoko
- II. Akan National Park
- III. Kushiro
- IV. Furano & Biei
- V. Asahikawa, Otaru & Hokuryu
 |
| Hinata among the purple salvias at Kanno Farm, Furano |
So after Kushiro, we headed for Furano and Biei. We slept in a little that morning, then got up to go go go. We stopped for early lunch at Ramen Houryuu (ラーメン 寳龍) just a few km before the exit into the highway.
 |  |
| Ramen Houryuu | |
The elderly Japanese man and woman who operated the shop were really lovely! Hubby and I were actually there 20 minutes before their opening time (around 11am?). They saw us hovering outside the door checking for signs and then returning to our car. After about 5 mins, the old lady came out and gestured for us to enter the store. Even though it meant them opening 15-20 mins before opening hours. 私は本当に感動しました。
 |
| Furano |
After lunch, we headed for Furano (富良野), passing several sunflower fields along the way. Hinata and I absolutely adore the sight of sunflower fields, the golden-yellow heads and faces turned toward the sun... Totally heart!
 |
| Farm Tomita, Nakafurano |
Hinata loves Farm Tomita (ファーム富田) at Nakafurano (中富良野). She said she could see why Mommy and Daddy (i.e. us) love being in Hokkaido in the summertime. She said in this all-knowing tone, "The food is fresh and delicious, the air is clean and fresh, the weather is lovely, the sights are beautiful, and the flowers! the very many pretty pretty pretty flowers!" ＼（＠￣∇￣＠）／
 |
| Lavendar, Farm Tomita, Nakafurano |
We find Farm Tomira a nice place to hangout and chill -- well, if you forget the hordes of tourists. We admired the lavender (which were past their peak, sadly), and the other fields. Sadly the Irodori Field (彩りの畑) was gone -- we arrived the day after their cut everything.
 |
| Lavender, Farm Tomita |
We lazed at the cafe. Ate the potato croquette and potato in butter -- both the potatos and the butter are locally produced in Hokkaido, which is known for its dairy products.
 |
| Lavender soft serve ice cream, Farm Tomita |
Ate a signature Farm Tomita lavender soft serve ice cream and had the lavender soda. I wanted to eat the pudding too, but it was sold out. ༼ ༎ຶ ෴ ༎ຶ༽
 |
| Farm Tomita, Nakafurano |
 |
| Farm Tomita, Nakafurano |
Hinata isn't the least bit shy about taking photos, but I kind of still a bit am. A cute little Japanese girl pointed at Hinata while I was photographing her and said to her mother (in Japanese): "Mommy, look, that doll is so cute! I want one like her too!" Aaawwww....
We went to Ningle Terrace (ニングルテラス) at the New Furano Prince Hotel (新富良野プリンスホテル). Like so many places in Hokkaido, the name "Ningle" is derived from the Ainu language. In Ainu folklore, Ningle was supposedly the name of a dwarf that lived in the forests of Hokkaido.
 |
| Ningle Terrace |
Ningle Terrace is basically a collection of boutique shops housed in cottages. The shops sell specialty arts and crafts and other handmade items, and the creator/artist is usually present in each shop, ready to explain each item, help you with purchases or choosing an omiyage or simply to just talk about their craft.
Not my and Hubby's first time there, but Hinata was enchanted with the quaint timber cottages scattered among the trees. The atmosphere there is peaceful and the air fresh and cool.
 |
| Glass snowflake pendant, Ningle Terrace |
Hinata insisted that we buy 2 beautiful snowflake pendants to use as pull charms for Yuki (my Lavender Hugs). Isn't she sweet? They were made by 2 different artists.
We stayed at Ningle Terrace past the magic hour of dusk and twilight, watched the fairy lights of Ningle Terrace slowly come on as the sky deepened into a rich darkened blue and faded to black. Then we went for dinner.
We had dinner at Teppanyaki Masaya (てっぱんやきまさ屋), a popular okonomiyaki joint at Furano, of which Hubby read some good reviews.
 |
| Sausages at Teppanyaki Masaya |
 |
| Prawn and squid okonomiyaki, Teppanyaki Masaya |
I love okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) in all its regional forms and variants. I very quickly and easily decided on the prawn and squid okonomiyaki.
 |
| Cheese and potato okonomiyaki, Teppanyaki Masaya |
Hubby hesitated and decided on the cheese and potato okonomiyaki. Mine turned out like a classic okonomiyaki, while his turned out to be a super-high okonomiyaki. Quite like a Japanese cake, rather than pancake! Hahaha. It was delicious though!
 |
| Flower field, Kanno Farm, Furano |
 |
| Purple salvias, Kanno Farm, Furano |
 |
| Purple salvias, Kanno Farm, Furano |
There's not much to say except that I loved photographing Hinata at Kanno Farm (かんのファーム). Hubby was not as enthused - because he got giggled at.
 |
| Shirogane Aoiike (Shirogane Blue Pond), Biei |
So we head next to Biei (美瑛). This time, we went to Shirogane Aoiike (白金青い池), a pond with bright turquoise waters. The trees in the pond though are white and bare.
The reason why Aoiike's waters are this vibrant turquoise colour is due to dissolved aluminium minerals from the reinforcements in the area that have seeped into the water.
 |
| Sunflower field, Biei |
Driving along, we again passed several sunflower fields. But we passed one that was such a delight - an entire hillside covered with sunflowers in peak bloom.
 |
| Sunflower field, Biei |
This hillside of sunflowers was just the epitome of what Hinata and I adore about sunflower fields -- countless masses of nodding golden-yellow heads with their faces toward the sun, stretching out further than the eye can see. The sun was shining on them and the entire hillside looked like it was covered in gold. It was so so so breathtakingly beautiful... The photographs just don't do it justice.
 |
| Kanno Farm |
Finally, we went to Zerubu-no-Oka (ぜるぶの丘), another lovely flower park in Biei.
 |
| Zerubu no Oka |
 |
| Zerubu no Oka |
 |
| Zerubu no Oka |
Around the Furano and Biei region, there are other flower parks like Zerubu-no-Oka and Kanno Farm that have a greater variety of flowers and manicured beds than Farm Tomita. Farm Tomita is really mostly about the lavender and the lavender-infused sweets and souvenirs.
Hinata's Summer in Hokkaido (August 2013)
- I. Shiretoko
- II. Akan National Park
- III. Kushiro
- IV. Furano & Biei
- V. Asahikawa, Otaru & Hokuryu
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