●The village of Hokuryu Sunflower
It is the biggest sunflower field in Japan that has 1.5 million of sunflowers with a maze in the field of 23 ha. This is a gentle slope, so you can feel vast scale to take a picture with the sky from down side. Also you can buy local specialties of Hokuryu town in the shop.
●Snow Museum
The exterior of the building resembles a medieval castle, with Byzantine Architecture evident in various parts of the building. The interior is all decorated with images of snow. Everything from the architecture of the building to the displays inside, is made with images of beautiful snowflakes that fall upon Mt. Taisetsu.
●Restaurant OMP (lunch)
Open kitchen buffet restaurant serving the meals made with Hokkaido’s finest ingredients. Enjoy stone oven-baked pizzas, teppanyaki grill, nigiri sushi and much more. Here you can eat seasonal dishes to your heart’s content.
●Farm Tomita is known as a birthplace of lavender fields in Hokkaido, and is the most popular site. In July and August, poppy, cosmos, and common gypsophila bloom alongside the lavender. The farm is like one large theme park that is sure to be fun for every one, no matter what age.
Category Archives: 2017夏
Seafood Grill and Ropeway Views
Otaru, the Japan Heritage City & Shiroi Koibito Park Tour (Includes Meal)
Otaru was recognized as a Japan Heritage site in 2025. This sightseeing bus tour offers a richly rewarding day, combining the history and scenery of Otaru with a visit to one of Sapporo’s classic attractions, Shiroi Koibito Park.
The first destination, the Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway, is a hugely popular spot known as a favorite filming location for movies. At the summit station, five observation points offer sweeping views of Otaru’s townscape, the Sea of Japan, and the mountains rising in the distance, scenery that is also recognized as part of the Japan Heritage cultural assets. In addition to the views, the summit station also features shops and cafés, a ski museum, a chipmunk park, and activities such as a zipline, making it full of things to enjoy.
At the foot of Tenguyama is The Glass Studio in Otaru, where the glassmaking process behind Otaru glass can be observed, and with advance reservation, a glassblowing experience of about 10 to 20 minutes is also available.
*Glassblowing experience is closed every Tuesday.
After enjoying the views, it’s time for lunch. Lunch is served at Otaru Bine, a renovated Meiji-era building that once housed the former head office of Hokkaido Bank, where a seafood grill meal can be enjoyed in a historic setting. Savor Otaru specialties such as herring marinade and seasonal seafood.
After lunch, the next stop is the Former Nippon Yusen Otaru Branch. Built in 1906 in a Western-style design inspired by the revival architecture of modern Europe, this building is both part of the Japan Heritage cultural assets and a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. Inside, the lavish interior showcases finely crafted details in the columns, wallpaper, and ceiling decorations, vividly reflecting Otaru’s former prosperity.
*Closed every Tuesday and on September 24. On those dates, this stop is omitted and time for exploring Otaru is extended to approximately 3 hours.
After visiting the historic building, the tour continues with a drop-off at Otaru Canal Terminal for free time to explore the town of Otaru.
Nearby are attractions such as the Otaru Canal, Denuki Koji, and Sakaimachi Street, lined with popular spots including Kitaichi Glass, Otaru Music Box Museum, and Kitakaro. Planning which places to visit in advance is recommended.
On the way back to Sapporo, the tour stops at the sweets-themed park Shiroi Koibito Park for sightseeing and shopping. Highlights include an English garden filled with around 200 rose bushes and seasonal flowers, along with a mechanical clock tower where animal automata perform a cheerful parade every hour on the hour.
*Admission to the paid area requires a separate fee.
One of the great appeals of this tour is the chance to fully enjoy both the historic landmarks and popular attractions of Otaru and Sapporo. Why not enjoy a full day of sightseeing on a bus journey departing from and returning to Sapporo?
Asahidake Sky Garden Course (Excluding Multilingual Audio System)
Taisetsu National Park (230,000 ha) located in the heart of Hokkaido is a mountain range 50 kilometers long, comprising Asahidake, the highest peak (elevation 2,291 meters), and connecting peaks averaging around 2,000 meters in elevation.
The Asahidake Ropeway connects the foothills (elevation 1,100 meters) with the Sugatami station (elevation 1,600 meters). The ropeway offers sweeping vistas of the Asahidake Mountain Range, the Sugatami Pond (at elevation 1,670 meters), as well as other beautiful views of the flower-covered fields in the sky.
The leaves begin to turn color around mid September, spreading a welcoming carpet of vibrant colors across the mountainside.
From the “”Sugatami”" summit station, visitors will make their way through the alpine vegetation to the “”Sugatami Pond,”" which is about 1.7 kilometers round-trip.
The pond is an emerald green pond about 50 meters in diameter, with a circumference of about 400 meters. The pond is named “”Sugatami,”" which translates to “”mirror,”" due to the beautiful reflection of Mt. Asahidake that can be seen on the surface of the lake.
For lunch we will convene at the Asahidake Ropeway Sugatami restaurant, where we will enjoy a meal made with delicious local ingredients.
It is only a 3-minute walk from the hotel to the ropeway, so after your meal you can enjoy a ride on the ropeway and the epic scenery of flower gardens in the sky.
