Sapporo to Furano & Biei by Car: A Local's One-Day Drive Itinerary (Summer and Winter)

If you only do one day trip by car from Sapporo, locals will tell you to make it this one. Two hours east of the city the land opens into the rolling farm country of Furano and Biei: lavender fields in July, hills planted in stripes of wheat, potatoes and beans, a pond that is genuinely, unreasonably blue, and — in winter — a white quilt that is arguably even more beautiful than the summer version. It is also the trip where visiting drivers most often get into trouble: parking on farm roads, walking into fields for a photo, and starting too late.

Here is how a Sapporo local would drive it: the route, a realistic one-day itinerary, what to see, where to eat, the manners that matter here, and how the whole plan changes in winter.

1. The route from Sapporo: two hours, one mountain road

The standard route is the Dōō Expressway from Sapporo IC to Mikasa IC, then prefectural roads past Lake Katsurazawa (桂沢湖) and on to Furano — roughly 110–115 km and about 2 hours in summer, with tolls around ¥1,300–1,500 for a standard car. After the lake the road becomes a proper mountain road with long curves and almost no shops, fuel or toilets until Furano, so fill up and use the bathroom at the expressway service area or in Mikasa.

If you are nervous about mountain roads, or it is winter, the alternative is to stay on the expressway further north to Takikawa IC and take National Route 38 east to Furano — flatter, busier, slightly longer. If Biei is your main goal, you can also go north to Asahikawa and come down to Biei (about 2.5 hours), which also sets you up for the Asahiyama Zoo.

Holding a Hokkaido Expressway Pass? This trip sits right at the break-even point; see the toll section of our renting guide.

2. A realistic one-day itinerary (summer)

The mistake is trying to do everything. Biei and Furano are 30–40 minutes apart, and the famous spots are spread out. This order works because you reach the most crowded place first, before the tour buses.

07:30 — leave Sapporo. Earlier is better in July; by 09:00 the car parks at the big sights are filling.
09:45 — Shirogane Blue Pond (青い池), Biei. 45 minutes including the short walk. Paid car park (¥500 per car at the time of writing, around 220 spaces), no admission fee. It is bluest on a still, sunny morning.
10:45 — Shirahige Falls (白ひげの滝), two minutes up the road at Shirogane Onsen. Ten minutes on the bridge is enough. Blue-white water from the cliff face, same mineral as the pond.
11:30 — Shikisai-no-oka (四季彩の丘), the big striped flower hill with the Daisetsuzan range behind it. Paid admission now (a few hundred yen for adults), tractor bus and alpaca paddock extra. About an hour.
12:45 — lunch in Biei or Bibaushi. Small café country: expect queues in July and many places closed Tuesday or Wednesday. See "where to eat".
14:00 — Patchwork Road (パッチワークの路), the hill road north-west of Biei town: single famous trees with names (the Ken & Mary Tree, the Seven Stars Tree), the Hokusei-no-oka observatory park, and endless striped fields. Drive slowly, stop only in proper car parks.
15:30 — Farm Tomita (ファーム富田), Nakafurano. The lavender farm. Free admission and parking, lavender soft-serve, 60–80 minutes. Peak colour is usually mid-July; the farm posts a daily bloom forecast on its site from mid-June.
17:00 — Furano Marché (フラノマルシェ) in Furano town for souvenirs and a last coffee, then home via Mikasa — aim to be back on the expressway before dark.
19:30 — Sapporo.

With two days, do Biei on day one and Furano on day two, and sleep at Shirogane Onsen or in Furano. The evening and early-morning light on the hills is what the photographers come for, and day-trippers never see it.

3. The sights, spot by spot

Shirogane Blue Pond (青い池)

A man-made pond that turned blue by accident: aluminium from the Shirogane hot-spring water met river water and created colloidal particles that scatter blue light. Dead larches stand in it. Colour varies with light and season — milkier turquoise in spring snowmelt, deepest blue on calm sunny days; in winter it freezes and is lit up at night. Access: about 20 min by car south-east of Biei town. Parking: paid, large, closes at night. Official information: Biei Tourism Association.

Shikisai-no-oka (四季彩の丘)

Fifteen hectares of flowers planted in stripes on a hill, flowering from May to October, with the Tokachi-dake volcanoes behind. Commercial but well run. Parking: free, large. Official site: Shikisai-no-oka.

Patchwork Road and Panorama Road

Two loosely defined scenic loops around Biei town — Patchwork Road to the north-west, Panorama Road to the south-east. No admission, no ticket office, just farm roads between fields. This is where the manners section below matters.

Farm Tomita (ファーム富田)

The farm that started Furano's lavender boom in the 1970s. Several themed fields, the famous rainbow "Irodori" field, shops, and the lavender soft-serve everyone photographs. Busiest place in Hokkaido on a mid-July weekend; the car park can be full by mid-morning. Official site: Farm Tomita.

Furano town

Furano Marché for local food and souvenirs, the Furano Cheese Factory, and in winter the ski resort. Official tourism site: Furano Tourism Association.

4. Where to eat (and why you should book or go early)

Biei and Furano are café-and-bakery country rather than restaurant country: small places, short lunch hours (often 11:00–15:00), weekday closures, and July queues. Practical advice from locals:

Eat lunch before 12:00 or after 13:30 in peak season.
Local specialities worth seeking out: Biei wheat breads and Biei-milk soft-serve, Furano melon in summer, Furano cheese and wine, jingisukan with local Suffolk lamb, and the omelette-curry that Furano adopted as its town dish.
Many small places are cash only. Carry yen.
Check opening days on the shop's own page or Google Maps before you drive there; closures change seasonally and we do not list individual cafés for that reason.

5. Manners that matter here (read this one)

The hills are not a park. Every field on Patchwork Road is a working farm, and Biei has had serious problems with visitors walking into fields for photos — crushing crops and, worse, carrying soil-borne plant diseases on their shoes from one farm to the next. Multilingual "do not enter" signs are now everywhere and the tourism association patrols. The rules locals would like you to know:

Never step off the paved road or the marked walkway into a field, not even one step for a better angle, not even if the crop has been harvested.
Park only in car parks. Stopping on the narrow farm roads at the famous trees blocks tractors and causes accidents; the town has asked visitors repeatedly not to do it. If there is no space, keep driving — there is another hill.
Drones need the landowner's permission; assume the answer is no.
Do not feed the foxes you will almost certainly see.

None of this is officious — Biei is one of the friendliest places in Hokkaido. The farmers simply need to keep farming.

6. The same trip in winter

Between December and March the hills become a white sea, the Blue Pond freezes and is lit at night, and the trees on Patchwork Road stand alone in the snow — many locals prefer it. But the drive changes:

The Mikasa–Katsurazawa mountain road is plowed but remote; in snow many locals prefer the Takikawa / Route 38 way or the expressway to Asahikawa. Read our winter driving guide before you go.
Daylight ends around 16:00. Plan to be back on the expressway by mid-afternoon.
Farm roads are often unplowed or single-track; the viewpoints that are open have car parks — use them.
Farm Tomita's fields are under snow (the shops open shorter hours); Shikisai-no-oka runs snow activities. Check each site's winter hours.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can I do Furano and Biei as a day trip from Sapporo by car?

Yes — about two hours each way and a full day on the ground, as in the itinerary above. Leave by 07:30 in July and be selective. If you have a second day, use it.

Q. When is the lavender at its best?

Usually the middle two weeks of July, varying with the year. Farm Tomita publishes a daily bloom forecast from mid-June; check it rather than relying on a fixed date. Late June and early August still have colour but less of it.

Q. Is the Blue Pond really blue?

Really, on a still sunny morning. On an overcast windy afternoon it is grey-green and people leave disappointed. Go early, go on a clear day, and manage expectations.

Q. Is it worth it outside lavender season?

Yes. May–June has green hills and the bluest pond water; September has harvest colours; winter is a different and quieter trip. July is the most famous and the most crowded.

Q. Do I need to book anything?

No tickets are needed for the sights described here. Book accommodation early for July and for February (the Furano ski season), and book lunch where possible.

Before you go: Parking fees, admission prices, opening hours and seasonal closures change. Please check each site's official page and the road conditions before you set out.

Hokudora (ホクドラ) is a Hokkaido driving and travel site based in Sapporo. More English guides · 日本語版の富良野・美瑛ドライブガイド