Best 5 flower fields in central Hokkaido

The Takino Suzuran Hillside Park, located within the Sapporo City area, is popular with locals and tourists alike. Roughly 400 hectares large, the nature-abundant park grounds are so big it includes a forest and streams.

The park interior has about 240,000 bulbs of 128 different kinds of tulips and 50,000 lilies located in various places around the park, the perfect eye candy for when you are taking a walk. Annually they hold a "Tulip-and-Lily Fest" in around May to June as well.

(May 28, 2021: Note that park is temporarily closed due to Covid-19.)

Other flowers can be found in Takino Suzuran Hillside Park as well. Blue flowers such as Allium, Nepeta, and Meconopsis are nicknamed "Takino Blue" in Takino Park. This enjoyable sight can only be seen in late June.

In the town of Yuni, a 1-hour drive away from Sapporo, you will find the eponymous Yuni Garden, a soothing garden designed with an English garden in mind.

The 14 hectare-large park grounds have 15 named checkpoints, such as Kochia Hill, Rose Garden, and Hydrangea Alley. There are also spots centered on herbs, where you can see a wide variety of plants.

(May 28, 2021: Note that park is temporarily closed due to Covid-19.)

Near the end of July, about 400 hydrangeas dot Yuni Garden beautifully. It is also recommended to take a round-trip bus for a leisurely tour around the park.

Furano is a popular tourist destination for its lavender fields. Among these, Farm Tomita has one of the larger ones with a cultivation area of ​​5 hectares. The lavender usually blooms from late June to early August.

Farm Tomita's lavender fields are the oldest in Japan. Furano lavender became famous nationwide after being featured in a picture of a Japanese National Railways (now JR) calendar. On top of the lavender fields, the "Irodori field" where colorful flowers such as Baby's-breath, poppy, and the Sweet William catchfly are arranged neatly is also a must-see! The different lines of colors are reminiscent of a rainbow.

The establishment also has shops and cafes, selling items like lavender-flavored soft serves, potpourri, dried flowers, and other fashionable goods.

One of the best things about the Hokuseiyama Lavender Garden is that you can enjoy the flower garden sitting on the slope while riding the one-person chair lift (which is used as a ski lift in winter).

You can enjoy a variety of flowers such as four species of lavender, sunflowers, marigolds, and salvia. At the same time, you ride to the top of Mt. Hokuseiyama, a mountain that is also the symbol of Nakafurano Town.

The observatory at the mountain top also boasts a panoramic view of the flower fields, Tokachidake Mountain Range, and the Furano Basin.

The Old Aoyama Villa is a historic building in Hokkaido and has been designated as a national tangible cultural property. It is the Aoyama family's villa, a family that prospered with herring fishing during the Meiji era to the Taisho era. Presently it serves as a tourist attraction of Otaru that is also known as "Otaru Kihinkan."

The mansion, built over a span of 6 and a half years, is luxurious both inside and out, and you can see how the place was a symbol of prosperity in the olden days. It is also no surprise that the garden in the courtyard is also a sight for sore eyes, with various flowering trees blooming every season, such as cherry blossoms in spring and hydrangea in summer.

(May 28, 2021: Note that park is temporarily closed due to Covid-19.)

Approximately 400 peonies and 250 Chinese peonies will be in full bloom at the "Peony Garden," which will be held from May 21.

Best flower gardens in the Northern Hokkaido area!

The town of Takinoue in the northern part of Hokkaido is home to the Shibazakura Takinoue Park, one of Japan's most extensive. The shibazakura moss phlox started with one mandarin orange box worth of seedlings, which has been in use for over 60 years and now blooms over a vast area of ​​10 hectares.

The moss phlox blooms from early May to early June, and the best time to see it is around late May. Helicopter flights can also be applied for a limited time, where you can enjoy a whole new view from the sky.

The Hokuryu Sunflower Village is another large-scale flower garden located in the town of Hokuryu, which holds the moniker "the town of sunflowers." From the middle of July to the end of August, over 2 million sunflowers are in full bloom over the park's 23 hectare-large area.

In addition to a corner that collects sunflowers from around the world, such as red and orange, the sunflower maze is also a popular attraction. As a means of transportation, the "Himawari-go" sightseeing car and the "Sunflower bicycle" rental bicycle services are also available. The "Hokuryu Sunflower Festival" will also be held when the sunflowers are in full bloom.

Finally: the two best flower gardens in the Eastern Hokkaido area!

The Koshimizu Flower Garden, which has been selected as a heritage site of Hokkaido, is located in a narrow 275-hectare sand dune between the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and Lake Tofutsu. Approximately 200 species of flowers bloom throughout the season, and various wildflowers such as the black lily, Ezo daylily, Ezo Squash Lily are raised here.

The flowers here bloom one after another from May to October, and you can enjoy about 40 kinds of flowers at peak blooming from mid-June to late July. From the top of the relatively modest sand dunes, you can see the natural yellow and orange wildflowers as well as Mount Shari, Shiretoko Mountains, and Mount Mokoto. You can rent a bicycle at the information center (for a price), so cycling is recommended.

Hamanaka Town, home to approximately 800 kinds of flowers. The Kiritappu Marshland, which spreads out in the center of this town, is one of the largest marshlands in Japan, with an area of ​​3,168 hectares. It was registered as a Ramsar site under the Ramsar Convention in 1993 and as a Hokkaido Heritage in 2001 due to the abundance of nature it preserves.

Another name for the Kiritappu Marshland is the "Flowering Wetland," due to the variety of flowers that bloom here. From late June to mid-July, various flowers such as the cotton vetch, the Ezo-kanzo, and the iris setosa are in full bloom.

Moreover, what makes the Kiritappu Marshland so amazing is that it is home to crowberries and bog cranberry, which generally only grow in high-altitude mountains. It is a valuable place where alpine plants can be found without climbing up mountains.

You can also see about 300 types of wild birds, such as the whooper swan, Steller's sea eagle, and a protected species, the Japanese crane. An excellent spot for those who love nature.

Closest facility:
Kiritappu Marshland Center
Address:
20 Yobansawa, Hamanaka Cho, Akkeshi-gun, Hokkaido, 088-1304
Contact No.: 0153-65-2779
Hours: 9:00 - 17:00
Entry fee: Free
Closed on Tuesday (from October to April)
Closed during Winter (from 2nd to January 31)
Open Daily (from May to September)
*Please contact the center in advance if you have any inquiries as it may be temporarily closed.

Only in Hokkaido is it possible to enjoy a wide variety of flowers on this large of a scale, from Hokkaido flowers grown with tender care by human hands to wildflowers that live in the fields. Which heart wouldn't be healed from the sight of a sea of flowers stretching to the horizon?

Text by: Mina no Kotobasha

*The above article is based on information from May 2020