Slow Life Hokkaido I: First Stop Furano
Similar to my last trip to Hokkaido, the adventure began in Furano, a two-hour drive away from Chitose. Amazingly we made no highway oasis stops. Got into town just in time for lunch. Parked at Furano Marche and went looking for food. Mostly just snacks there, so we walked across the road to Furano Marche II and found a black curry omu rice restaurant that looked really good. The black curry was delicious, and omelette was so light and fluffy. Interestingly, that dish is paired with a bottle of local milk. Bro ordered the hamburg, and that came with an interesting sauce that's bursting with the flavour of cooking wine.
Farm Tomita was the first POI on my list. A few years back, I had visited this flower farm with KH. This time round, the tulips had wilted, but they had planted a field with several types of poppies, and carpet bugle. School kids were also all over the place, and the boys were so playful with each other that I started getting yaoi fantasies in my head.
The lavender souvenirs did not interest us as much as the lavender-laced food products. Got a cone of lavender soft serve ice cream and a lavender lemonade, both of which were excellent. Still lots of other things left to try like calpis jelly, cream puff, and pudding, all of which are infused with lavender. We were kinda suckered in to try the lavender coffee. Couldn't detect any trace of lavender at all. But we were craving for caffeine anyway!
The Rokuga Viewing Platform was next, located at the small town of Rokuga. Timing was an issue as there was nothing to view at the platform. Lol. I'm sure it would be beautiful in a month or so. What we saw was just dry vegetation. Lol.
Not exactly a wasted trip because at the foot of the hill were two ad hoc POIs-- Anpanman Shop and the Kyohsai Farm Furano Jam Garden. The lawn of the Anpanman Shop was filled with many stone statues of characters from the cartoon. There's even a small fountain there filled with toys that children can play with. The interior is practically filled to the brim with Anpanman merchandise. Anything and everything under the sun. The second floor is dedicated to Yanase, the creator of Anpanman. All sorts of paintings and concept art can be found in the gallery.
Right next door (across a small stream) is the Kyohsai Farm Furano Jam Garden. If you're a fan of jam, it's the place to be. There's a jam station where visitors can try every variety of jam that they produce. Just grab a piece of bite-sized bread and start piling on the jam. Do try the hascap jam, made from a prized berry in the region.
Back in Furano, we visited the Furano Glass Forest, a collection of glassware merchants. All sorts of glass products can be found here, from cute-sy dainty stuff to the practical. Definitely not a place to bring your rough-housing kids. At one end, you can observe glass artists at work at the kiln. Feel the blast of hot air coming out from the workshop.
We passed by Flower Land Kamifurano on the way to our AirBnB, and I can only say, "off-season". The field of sunflowers were a scene of devastation-- all dried out and not cleared yet.
Biei was our base for the next three nights. Not far from Furano, just a 45 minutes away by car. The whole building had 4 units, and it was all dedicated for AirBnB. The surrounding neighbourhood was very quiet with nary a soul in sight, but at least there were several restaurants within walking distance. The host uses a key safe so we have flexibility when it comes to checking in. The place looked pretty new, with the typical Japanese pre-fabricated look. All the doors, windows, and sliding doors have a wonderfully smooth operation, and quality finishing.
There was no need to drive out for dinner as there was Japanese restaurant just a hop and a skip away. Judging from the crowd, it was popular with the locals. Kinda grimaced when were given floor seating. My poor legs were already protesting. Took them some time to get us an English menu, and even longer to take our order. Our poor waitress was obviously in need of reading glasses but she would rather use a magnifying glass. Filled up on yakitori, katsu with egg, ramen, and fried chicken.
No day in Japan is complete without a visit to the local konbini. The nearest Seicomart was just 500 metres away, so we took a leisurely after-dinner walk. Got some stuff to munch, and some stuff for breakfast tomorrow.
POI Mapcodes:
- Furano Marche : 349 001 716
- Farm Tomita : 349 277 672
- Rokuga Viewing Platform : 550 803 313
- Anpanman Shop : 0167-29-2235 (phone)
- Kyohsai Farm Furano Jam Factory : 0167-29-2233 (phone)
- Furano Glass Forest : 0167-39-9088 (phone)
- Flower Land Kamifurano : 349 518 415
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