ACCOMMODATION
There are more than 90 hotels and lodges in Furano and the surrounding areas, ranging from backpackers at ¥2,500 per night, Japanese lodges, B&Bs and upmarket hotels which range from ¥4,500 to ¥40,000 per night.
DINING AND DRINKING
Despite fewer Western options, everyone is bound to find something good amidst the many, many
restaurants available. All sorts of Japanese delicacies as well as local
specialities are available.
AFTER SKI / NIGHTLIFE
Night skiing runs till 9pm on both sides of the ski area. There are few “western” bars in town and Furano's nightlife is
more low-key than your average ski area. Check out the incredible arts and
craft village adorned with fairy lights.
LAVENDER-GO
The Lavender-go bus operates yearround and travels extensively between downtown Furano and the main ski areas, including services to the
Biei area, as well as travelling to the Asahikawa Airport. The ride to the
airport will take two hours in winter, or only an hour and a half in summer.
Other key stopes include the New Furano Prince Hotel, the JR Furano station, and the JR Asahikawa station. You pay when you disembark from the bus. A trip from JR Furano station to the New Furano Prince Hotel will cost you ¥250, whilst a trip from downtown to the Asahikawa Airport is ¥750.
EVENING DOWNTOWN
SHUTTLE BUS
The Evening Downtown Shuttle Bus runs between the New Furano Prince
Hotel, the Kitanomine Furano ski area, and downtown Furano from 5pm to 10pm between late December and late March. You can’t buy tickets on the bus, but you can purchase tickes at the
Furano Information Centre, or most hotel front desks; one ride is ¥100.
FURANO ROPEWAY
(CABLE CAR)
The Furano Ropeway transports skiers during winter, and during summer
allows visitors to float about the forest and admire the rich foliage of the area.
At the speed of 10m per second, it is also one of the fastest cable cars in
Japan. At the end of the ropeway you can embark on a hike along one of
the many hiking trails, all of which are well-maintained
FURATTO POOL & GYM
Furatto is a super convenient community centre that's as popular with the locals as it is with tourists.
Furatto, constructed by Hokuryo (www.e-hokuryo.com/index_en.html), is a unique meet-up place
that offers its members all the best modern facilities, as well as forming a space where communities are built. It features many excellent
facilities including a pool, gym, sauna, conference rooms and shops, and is open all year round between Tuesday and Sunday. Even better, the centre is only a three minute walk from Furano station and the admission fee, which gives you access to all the facilities, is only ¥520.
HOKKAI HESO/BELLY
BUTTON FESTIVAL
The Hokkai Heso Festival is held in late July each year. This is an unusual festival featuring the Belly Button
Dance, or Heso Odori.
The event began around 40 years ago, and was initiated in order to unite the townspeople.
The idea of the dance was inspired by the location of Furano, which is in the middle of Hokkaido, similar to
the position of the navel. Though its initial reception was understandably dubious, the event is now well loved
and dancers go to lengths to make their navel into a face with elaborate body paint and accessories.
The festival draws around 5,000 dancers each year.
EVENTS
The Furano Kan Kan Mura or “Furano Winter Village” is a sublime after ski destination. Snow domes are built in various locations in Furano in late December and are open until late March.
Skiers can huddle in the warmth of the snow domes and enjoy hot drinks and light meals, which include
Furano’s famous potato dishes.
The winter village is located at the base of Kitanomine ski area, and offers many exciting treats, like drinks
served in hand-carved ice mugs at the “Ice Bar.” Visitors can also enjoy a
sumptuous Japanese meal of lamb and local vegetables that they barbeque
themselves inside the snow dome.
Another great activity is the Furano Suki Festival, a 2-day festival in February with ski-jump competitions,
marvelous firework displays and traditional Japanese drumming performance.
Every Saturday evening in February there is an International Exchange
Event, which encourages foreign tourists to get in touch with Japanese culture. At these events visitors can
watch the Japanese dance, song and music performed by local artists and learn how to perform a tea ceremony and wear a Kimono.
The summer months in Furano are just as busy. The Furano Music Festival is a
key highlight, showcasing the best in contemporary Japanese music.
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 Furano, a town with a population of 24,500, is situated in the centre of Hokkaido. The name Furano
derives from the word furanui or “fragrant flame” in the language of the Ainu. The town is located along the Sorachi River and is within the Furano-Ashibetsu Nature Park and is surrounded by snow capped mountains and a smoking volcano, Mount Tokachidake. The town experiences a stunning transformation in scenery in each of the four distinct seasons- with snow, like stardust, falling softly throughout winter, an array of Japanese skunk cabbages, or mizubasho sprouting during spring, the aroma of blossoming lavenderin summer, and the vibrant leaves in autumn.
 Most peculiar to Furano are the many lavender fields. Many people come to Furano to visit the lavender fields in summer, when the lavender is at the heights of it bloom. This season occurs between July and August, with the prime period being in late July and early August. A walk through a fragrant lavender field is not to be missed. One unique feature of Furano is the “navel festival,” in which around 5,000 participants draw humourous faces on their stomachs and dance around in the main street. This derives from the geographical location of Furano, which occupies the near centre of Hokkaido, hence its nickname “the navel town.” The town is a wonderful place to visit, given that the inhabitants are some of the warmest and most welcoming people you will meet. Importantly, much of the local agricultural bounty is turned into some excellent food at the restaurants and hotels in the town. The beautiful landscape is conductive to outdoor activities, and one of the joys of Furano is that there is something amazing to experience outdoors in every season. Some companies organise rafting trips and hot air balloning during the warmer months, and skiing is the chief attraction in the winter. For tourists, Furano is valuable as it offers the option of experiencing authentic Japanese culture, as well as providing worldclass resort ski facilities, catering to the international snowboard community who attended the World Cup, hosted in 2007. The powder snow in Furano is of excellent quality, and the community receives a staggering 8m of snowfall each year
One fun attraction during winter is the “Kankan village,” a
festival site built at the base of the Kitanomine ski area. The locals build a gigantic snow dome on this site and many parties and firework displays make the area magical. The Furano Ski Festival, which is held in the first weekend of February each year, is also centred on this site.
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FURANO SKI RESORT
www.furano-kankou.com
 Furano has long, smooth ski runs with spectacular views and many relaxing family style courses which provide a great run for all ages. The snow is the driest snow you will
find in the Hokkaido area, and the weather, with sunny, blue-skyed days, is perfect for being outdoors.
One great aspect of the Furano ski area is that it is not far removed from the town centre. Downtown Furano is about a half hour walk from the hotels situated at the
Kitanomine ski area, and only 10 minutes on the bus. The town offers what most ski resort towns don’t have, which is an array of shops offering beautiful souvenirs and restaurants serving delicious local produce. Make sure to spend time in the town centre to get the full experience of the life of the local! There are many perfect opportunities to interact with the locals, who enjoy welcoming and getting to know the tourists that come to their town to ski.
The tourism association is very active in organising a variety of activities to keep the travellers busy during
winter, most of which are lots of fun and free to attend.
There are many different activities to try out in Furano, from dog sledding to banana boats. Not to be missed is the experience of driving your own snow mobile through the forest and open areas of snow. Dog sledding activities mean a great time with the cutest Siberian huskie pups around. The boisterous dogs bound through the sledding
courses at great speeds, sending you on an action packed ride. Going on a ride with the highly trained dogs, who start to get excited the minute they see the sleds being set up, is a fantastic experience.
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Number of Courses: 25 (Beginner 40%, Intermediate 40%, Advanced 20%)
Number of Lifts: 10 (Cable Car 1, Gondola 1,
Chairs 8)
Longest Course: 4km
Vertical Drop: 960m
Open for early morning skiing: No
Open for nighttime skiing: Yes
Snowboarding park: No
Mogul slope: Yes
Half (Quarter) pipe: Yes
One make jump: Yes
Hours: 8:30-17:00
Nighttime: 17:00-21:00 (Early Dec.-Late Mar.)
Season: Late Nov.-Early May |
FURANO
This ski resort has been host to the World Cup Skiing Competition a number of times already, as
well as hosting the World Cup Snowboarding Competition.
The ski area is divided into two zones, the “Furano” zone and the “Kitanomine” zone. The mountain
boasts 25 courses in total, which are greatly varied, the longest of which
is 4km. There are also may facilities for snowboarders. Night skiing, is available up until 9pm. Particularly
notable is the ropeway, which is not only the fastest in Japan, but also has a very large capacity, holding as many as 101 passengers. The cable car is able to transport skiers 900m from the base area in only a couple of minutes. Note that the ski resort is holding an interscholastic athletic meet in 2010, so the “Giant course” in the Kitanomine zone will be closed between January 31 and February 7, 2010.
FURANO PLACES OF INTEREST
Furano is a popular destination forlocal travellers and there are plenty of attractions in and around the
town. The Furano Bus Company runs shuttle buses to several places of interest in the summer season,
including Farm Tomita, the Furano Winery and the Cheese Factory. The shuttle bus departs nearby the JR Furano station. Passengers do not have to book but pay upon
disembarking the bus.
FARM TOMITA
Farm Tomita is one of the main flower farms in Hokkaido.
Originally a lavender farm Tomita now produces a variety
of flowers. Tomita is best known for its “rainbow field” spectacle; a marvelous sight achieved through
planting different coloured rows of flowers up against each other. The farm also has cafes and shops.
FURANO CHEESE FACTORY
Hokkaido is a major dairy farming region in Japan and here you can taste some of the best dairy products on offer. The Furano Cheese Factory produces high quality cheese and other dairy products from the milk produced on local dairy farms. Join one of their “Hands On Workshops” and make your own butter and ice cream!
FURANO JAM GARDEN
For the best jam to put on your crumpets, visit the Furano Jam Garden to try one of their 38 homemade jams, which range from everyone’s favourite strawberry and grape jam to one of a kind flavours like carrot, beetroot or watermelon. The apple jam is a must try!
FURANO WINERY
Several wines are made at the Furano Winery, and tours of the winery are available that allow visitors to sample the differentversions. It is a fantastic opportunityto learn about and taste the wines of the Furano region.
GLASS FOREST IN FURANO
At the Glass Forest, you can make your own “diamond dust” glassware.
Diamond dust is the ice crystal that falls from the sky when the moisture
in the air increases. The glassware replicates this twinkling ice crystal,
and will remind you of your great time in Furano!
NINGLE TERRACE
Ningle Terrace is a strip of shops housed in quaint log buildings, located below the New Furano Prince Hotel. Most of the shops have handcrafted arts and crafts available only in Furano. The pine trees and the log buildings make it a wonderful spot to stop at, and at night the terrace is lit up with fairy lights, giving it a very special atmosphere.
BIEI PANORAMA ROAD
The town of Biei, 30 minutes drive from Furano, is filled with fascinating scenery. The 17.3km “Panorama Road” will take you through Biei’s beautiful landscape. There are various observation points and flower parks along the road. |
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FURANO SUMMER ACTIVITIES
HIKING
Hiking is an ideal activity due to Furano's location amidst the Mount Daisetsu National Park. An easy way to enjoy this is to hike with a knowledgable guide, who can steer you through the mountains all the way to the top.
CANYONING
The Tonashibestu region is suitable for canyoning. Once you get the right gear - including life jackets and helmets, a guide can take you on an adventure through streams inaccessible by raft, climbing over rocks, splashing through rapids or just drifting downstream!
RAFTING
Rafting is highly popular in Furano, as the Sorachi River provides rapids which are suitable for an exciting rafting experience. The rafting
season runs from late April right through to the end of October. A particularly good time to go is when the snow starts melting at the start of spring. This time of year means rushing rapids, however, if you are looking for something a little more low-key you could go during the
summer, when the water is calmer.
FISHING
Fishing is a great way to soak up the unique environment of the Furano area. The guides will get a barbeque
going at the fishing location, so you can eat your catch right there and then.
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FURANO ONSEN
 There are various onsen destinations in and around Furano and many hotels offer onsen facilities. Onsen water is pure and has many health benefits. The minerals in onsen water are ideal for healing muscle aches arising from long days in the snow. The Furano Prince Hotel boasts a large indoor onsen, whose waters are connected to a stream of subterranean water that runs 1,010m below sea level. After soaking in the onsen visitors can relax in the spacious modern lounge at the
Prince Hotel or treat themselves to a massage.
For a relaxing soak with a view of Furano’s famous lavender fields, visit Highland Furano. This onsen is
located in the lavender fields known as lavender no mori, and provides a remarkable onsen experience in any season. In the winter this onsen offers views of majestic snow capped forests and mountains, and in summer there are beautiful views of blooming lavender fields.
Highland Furano offers outdoor and indoor baths as well as sauna facilities. There are also many worthwhile
onsen daytrips. Visitors can start the day by visiting the Biei-Shirogane hot spring village, 90 minutes drive from Furano. After hiking along one of the various trails,
one of which leads to the beautiful Shirahigenotaki waterfall, visitors can unwind in one of the onsen in
the area.
The Tokachidake hot spring village is only 30 minutes drive
from Furano. The Ryounkaku onsen is the highest onsen
in the region, situated 1,280m above sea level.
This onsen boasts magnificent views of the Mount Tokachidake.
Gazing at the dramatic snow-capped mountains from the warmth of the onsen is a once in a lifetime experience.
The Tokachidake village is particularly spectacular in autumn as well. The trees in the area turn into breathtaking shades of red and yellow. This is an ideal time to retreat to this area for a longer time, to really experience the transformation of the region.
Furano visitors are also within reach of Barden Kami Furano which is famous for its outdoor onsen with
spectacular views. It is here that you can savour the best Furano beef - steak that will melt in your mouth!
On your way back to Furano, stop by the Le Terre Banka-noyu in Nakafurano, which houses 15 different spas!
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