Discover Furano’s Lavender Fields

Located a two-hour train ride away from Sapporo, the largest city on Hokkaido—Japan’s northernmost island—are the small valleys of the commune of Furano. When summer comes, they take on a soft mauve colour. The area is one of Japan’s main lavender-growing regions, and the plants flower every year between early July and mid-August. 

Lavender ice cream, lemonade, and tea

Over an area of several kilometres, multiple farms that specialised in the production of these melliferous (honey-producing) plants faced a considerable drop in demand in the 1970s, when low-cost lavender began to be imported into Japan. These farms were therefore converted into tourist attractions, selling various by-products like lavender-flavoured ice cream, cake, lemonade, and tea, or even mauve-coloured clothing.  

To get to Furano from Sapporo, there are two options: the Furano Lavender Express or the Furano Biei Norokko Express, of which the latter only runs from June until September. Then, to see these lavenda no mori, which translates as ‘lavender fields’, it is best to use a vehicle as the different farms are a few kilometres apart, making it difficult to travel between them on foot. Alternatively, it is possible to board a tourist bus that stops at the different farms, but this option is particularly crowded in the high season.  

More information on the lavender fields can be found on the Furano tourist office’s website.