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Wonderful Hokkaido (part-2): A summer trip edition

Posted on Jul 26, 2015 by



Summer is a great moment to travel around Hokkaido. It provides a lot of outstanding spots which cause expressions of unedited joy. Therefore, Indonesia Student Association (Persatuan Pelajar Indonesia, PPI) Hokkaido University conducted a summer trip (Saturday, 2015/0725). There are three locations we visited: Cheese Factory, Tomita Farm in Furano, and Blue Pond.
Furano Cheese Factory main building
Hand made butter

The first destination was Furano Cheese Factory. The factory produces cheese product using local milk producer that provides product freshness. Visitors can taste the cheese in the display room (second floor of the main building). Not only cheese is displayed here, but also other milk-derived products are available such as fresh milk, cake, and bakery-based foods.
Furthermore, this factory is highly recommended to visit because tourists have option to join in the butter and ice cream class. These classes are designed to introduce people how to make butter and ice cream. Each person is charged 700 yen for each session, and brings home your butter or ice cream you made.
The next spot is Farm Tomita that is also located in Furano. The place is the best spot to view lavender Hokkaido. The lavender starts blooming in the late June. Early July to end of September is the best viewing season. In this peak season, lavender flower covers the field as if purple carpet. The incredible scenery is completed by presence of Tokachi mountain as backdrop. In term of history, lavender has been cultivated for more than half a century in the island. In the early stages, this plant was planted for agricultural need. However, imported lavender with lower price attenuated Hokkaido’s lavender demand which subsequently shifted from agricultural product to tourism attraction.
Some views in Farm Tomita
 The last visited site is blue pond (Aoi Ike). It has an ethereal and enchanting appearance. The Blue Pond is located in the left bank of the River Bieigawa, southeast of the town of Biei in Hokkaido, Japan, about 2.5 km northwest from the Platinum hot springs at the foot of Mt. Tokachi. The presence of bright blue hue is actually caused by “unnatural work”. Initially, blue pond is a dam that was built to avoid severe destruction by mudflow from Mt. Tokachi eruption. Accumulated water in the pond exerts blue color which is most likely correlated to existence of aluminum hydroxide in the water.
Aoi Ike

Location: Furano, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan
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Wonderful Hokkaido (part 1)

Posted on Jun 19, 2015 by


Do you know who the first Japanese astronaut is? The answer is Mamoru Mohri. He was born in Yoichi, a wonderful town in Hokkaido. Yoichi is not only famous due to birthplace of the first cosmonaut from Japan, but also it provides a lot of attractive things that are heavily recommended to experience.
In middle of June 2015, I and my lab mates had a chance to travel in west side of Sapporo. Yoichi is the first town that we visited. Located in on the southeastern of the Shakotan peninsula, Yoichi is close to some municipalities such as Otaru, Niki, Akaigawa, and Furubira. Additionally, it is also attributed to Nikka Whisky, a predominant alcoholic beverage in Japan. Furthermore, fresh fish-based foods are also the most interesting part in Yoichi. Fresh Salmon with a unique texture and white lines on the meat and salmon eggs (ikura) are indispensable. To taste this food, we visited Kakizaki, a combination of seafood restaurant and fresh fish market. Itokodon is a great menu here, although it is less famous than another fresh salmon-added food.

Itokodon in Yoichi
Mishima "pink blossom" garden
 The next destination is Kutchan town (Niseko). We visited “a pink garden”, attributed to the pink color of Shibazakura which covers the garden. Mr. Kazuo Mishima has created this garden and dedicated it for public recreation. No entry charge is given for all visitors. Mishima Garden is like a man-made heaven, blanketed in magnificent Shibazakura (pink moss) blossoms. Furthermore, a tremendous landscape combined with Mt. Yotei panorama mesmerize tourists and bring them great happiness. However, it was so cloudy which “hide” the mountain. This spot was even attended by one couple for wedding pictures (do you want to try?).
Unfortunately, full attraction of these pink blossoms is not available all years. I think May and June are the best time for coming here where tiny pink Shibazakura flowers will blanket this area. For this reason, making a good plan and scheduling is required. 
Enjoy the trip

Location: Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan
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