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 |
Aoi Ike |