Furano & Biei Drive: 2-Day Itinerary (Blue Pond, Secret Onsen, Cheese Workshops)

“I want to see Furano and Biei efficiently by car.”

Here’s my first-hand account of two days driving Furano and Biei in April 2026, in the order we actually went and at the times we actually got there. I’m based in Japan, so this is a real route with real spending — written for overseas visitors driving in Hokkaido.

The Blue Pond (Shirogane Aoi-ike)
Shirahige Falls
A free open-air secret onsen: Fukiage Rotenburo
Fukiage Onsen Hakuginso
The Furano Cheese Factory
Jet Coaster Road
Farm Tomita & Shikisai-no-oka

Contents

What you’ll get from this guide
Furano & Biei basics (for overseas visitors)
Furano & Biei drive course: the full 2-day route
1. Day 1 drive course: Asahikawa → Biei → Furano
2. Day 2 drive course: Furano → Biei → Shirogane Onsen → Asahikawa
Day 1 drive course: scenic hills & Furano food
Day 2 drive course: Blue Pond & secret onsen (highlight day)
Getting to the Blue Pond: set your sat-nav carefully
Top 3 Furano/Biei onsen
Top 5 Furano/Biei foods
What to watch for in Furano/Biei in April
What to pack
Cost summary (2 days, for two)
Conclusion: on a Furano & Biei drive course, a car is everything
1. Related guides

What you’ll get from this guide

The 2-day Furano–Biei drive course, with the times we actually arrived
The Blue Pond sat-nav mistake that sends drivers to the wrong place
How to bathe at the free secret onsen, Fukiage Rotenburo
The food at the Furano Cheese Factory
What to watch for visiting in April (snowmelt season)

Furano & Biei basics (for overseas visitors)

Item	Details
From Sapporo	~2.5 hrs via Asahikawa (limited express + car)
From Asahikawa	~1 hr to Furano by car
Recommended stay	2 days (3 to go slow)
Getting around	A car is essential
Best season	June–October (flower-field season)
When I visited	7–8 April (no flowers yet)
Car cost	¥13,970 for 2 days (Times Car car-sharing, fuel included)

Public transport here is weak — a car is essential. To drive in Japan you need an International Driving Permit (1949 Geneva Convention) or, for some countries, an official translation of your licence. Car-sharing services need a membership set up in advance, so a standard rental booking is easier for most tourists.

In April, flowers are barely out, but the Blue Pond, the onsen and the cheese workshop are all worth it. For flower fields, June–August is best.

Furano & Biei drive course: the full 2-day route

	Day 1	Day 2
Route	Asahikawa → Biei → Furano	Furano → Biei (Shirogane) → Fukiage Onsen → Asahikawa
When we were on the road	After lunch until about 20:00	About 10:00 to 18:30
Stops	9	8
Overnight	Hostel TOMAR (Furano)	Y’s Hotel Asahikawa

Times come from the timestamps on my photos. In April some mountain roads are still closed for winter — on Day 2 we hit a closure on the way to Hakuginso and had to take a long detour.

Day 1 drive course: Asahikawa → Biei → Furano

Pick up a car-share car in Asahikawa
   ↓
Biei 2 go (lunch)
   ↓
Shin-ei no Oka Observatory (~13:00 · Mild Seven Hill is visible from here)
   ↓
Shikisai-no-oka (~13:30)
   ↓
Jet Coaster Road (~14:00)
   ↓
Farm Tomita (~14:30)
   ↓
Furano Delice (~15:30)
   ↓
Furano Marché (~16:30)
   ↓
Ningle Terrace (~18:00, dusk)
   ↓
Kumagera (dinner, ~20:00)
   ↓
Overnight in Furano

Day 2 drive course: Furano → Biei → Shirogane Onsen → Asahikawa

Furano Marché & Furano Cheese Factory (~10:00–11:30)
   ↓
Blue Pond (~12:30)
   ↓ about 5 min by car
Shirahige Falls & Tokachidake Volcano Sabo Information Center (~13:30)
   ↓ ※ long detour because of a road closure
Fukiage Onsen Hakuginso (~15:30)
   ↓
Fukiage Rotenburo (free, ~17:00)
   ↓
Dinner in Asahikawa (Horyu, ~18:30) → return the car

Day 1 drive course: scenic hills & Furano food

Picking up the car in Asahikawa

I used Times Car, a car-sharing service: ¥13,970 for 7–8 April, fuel included. With a conventional rental (Toyota Rent a Car, Eki Rent-a-Car and others) you’ll usually refuel before returning, so add that when comparing.

Lunch: Biei 2 go

Lunch in Biei. The gratin was delicious (¥4,700 for two).

~13:00 — Shin-ei no Oka Observatory (with a view of Mild Seven Hill)

A free viewpoint over Biei’s rolling hills, marked by a curious straw-doll sculpture. The rain stopped just long enough when we arrived.

Mild Seven Hill — the lone tree made famous by a cigarette commercial — is visible from this observatory, so you can tick it off without a separate stop. I’d wanted to see that tree for years.

Wet gravel car park at Shin-ei no Oka Observatory under grey April skies in Biei

The straw-doll sculpture at Shin-ei no Oka Observatory, with Biei's hills behind

~13:30 — Shikisai-no-oka (no flowers in April)

Biei’s signature flower-field park. Admission was free when I went in April (it varies by season — check the official site). The rain picked up and the flowers weren’t out, so this one goes on the “come back in summer” list. The grounds are huge even so.

Shikisai-no-oka's building and a rain-soaked car park; the flower fields aren't out in early April

A wet road through Biei's hills in April rain, with snow still on the verge

~14:00 — Jet Coaster Road (don’t miss it)

One of the trip’s highlights: a road in Kamifurano with genuine roller-coaster ups and downs. Driving it really does feel like a ride. Take photos only where it’s safe to stop.

Jet Coaster Road in Kamifurano, a straight road dipping and rising into the distance

~14:30 — Farm Tomita

Furano’s iconic farm. Free admission; lavender peaks in July — and in April nothing is blooming. The dried-flower room is lovely, and there’s a fun retro photo spot. I bought a lavender bookmark (¥187); lavender goods are sold year-round.

A white building with a stone entrance in Furano

The two-storey atrium inside Farm Tomita

Farm Tomita's lavender field in April, bare rows with no flowers yet

The dried-flower room at Farm Tomita, worth seeing even before the lavender blooms

~15:30 — Furano Delice (superb sweets)

The best sweets I had in Furano: crème brûlée pancake, cheesecake and honey roll (¥2,500 for two). I’d nearly given up thinking it was closed — glad it wasn’t.

Honey roll and cheesecake at Furano Delice

Crème brûlée pancake at Furano Delice with a caramelised top

~16:30 — Furano Marché (souvenir hunting)

A complex of Furano specialties — butter potatoes, Furano wine, melon products, lavender goods. I picked up a butter potato (¥140) as a gift.

Entrance to Furano Marché, marked by a tomato character sign

Souvenir shelves at Furano Marché piled with Hokkaido potato chips

~18:00 — Ningle Terrace (a forest of little craft cabins)

About 15 log-cabin craft shops scattered through the woods. Free to walk around. We arrived just as the sun went down and the lights came on — go at dusk rather than midday.

Ningle Terrace at dusk: wooden steps and lights leading through a snowy forest

A log-cabin craft shop at Ningle Terrace, its windows glowing at dusk

The boardwalk at Ningle Terrace, lined with small shops in the snowy woods

Lit steps and log cabins on a snowy slope at Ningle Terrace

Map board of Ningle Terrace showing the shops scattered through the forest

The rain-wet entrance gate of Ningle Terrace as the lights come on

~20:00 — Kumagera (Furano local cuisine)

Roast beef, “bandit hotpot” and cheese tofu (¥6,550 for two). It felt like a proper local restaurant rather than a tourist one.

Kumagera at night, a vine-covered local restaurant in Furano

Kumagera's wooden menu with a black woodpecker illustration

A bottle of Japanese sake ordered at Kumagera

Kumagera's bandit hotpot and cheese tofu, cooked on a tabletop burner

Kumagera's bandit hotpot, full of meat and leeks

Roast beef and cheese tofu at Kumagera; dinner for two was ¥6,550

Hostel TOMAR (overnight in Furano)

¥7,183 for the night, near Furano Station. The walls are thin — we could hear neighbours talking and doors closing. Furano has few places to stay and they run pricey; TOMAR is relatively reasonable and fine for a night or two.

🏨 Book your stay in Furano: Find & compare Furano hotels on Agoda →
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Day 2 drive course: Blue Pond & secret onsen (highlight day)

~10:00–11:30 — Furano Marché & Furano Cheese Factory

Start the day with cheese.

Lav berry cheese balls (¥440, inside Furano Marché): the stretchy cheese is irresistible
Cheese pizza from the pizza workshop, plus a quarter margherita (¥2,650): the pepper on the cheese pizza makes it
Gelato (¥500): milk and cheese half-and-half, naturally sweet

Lav berry cheese balls at Furano Marché, with cheese that stretches when you break them (¥440)

Cheese pizza and margherita at the Furano Cheese Factory pizza workshop (¥2,650 for two)

Pepper-topped cheese pizza at the Furano Cheese Factory

A quarter margherita at the Furano Cheese Factory

Milk and cheese half-and-half gelato at the Furano Cheese Factory (¥500)

~12:30 — Blue Pond (cobalt-blue scenery)

Biei’s most famous view — genuinely, movingly blue, more vivid in person than in photos. Snow still lined the paths in April, so wear good shoes.

Item	Details
Parking	I paid ¥500. From 1 July 2026 it’s ¥1,000 for a car
Admission	Free

How to get there, how to set your sat-nav, and parking hours are in “Getting to the Blue Pond” below.

The Blue Pond in Biei on a clear day in early April, with snow still on the banks

A birch tree at the Blue Pond and water clear enough to see the stones below

The snowy walking path beside the Blue Pond in April

The emerald Blue Pond seen through snowy woods

Clear shallows at the Blue Pond, with the bottom visible

The Blue Pond reflecting a blue sky, with standing dead trees

~13:30 — Shirahige Falls

About 5 minutes by car from the Blue Pond, free to visit. You look down on the falls from a bridge — and I nearly dropped my iPhone taking photos. Bring a strap.

Shirahige Falls, with several streams pouring from a snowy cliff into a blue river

~13:30 — Tokachidake Volcano Sabo Information Center

Right next to Shirahige Falls. Free. The attraction is a clear dome over a staircase of 286 steps — harder work than it looks.

Entrance to the walkway at the Tokachidake Volcano Sabo Information Center

The clear-domed staircase of 286 steps at the Tokachidake Volcano Sabo Information Center

The dome-covered walkway at the Tokachidake Volcano Sabo Information Center, half buried in snow

~15:30 — Fukiage Onsen Hakuginso (snow-mountain open-air bath)

One of the best onsen experiences of the trip.

Item	Details
What I paid	¥2,600 for two
Parking	Free
Feature	Open-air bath with a snow-mountain view
Temperature	On the cooler side (you can soak a long time)

We took a big detour because of a road closure, but bathing outdoors facing snowy peaks was unbeatable. There’s a mixed-gender bath too, which was an experience.

Notes:

Many road closures in April — check before you set off
There’s a mixed open-air bath — check the rules on site or on the official site
General onsen etiquette: wash and rinse before getting in; indoor baths are nude and gender-separated; small towels stay out of the water. Tattoo policies vary — check ahead if that applies to you

Entrance to Fukiage Onsen Hakuginso, still surrounded by snow in April

The lounge at Fukiage Onsen Hakuginso, with snowy mountains through big windows

An interior with a pitched ceiling and red-carpeted stairs at Fukiage Onsen

~17:00 — Fukiage Rotenburo (a free secret onsen!)

The one spot I most want you to know about.

Item	Details
Bathing fee	Completely free
Location	Near Fukiage Onsen Hakuginso
Vibe	The definition of a “secret onsen”
Temperature	Just right
Changing area	None (swimsuit recommended)

I preferred this to Hakuginso — an open-air pool alone in the snow, at a perfect temperature. There’s nowhere to change, so next time I’ll arrive with a swimsuit on.

Notes:

No changing room or toilet
Swimsuit or bathing garment — this is a mixed wild bath, unlike a standard nude onsen
Dangerous in deep winter snow

Steam rising from Fukiage Rotenburo, a free open-air hot spring in a snowy valley

Deep snow in the woods around Fukiage Rotenburo on an April afternoon

A snow-covered mountain seen from near Fukiage Onsen

~18:30 — Back in Asahikawa: ramen at Horyu

A local ramen shop we found recommended by residents. Spicy soy ramen, soy-garlic ramen and a char-siu mayo rice bowl (¥2,450 for two) — the spicy soy ramen was superb. Asahikawa ramen means soy sauce, a different pleasure from Sapporo’s miso.

Spicy soy sauce ramen at Horyu in Asahikawa, with a red broth

Y’s Hotel Asahikawa (overnight)

¥6,620 for the night, by Asahikawa Station, with a public bath. We stayed twice and got a nicer room the second time.

🏨 Book your stay in Asahikawa: Find & compare Asahikawa hotels on Agoda →

Getting to the Blue Pond: set your sat-nav carefully

The Blue Pond (officially Shirogane Aoi-ike) is about 20 minutes by car from JR Biei Station, just before Shirogane Onsen. The part drivers most often get wrong is the sat-nav destination.

The official address and phone number take you to Biei Station

The address and phone number on the tourism association’s Blue Pond page belong to the tourist information centre by Biei Station (“Shiki no Johokan”), not the pond.

What you enter	Where you end up
The official address, “Biei-cho Honcho 1-2-14”	✕ Biei Station area (tourist information centre)
Phone 0166-92-4378	✕ Biei Station area (Biei Tourism Association)
Place name “Shirogane Aoi-ike” / “Blue Pond parking”	○ Set it once you’ve confirmed the Blue Pond car park appears

From the station it’s another 20 minutes to the pond. Search by place name and set the car park as your destination. The pond is just beyond the car park.

Parking

Item	Details
Fee	Car ¥1,000 (from 1 July 2026; previously ¥500) · motorbike ¥300 · large vehicle ¥6,000
Hours	1 May–22 Oct 7:00–19:00 · 23 Oct–30 Apr 8:00–21:30
Spaces	About 220
Payment	Automatic at the gate (pre-payment machines available)
Pond admission	Free

I paid ¥500 in April 2026, before the increase. Fees and hours per the Town of Biei’s official site, September 2026.

Can you go in the late afternoon or evening?

Yes — the car park is open until 19:00 in summer and 21:30 in winter, so arriving around 17:00 is fine.

From autumn to spring there’s also an illumination: in the 2025–26 season it ran 24 October to 22 April, from sunset to 21:00 (start time varies by month). Check the Biei Tourism Association site for this season’s dates.

I went at midday on 8 April and didn’t see the illumination, so I can’t tell you what it looks like — just the facts above.

The tourism association says it gets very crowded during Golden Week, June–September, Obon and weekends/holidays, and that before about 10:00 is relatively smooth.

Pair it with Shirahige Falls

Shirahige Falls is about 5 minutes by car (free). The bridge view is great — keep a firm grip on your phone.

Top 3 Furano/Biei onsen

#1 Fukiage Rotenburo (free)

A completely free secret onsen
Open to nature, perfect temperature
Swimsuit recommended

#2 Fukiage Onsen Hakuginso

¥2,600 for the two of us
Open-air bath facing snowy peaks
Mixed-bath option

#3 Shirogane Onsen (not visited on this trip)

Plenty of ryokan
Close to the Blue Pond
Best enjoyed with an overnight stay

♨️ Book an onsen ryokan: Find Biei / Shirogane Onsen stays on Agoda →

Top 5 Furano/Biei foods

Rank	Place	Genre	Price (two people)
1	Furano Delice	Sweets	¥2,500
2	Furano Cheese Factory (pizza)	Cheese	¥2,650
3	Horyu (Asahikawa)	Ramen	¥2,450
4	Kumagera	Local cuisine	¥6,550
5	Lav berry cheese balls	Snack	¥440

What to watch for in Furano/Biei in April

1. Flowers are barely out

For lavender, July is best.

2. Road closures

Mountain roads close often during the snowmelt season — we had to detour on the way to Hakuginso. Check road information first.

3. No cherry blossoms yet either

Blossom here comes in late April to early May, later than Sapporo.

4. Dress for winter

Even in April, Furano and Biei are cold. Bring down and warm layers.

5. Blue Pond sat-nav

The official address and phone number lead to Biei Station. See “Getting to the Blue Pond” above.

What to pack

Comfortable shoes (snowy paths at the Blue Pond)
Warm layers (it can drop below freezing even in April)
Swimsuit / bathing garment (for Fukiage Rotenburo)
A towel (for the onsen)
A power bank (you’ll take a lot of photos)
A phone/camera strap (for the bridge at Shirahige Falls)

Cost summary (2 days, for two)

Category	Amount
Car (car-sharing, 2 days, fuel included)	¥13,970
Lodging (1 night in Furano)	¥7,183
Food (2 days, 7 places)	¥19,790
Parking & onsen (Blue Pond ¥500 + Hakuginso ¥2,600)	¥3,100
Souvenirs (lavender bookmark, butter potato)	¥327
Total	¥44,370

About ¥22,000 per person for two days of scenery and secret-onsen driving — every figure is what we actually paid (the second night in Asahikawa, ¥6,620, isn’t included).

Blue Pond parking is now ¥1,000, so add ¥500 if you go today.

Conclusion: on a Furano & Biei drive course, a car is everything

Public transport here is weak, so a car wins by a mile.

April: Blue Pond, secret onsen, food
July: flower fields and lavender
October: autumn colour and the Blue Pond
Winter: snow activities

Each season is different. And the free secret onsen, Fukiage Rotenburo, is a must for anyone who loves hot springs.