Furano located in the geographical center of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, is an amalgamation of several quaint farming towns around a small municipal center.
Furano is famous for its remarkably light and dry powder snow, entirely domestic vineyards and its summertime beautiful lavender fields, which draw multitudes of visitors from overseas as well as from all over Japan. There are many flower farms and tourist flower gardens. The JR Furano Line runs north to Asahikawa, through the scenic Furano Valley, full of flower fields in the summer. |
The Furano-Biei Norokko Train runs daily from June through August and on weekends into the fall.
It stops at Nakafurano with its lavender slopes, at the seasonal Lavender Field station near Farm Tomita, and at Kamifurano near Flower Land Kamifurano. Yamabe Station on the JR Nemuro Main Line east "toward Obihiro-shi" offers access to mountain-climbing trails on Mount Ashibetsu, which is located within the Taiyou no Sato park, about 45 minutes' walk from the station. |
Don't expect to meet a large number of English speakers outside of the major hotel and tourist areas.
Furano's inland location and high elevation result in a continental climate, the reason behind Furano's successful ski hill and wine industries. There is a very large temperature variation, so a light jacket is recommended even in the summer. Summer midday temperatures may exceed 30 degrees Celsius, and midwinters will drop below -30. Furano has very heavy snowfall in the winter. |
Furano Ski Area is divided into two sections, the Kitanomine zone "open mid-December until late March" and the Furano zone, "open late November until early May".
They are three and six minutes away from the town of Furano respectively by shuttle bus, and all accessible on the same passes available at the resort town. A ski run goes from the Furano Zone to the Kitanomine Zone, and also a lift connects the two. There are rest areas and restaurants at both ski areas. |
Furano is close to many great hiking trails, including: Furano-dake, Ashibetsu-dake, and Tokachi-dake.
The tourist office next to the station has the contact details of an outdoor activity center. Other winter activities include snowmobiling and ice-hole fishing. With temperatures so low and mountains protecting it from coastal winds, the broad valley around Furano has some of the world’s best powder for skiing and snowboarding. |
Furano Cheese Factory was built in the 1980s. You can see the cheese getting produced downstairs, while upstairs you can buy from the shop.
A specialty item is the cuttlefish ink cheese, Camembert-style with white mold and black cream colored by cuttlefish ink. If you have time, a hands-on project — making cheese or ice cream — could be fun. Tours are free; workshop prices vary. The cheese factory, 3.4 km from Furano Station can be reached in a 10 minutes taxi or car ride. |
Furano AccessPlane - Furano has indirect train service from New Chitose Airport. All trains require a transfer at Takikawa station.
Buses connect Asahikawa Airport with Furano "takes about 60 minutes". Train - Furano can be reached from Sapporo via Takikawa on the JR Nemuro Line. In the winter, there is also a Ski Express Train from Sapporo, and can also be accessed from the local airport train. There are 12 direct trains from Asahikawa on the JR Furano Line as well. |
Furano Muslim Friendly AccommodationHere you can search for airline tickets and hotels worldwide. The Jetradar search engine compare ticket prices provided by over 200 booking agencies.
So far there is only one Muslim friendly hotel in Furano. The Hotellook search engine here can help you for random hotel reservation in the area. It compares prices from 70 hotel booking services. It show you the lowest prices available at the time. Fill out the details and press search. You can also search with the Hotel Map below which shows hotel prices and location on the map. |
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There are Vacation Rentals in the area which suit travelers who prefer to rent a living space, especially for larger groups, families or those who seek a more local, everyday life experience. If you are traveling light and looking for a more economical place to stay Hostels are a good option.
Bus - Chuo Bus connects Sapporo and Furano in 2.5 hours. Furano Bus provide services from Furano city as well as Asahikawa Airport. If you would like to rent a car use the search engine here and book a car in advance. Fill out the details; pickup and drop-off places, date and time, and press search. You will be redirected to Rental Cars website where a list of available cars will be shown to you to choose from. |
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Furano-shi - Kamikawa Sub-prefecture, Hokkaido Prefecture