One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Biei美瑛町
Patchwork hills, a blue pond and roads made for slow driving
Kamikawa region · Lavender, patchwork hills and the roof of Hokkaido.
Patchwork hills, the Blue Pond, and roads that look painted. Biei rewards a rental car and an early alarm clock.
Biei is the rolling farm country between Asahikawa and Furano, where wheat, potatoes and beans are planted in strips across the hills so the slopes look like a quilt. Lone trees named after old television commercials stand along the Patchwork Road, and the Panorama Road to the south looks out to the Tokachidake volcanoes. In the mountains behind town, Shirogane Onsen and the milky Blue Pond draw crowds year-round. Rent a car, get up early and drive slowly; that is the whole method.
- Region
- Kamikawa (上川)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~149 km · 2.3 h summer / 2.7 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~144 km · 2.2 h summer / 2.6 h winter
- Best season in Kamikawa
- July for lavender, September for Japan's first autumn colors on Daisetsuzan, winter for serious snow country.
Biei at a glance
Drive estimates: straight-line × 1.35, at 65 km/h (summer) / 55 km/h (winter). How we calculate
What to see in Biei
The Patchwork Road
パッチワークの路
The hill roads northwest of town where striped fields roll to the horizon and famous single trees stand on ridgelines. Best at dawn and in the golden hours before sunset.
Blue Pond
青い池
A milky blue pond in the woods near Shirogane, formed when a river-control dam flooded a stand of larch. Dead trunks rise from the water; in winter it is lit at night.
Shirogane Onsen and Shirahige Falls
白金温泉と白ひげの滝
A hot-spring village at the foot of Mt. Tokachi where the Shirahige Falls pour out of a cliff face into a blue river. A bridge gives the view without any walking.
Panorama Road and Shin-ei Hill
パノラマロードと新栄の丘
The southern hill roads with wide views over the fields to the Tokachidake range. Public lookouts at Shin-ei Hill and Sanai Hill are free and open all year.
Getting to Biei
Asahikawa Airport is about 20 minutes by car, the closest of any major sight in Hokkaido. Route 237 runs through town, and JR Furano Line trains from Asahikawa stop at Biei and Bibaushi. Shirogane and the Blue Pond are 30 minutes east by car or bus. Sapporo is about 2.5 hours by car.
Kamikawa region: Asahikawa has its own airport and fast JR links from Sapporo (about 85 minutes). Furano and Biei are best by car or the summer sightseeing trains.
When to visit Biei
Late June to early August for green fields and flowers, with wheat turning gold in late July. September for harvest patterns and clear views of Tokachidake. Late December to February for snow-covered hills and the lit Blue Pond, though roads are icy.
What to eat in Biei
Wheat, potatoes, beans and asparagus come straight from the hills you drive through, and local milk makes the soft-serve sold at every viewpoint. Biei curry udon, thick noodles in a curry broth with local vegetables, is the town's own dish, and the roadside stations sell bread from local flour.
Biei in context: the Kamikawa region
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Kamikawa holds the two images most people picture when they think of Hokkaido in summer: Furano's purple lavender fields and Biei's rolling patchwork hills. Asahikawa, the island's second city, anchors the region with its shoyu ramen and a zoo famous for up-close animal enclosures.
Towns near Biei
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Furano & Biei Guide
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Hokkaido in Summer
While the rest of Japan swelters through humidity and rainy season, Hokkaido stays dry, green and mild. How to plan a summer trip — lavender, alpine flowers, festivals, garden roads, and the honest drawbacks nobody mentions.
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More towns in Kamikawa
Other regions: Ishikari · Sorachi · Shiribeshi · Iburi · Hidaka · Oshima · Hiyama · Rumoi · Soya · Okhotsk · Tokachi · Kushiro · Nemuro