One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Minamifurano南富良野町
A lake, a river and the little station from the film
Kamikawa region · Lavender, patchwork hills and the roof of Hokkaido.
Minamifurano wraps around Lake Kanayama — rafting on the Sorachi River, and the little station made famous by the film 'Poppoya'.
Minamifurano is the mountain end of the Furano valley, where Route 38 climbs past Lake Kanayama toward Karikachi Pass and the Tokachi side. The dam lake is the centre of things: campgrounds, lavender by the shore, a hot spring, and in winter smelt fishing on the ice. The Sorachi River above the lake is Hokkaido's best-known rafting run. In the Ikutora district a station building preserved as the set of the film 'Poppoya' still stands, though trains no longer run on this stretch. A place for water, forest and quiet.
- Region
- Kamikawa (上川)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~112 km · 1.7 h summer / 2 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~133 km · 2.1 h summer / 2.4 h winter
- Best season in Kamikawa
- July for lavender, September for Japan's first autumn colors on Daisetsuzan, winter for serious snow country.
Minamifurano 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 Minamifurano
Lake Kanayama
かなやま湖
A long dam lake on the Sorachi River ringed by forest, with a lakeside park, campgrounds and a lavender field that blooms in July. In winter the ice fills with smelt-fishing tents.
Sorachi River rafting
空知川のラフティング
The upper Sorachi River runs through a rocky gorge above the lake and is the busiest rafting stretch in Hokkaido, with guided trips from late spring to autumn.
Ikutora station film set
幾寅駅（映画『鉄道員』のロケ地）
The wooden station and surrounding buildings used as the set of the film 'Poppoya' are preserved in Ikutora. Train service on this section has ended, so the site is reached by road.
Michi-no-Eki Minamifurano
道の駅 南ふらの
The roadside station on Route 38, with a local produce market and an outdoor gear shop, and the obvious place to organize a rafting or lake visit.
Getting to Minamifurano
Asahikawa Airport is about 1.5 hours by car via Furano. Route 38 runs through town between Furano and Shintoku, and Route 237 heads south to Shimukappu. There is no active railway; the nearest stations are Furano on the Furano Line and Tomamu on the Sekisho Line. Sapporo is about three 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 Minamifurano
June to September for rafting, camping and lakeside lavender in July. October for autumn colors along the lake and Karikachi Pass. January and February for smelt fishing on the frozen lake, when the town is otherwise deep in snow.
What to eat in Minamifurano
Potatoes, carrots and beans are grown on the valley farms, and the lake gives smelt in winter and trout in the open season. Mountain vegetables in spring and mushrooms in autumn come from the surrounding forest, sold at the roadside station.
Minamifurano 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 Minamifurano
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More towns in Kamikawa
Other regions: Ishikari · Sorachi · Shiribeshi · Iburi · Hidaka · Oshima · Hiyama · Rumoi · Soya · Okhotsk · Tokachi · Kushiro · Nemuro