One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Naganuma長沼町
Sapporo's nearest countryside, with lamb and wine
Sorachi region · Inland central Hokkaido: coal heritage, wineries and seasonal fields.
Naganuma is Sapporo's favorite countryside: farm stands, jingisukan houses and hilltop wineries barely 40 minutes from town.
Naganuma is a farm town on the flat land east of Sapporo, backed by the Maoi hills, and it has become the city's weekend countryside: about 40 minutes out, with roadside farm stands, jingisukan restaurants that have fed generations, a town hot spring and small wineries on the hill slopes. A lookout on the ridge shows the whole Ishikari plain to Sapporo. It suits travelers with a car and a free afternoon who want to eat well without going far.
- Region
- Sorachi (空知)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~32 km · 30 min summer / 36 min winter
- From Sapporo
- ~40 km · 36 min summer / 42 min winter
- Best season in Sorachi
- Canola usually in mid to late May, the coal museum from spring to autumn (closed in winter); winery visits depend on each winery.
Naganuma 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 Naganuma
Michi-no-Eki Maoi-no-Oka Park
道の駅マオイの丘公園
A roadside station (Michi-no-Eki) on Route 274 at the foot of the hills, with a row of farmers' huts selling vegetables, rice, eggs and preserves straight from the growers. Busiest on autumn weekends.
Chokkanzan Lookout
長官山
The high point of the Maoi ridge, with a lookout tower and a short forest trail. On a clear day the view runs across the plain to Sapporo and the Teine range, and north over the rice towns.
Naganuma Onsen
ながぬま温泉
The town's hot spring on the edge of the fields below the Maoi ridge, known for its strongly salty water. The natural end to a day of farm stands, the lookout and a jingisukan lunch.
Maoi hill wineries
馬追丘陵のワイナリー
The slopes of the ridge are planted with vines, and a handful of small wineries open their tasting rooms. Combined with the lookout and the farm stands, it makes a full day out.
Getting to Naganuma
Naganuma has no railway; the nearest stations are Kita-Hiroshima on the JR Chitose Line and Yuni on the Muroran Main Line, each about 20 minutes by car. From central Sapporo it is about 40 minutes by car on Route 274; New Chitose Airport is about 30 minutes via Route 337. Buses run from Sapporo and Kita-Hiroshima.
Sorachi region: Between Sapporo and Asahikawa by JR or car. Sights are spread out, so check the last leg from the station; anyone tasting wine should not drive.
When to visit Naganuma
September and October are the best: harvest at the farm stands, grapes coming in at the wineries and clear air on the lookout. June to August for the green fields and evening jingisukan outdoors. Winter is for the hot spring and little else.
What to eat in Naganuma
Jingisukan, marinated lamb grilled on a domed pan, is the Naganuma meal; the town has restaurants that have served it for decades. Farm stands sell rice, vegetables and eggs, and the Maoi wineries bottle reds and whites from the hill vineyards.
Naganuma in context: the Sorachi region
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Coal mining shaped many Sorachi towns, and places such as Yubari and Mikasa still keep that history in museums, rail relics and quiet main streets.
Towns near Naganuma
Read next
More towns in Sorachi
Other regions: Ishikari · Shiribeshi · Iburi · Hidaka · Oshima · Hiyama · Kamikawa · Rumoi · Soya · Okhotsk · Tokachi · Kushiro · Nemuro