One of Hokkaido's 179 towns
Pippu比布町
Strawberries at the foot of the Daisetsu range
Kamikawa region · Lavender, patchwork hills and the roof of Hokkaido.
Pippu is a strawberry town at the foot of the Taisetsu range, with a friendly local ski hill that trains Asahikawa's kids every winter.
Pippu is a small town just north of Asahikawa where the Kamikawa basin narrows toward the Soya line north. Strawberries are the crop it is known for, with pick-your-own farms busy in early summer, and rice fills the flat land between the Ishikari River and the hills. The town runs its own ski hill, a first ski slope for generations of Asahikawa children, and shares a hill famous for spring katakuri lilies with the city. Easy to reach, easy to leave; a pleasant half day.
- Region
- Kamikawa (上川)
- From New Chitose Airport
- ~192 km · 3 h summer / 3.5 h winter
- From Sapporo
- ~178 km · 2.7 h summer / 3.2 h winter
- Best season in Kamikawa
- July for lavender, September for Japan's first autumn colors on Daisetsuzan, winter for serious snow country.
Pippu 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 Pippu
Pippu Ski Area
ぴっぷスキー場
The town-run ski hill on the slopes east of town, with wide views over the basin and dry inland snow. Small and friendly, popular with families from Asahikawa.
Mt. Tossho katakuri flowers
突哨山のカタクリ
A low wooded hill on the border with Asahikawa where a huge colony of katakuri lilies carpets the forest floor in late April and early May.
Strawberry farms
いちご狩り農園
From June into July the town's strawberry farms open for picking, and the roadside station sells fresh berries, jam and sweets. Families from Asahikawa fill the farms on weekends.
Getting to Pippu
Asahikawa Airport is about 45 minutes by car. Route 40 and the Doo Expressway both pass through the town, with the Pippu interchange giving a direct link to Sapporo in about two hours. JR Soya Main Line local trains stop at Pippu station, about 15 minutes from Asahikawa.
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 Pippu
June and July for strawberries, late April and early May for the katakuri lilies. Late December to March for the ski hill. Autumn brings harvest colors to the paddies but little else for visitors.
What to eat in Pippu
Strawberries define early summer, eaten fresh or as jam, juice and sweets. Rice is the main crop the rest of the year, and the roadside station sells local vegetables and baked goods made with the town's berries.
Pippu 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 Pippu
Read next
More towns in Kamikawa
Other regions: Ishikari · Sorachi · Shiribeshi · Iburi · Hidaka · Oshima · Hiyama · Rumoi · Soya · Okhotsk · Tokachi · Kushiro · Nemuro