Furano, Biei (Hokkaido)
Local Guide
Enjoy Hokkaido, Outdoor Experience in Furano, Biei, Tomamu

Outdoors activities that allow you to completely disconnect from everyday life and immerse your mind and body in the great outdoors. Within Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU, mountains, rivers, lakes, and basins are all compactly located in a single area, so you can enjoy a variety of activities throughout the four seasons. We will introduce you to outdoor companies that are in love with nature and want to share its splendor with you, as well as recommended programs.

<Outdoor Experience in Furano, Biei, Tomamu

Selected tours by guides who know Furano well

Rafting tour
Rafting tour" down the clear waters of the Sorachi River is a popular program

For more than 30 years, this group of nature guides has been offering activities that showcase Furano's charms. They offer year-round programs such as rafting and forest play that only guides who know Furano's wilderness well can provide.
The "Treeing and Forest Picnic" program, a condensed version of forest fun, is a tour with lunch that focuses on tree climbing and pizza making. You can enjoy yourself as much as you like in the forest owned by the club, where there is a handmade guesthouse and a tree terrace.

Luxurious picnic in the forest

Climbing using ropes hung from tree branches
Climbing using ropes hung from tree branches

Anyone can climb a tree by using a special rope and harness. Since it does not require much strength, even children and women can climb tall trees. Coffee, which you drink while sitting on a tree branch and admiring the view from the top of the tree, tastes many times better with the sense of accomplishment from the climb.
After climbing the tree, lunch time is an at-home pizza party. Freshly baked pizza made with local ingredients in a handmade oven is very popular. Floral water (aromatic distilled water) made from fir tree extract by those who wish can be a souvenir of the tour.

Furano Nature Club
  • Address 14-6 Kitanomine-cho, Furano-shi, Hokkaido MAP in Alpine Visitor Center
  • Direction 10 minutes drive from JR Furano Station
  • Direction Approx. 10 min. ride on Furano Bus Goryo Line from JR Furano Station, approx. 3 min. walk from Natur stop.
  • Business hours 9:00-18:00
  • Closed None
  • Admission Fee Treeing and Forest Picnic" 6,500 yen for adults, 4,300 yen for children (from 4 years old) (held from May to September) *Reservations required.
  • TEL 0167-22-1311 (Reservations accepted from 9:00 to 21:00)
  • Parking Free of charge

Providing a place to interact and learn about Furano's agriculture in a fun way

Visiting Furano melon greenhouses and hearing from the growers
Visiting Furano melon greenhouses and hearing from the growers

A couple who moved to Furano from Honshu, Japan, has been offering Agricultural Experience tours since 2017, drawing on the experience they gained through living in the area. The appeal of their programs is their originality, using Furano's farmhouses and fields as their fields. Our commitment is to deepen people's interest in agriculture and foster new connections. We coordinate opportunities for producers and tourists (consumers) to meet in order to make them fall in love with Furano even more.
The "Melon and Honeybee Eco-Tour" is one of our elaborate tours. The tour visits Furano melon farmers and beekeepers.

A place where producers and tourists can connect

Raising honeybees is also a part of agriculture
Raising honeybees is also a part of agriculture

It is said that bees pollinate one-third of the world's crops and are important partners for farmers. It is thanks to the work of bees that we are able to enjoy delicious melons.
Visitors will hear directly from Furano melon farmers and beekeepers, and learn about the symbiotic relationship between melons and bees. All-you-can-eat melons and honey tasting are also a part of the tour. Other experiences are available almost all year round, such as the "Rice Handcrafting Experience Program" and the "Wintering Vegetables Experience" in winter.

Urecipa Furano
  • Address 9-5 Higashimachi, Furano-shi, Hokkaido (office location) MAP
  • Direction 5-minute drive from JR Furano Station *Reservations required; pick-up and drop-off at JR Furano Station, nearby Property, etc., or at the Experience site (pick-up and drop-off limited).
  • Business hours 9:00-17:00
  • Closed None
  • Admission Fee Melon and honeybee eco-tour: 11,000 yen (elementary school students and older, available in July and August)
  • TEL 090-6261-9668
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo Reservations required at least 8 days prior to the desired date. Please also use the inquiry form on our website or contact us by e-mail (inquiry@urespa-furano.jp).

Enjoy stag beetle collecting in the forest at night

A mountain stag beetle caught on an insect collecting tour
A mountain stag beetle caught on an insect collecting tour

This outdoor company operates Activities, Restaurants, and petit hotels mainly in the Furano area to support your active stay. As the name "FUN" suggests, the company offers a variety of fun-filled guided programs that make full use of Furano's natural beauty.
One of the most popular programs for families is the "Stag Beetle Tour. Each participant takes a flashlight to a secret spot, where they learn about the habits of stag beetles while looking for them. Each participant will learn about the habits of stag beetles as they search for them on tree surfaces and under twigs.

Almost 100% success rate in collecting stag beetles

Adults and children share the thrill of collecting stag beetles together
Adults and children share the thrill of collecting stag beetles together

By searching without any stag beetle collecting gadgets, you will be able to see stag beetles in their natural habitat.
Insect collecting is not the only fun part of the tour. The dynamic night sky is filled with countless stars that cannot be seen in the city. If you are lucky, you may also come across wild animals such as Ezo sika deer, foxes, and Ezo squirrels. You can feel the sound of the wind, the rustle of the forest, and the presence of insects and animals living in the wilderness close at hand. The darkness is an interesting Experience that will heighten your senses.

FUN
  • Address North 18, Aza-Nakafurano Higashi 1 Line, Nakafurano Town, Sorachi-gun, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction Approximately 8 minutes on foot from JR Nishinaka Station, approximately 15 minutes by car from JR Furano Station
  • Business hours 7:00-22:00
  • Closed None
  • Admission Fee Stag Beetle Tour" 3,300 yen for adults (junior high school students and older), 2,800 yen for children (3 years old to elementary school students) (Held from July 20 to August 25, 2019) *Reservations required.
  • TEL 0167-44-4433
  • Parking Free of charge

Enjoy the countryside from a bird's eye view

Guided by a veteran aviator who has been flying in Furano for more than 10 years
Guided by a veteran aviator who has been flying in Furano for more than 10 years

Motor paragliding" allows you to fly freely in the sky. The motor paraglider is powered by an engine with a large propeller on its back and can easily take off and land from level ground. MPG Sorachi offers a Motor Paragliding License Course as well as Experience activities for beginners.
Experience flights are in the style of "tandem flights," in which an instructor and a participant fly together. After completing insurance procedures and a preliminary briefing, you will be equipped with an altimeter and an airbag harness and set off on a 15-minute flight.

If you are lucky, you can fly above the clouds "Tandem Flight Experience".

If you ride the updraft, you can go up to 500~600m.
If you ride the updraft, you can go up to 500~600m.

The exhilaration of flying with only your body in the air is exceptional. Not only will you be able to see the beautiful scenery of the Furano countryside and majestic mountains, but you will also be able to feel the world of the sky as you fly through the clouds and soar alongside dragonflies and eagles on the updrafts.
The flights are weather-dependent, with an average of 50% of flights taking place. Early morning reservations are recommended when the wind is calm. Early in the morning from July to October, when low clouds tend to form, you may be lucky enough to experience a "sea of clouds flight," flying over a sea of clouds.

MPG Sorachi
  • Address 140-1, Nishigakuda 2-ku, Furano-shi, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction 4 min. drive from JR Furano Stn.
  • Business hours 8:00-17:00
  • Closed Open daily (closed in case of rain or strong winds)
  • Admission Fee Tandem Flight Experience: 12,000 yen per flight (insurance fee 500 yen, generally junior high school students and older) *Reservations required.
  • TEL 0167-23-6638
  • Parking Free of charge

Private tours

Experience in a relaxed atmosphere as only one tour is available per group (90 minutes).
Experience in a relaxed atmosphere as only one tour is available per group (90 minutes).

This is a homey outdoor company run by two certified Hokkaido outdoor guides and their families. They plan tours based on the theme of "relaxing and fully immersing yourself in the outdoors. Activities are held at Lake Kanayama, where campgrounds and cottages line the shores of the lake, and at rivers in the suburbs of Furano, where you can enjoy canoeing and fishing programs that allow you to blend into nature and have an experience that is unique to each tour group. Everyone in the family can participate, from young children to the elderly and pets.

Luxurious time away from everyday life

In the area accessible only from the lake, you can get in touch with untouched nature.
In the area accessible only from the lake, you can get in touch with untouched nature.

The popular "Lake Canoe Picnic" is a private guided tour that allows visitors to monopolize the beautiful lake, where they board a two-person canoe and learn to steer it while listening to a lecture by a guide who runs alongside. With a gentle movement of the paddle, the canoe moves smoothly along the surface of the lake, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The vast surface of the lake, lush mountain forests, and clear skies overhead provide a 360-degree view of nature. If the weather is fine, you can cross to the other side of the lake, and if there is no wind, you can enjoy tea time on the canoe. The time that passes leisurely will relax your body and mind.

Floating Reef
  • Address 1066-1 Shimokaneyama, Minamifurano-cho, Sorachi-gun, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction 3 min. drive from JR Shimokaneyama Station
  • Business Hours 8:00-20:00
  • Closed None
  • Admission Fee Lake Canoe Picnic" 5,500 yen for adults (junior high school students and older), 3,500 yen for children (5 years old to elementary school students) (April 29 - July 19 and September 1 - October 31) *Reservations required.
  • TEL 0167-53-2181
  • Parking Free of charge

Programs using the vast resort field

A Lush Fishing Pond
A Lush Fishing Pond

“Hoshino Resorts Tomamu” is a resort boasting an expansive area equivalent to 213 Tokyo Domes. The grounds feature a hotel and offer a diverse range of Activity programs that make the most of the surrounding forests, lakes, and meadows.
“Fishing” is a popular activity where you can try your hand at bait fishing in a pond stocked with rainbow trout. Since it follows a catch-and-release policy, you can easily enjoy a fishing experience.

An experience program where you can be soothed by Hokkaido’s vast landscapes and wildlife

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A "cart drive" in the farm area allows you to enjoy a drive around the park

Take a cart ride across the vast grounds in a special cow-print cart—you’re free to spend your time however you like, whether taking photos at your favorite spots or enjoying a picnic.
We also offer a variety of programs filled with learning and discovery, such as “Morning Farm,” where you can go on patrols with a guide, feed the animals, and experience herding goats and sheep; and “Moo Moo School,” where you can get to know the cows’ personalities through a refreshing morning “cattle drive” and enjoy a tasting of milk from individual cows.

Hoshino Resorts Tomamu GAO Outdoor Center
  • Address Naka Tomamu, Shimukappu Village, Yufutsu-gun, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction 5 min. drive from JR Tomamu Station, free shuttle bus available from JR Tomamu Station
  • Business hours 8:00-18:00 (varies according to season)
  • Closed Partially closed in April and November
  • Admission Fee “Moo Moo Canoe Picnic”: 20,000 yen per group (ages 2 and up, up to 3 people per group) *Reservations required
    “Go-Kart Drive”: 3,500 yen per cart for 1 hour (seats 5; standard driver’s license required)
    “Fishing”: 2,000 yen per rod per hour
    “Morning Farm”: 3,000 yen for ages 12 and up, 2,500 yen for ages 3–11, free for ages 2 and under
    “Moo Moo School”: 3,500 yen for ages 12 and up, 2,500 yen for ages 4–11, free for ages 3 and under
  • TEL 0167-57-2587
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Notes Please check the official website for program hours.
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.