2014.08.27 | 北海道夏(4B)

[Volume 9 Issue 8, #1935]

Hokkaidō Trip Summer 2014 - DAY 4B of 8 Garden Hopping in Colorful Furano (富良野)

中文讀者請注意: 因為篇幅問題, 這一系列日本遊記只有英語版本, 敬請見諒..

after enjoying a rather serene morning in the (still) quiet Heiwa Dori shopping park (平和通買物公園 Heiwa-Dori Kaimono-Kōen) and the beautiful Tokiwa Park (常磐公園 Tokiwa Kōen), we proceeded to one of the highlights of this trip - visiting flower fields in Furano (富良野)!! thank god, it was such nice weather on day 4 itself, else we would have to miss this if it continued to rain like the day before :)

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#4B-F1 ■ ■ our friend was so kind to take his afternoon off on this monday and drove us all the way from Asahikawa (旭川) to Furano (富良野) for the flower fields.. hence, i don't have much useful information about how to get there.. the tourist information counter in Asahikawa Station (旭川駅 Asahikawa Eki) and most hotels would be able to advice on the transportation, but since many flower fields are not served by public transport, it would be wiser to go for a local tour or better still to rent a car and drive to travel on your own pace.. [Reference] #4B-F2 ■ ■ it was about an hour's drive (okay, not just 32km if you spotted that in the previous photo, it was taken half way through the journey) but i did not actually feel it taking that long.. the scenery along the road to Furano (富良野) was so picturesque capturing the landscapes of farms and fields, probably gazing out of the window at such scenic views has made me forgotten about time passing away.. #4B-F3 ■ ■ during summer, many different species of flowers bloom in the many flower fields along the route from Biei (美瑛) to Furano (富良野), hence the most popular activity in this area would be "garden-hopping".. our first stop was this not-so-tourists-packed like-so-cincai-by-the-roadside-only Kanno Farm (かんのファーム Kanno Fāmu) in Kami-Furano (上富良野 - literally Upper Furano) which already got us so excited!! all i want to say is, breathtaking!! #4B-F4 ■ ■ ... and when i said excited, guess how excited i was?? jumping-high-up kind of excitement that was!! muahahahaha.. okay, so this one looks way more cool than my signature pose huh?? what do you think?? :p #4B-F5 ■ ■ it was kind of a "garden-hopping" excursion, remember?? so after a brief stay at Kanno Farm (かんのファーム Kanno Fāmu), we continued to the next field.. the Farm Tomita (ファーム富田 Fāmu Tomita) in Naka-Furano (下富良野 - literally Lower Furano) which is, to a higher degree, more established and tourist centered.. this photo was taken at the carpark (parked with lots of cars and tourist buses) looking at the Furano Valley at the far end.. our Japanese friend told me, he comes to this place every year and this was his 4th time.. #4B-F6 ■ ■ colorful fields of flowers and large pieces of lavender fields were found in this Farm Tomita (ファーム富田 Fāmu Tomita).. the excitement was not as intense as we were in Kanno Farm (かんのファーム Kanno Fāmu), first because this was no longer the very "virgin experience" (muahahaha!!), second because this place was very crowded with tourists.. anyway, it was still a very beautiful place i would like to stay to admire the flowers, and also to keep on breathing the very soothing scent of fresh lavenders.. [side note] the scent of fresh lavenders is mild yet soothing, not the strong smell those heavily processed essence/ fragrance/ deodorant/ by-products etc you thought that can make you feel dizzy.. :) #4B-F7 ■ ■ inside Farm Tomita (ファーム富田 Fāmu Tomita), there is this Tomita Melon House (とみたメロンハウス Tomita Meron Hausu) which is a shop selling all kinds of refreshments in everything melon.. melon is considered as one of the "posh" fruits in Japan and amongst them, the orange-flesh Yubari melon (夕張メロン Yūbari Meron) is the most expensive and coveted breed, like Musang King of durians (???).. so, how could we miss that??!! of course we could not afford one whole Yubari melon each (can be thousands of yens), but two sharing one slice of Furano melon (¥300!!!) just to taste would do also lah.. how did it taste you wonder?? so fragrant and tender and juicy and sweet that i rolled my eyes having it in my mouth!! another favorite of this trip, it's HEAVENLY HEAVEN!!! #4B-F8 ■ ■ "trapped" in a lavender farm we were, we bought some (expensive commercial) souvenirs made of lavenders and saw also refreshments made of lavenders!! just had our melons, we cared for nothing but went ahead to get each an ice-cream (¥300), recommended by our Japanese friend who claimed it as the best in Hokkaido.. we had melon (orange color in front) and lavender (violet color at the back), true enough, so silky smooth and lavishly creamy, both very delectable but i personally prefer the melon one more.. okay, yet another favorite of this trip, but don't go and see the giant ones on the left lah basket, kids also know they are fake!! :D #4B-F9 ■ ■ Furano (富良野) has the similar climate as Provence in Southern France, hence the lavender as well as cheese and wine.. of course we didn't manage to get to the cheese and wine factory due to the shortage of time (and also paiseh to ask our friend to drive further), but i definitely was extremely happy and felt grateful.. look at how sweet i smiled reflecting my feelings, though i was already sunburnt under the bright sun by then, muahahaha!! :D

so that was our "garden-hopping" in Furano (富良野), capturing tons and tons of beautiful images of flowers into our cameras and phones, and of course memories.. certainly not to be missed by nature or flower lovers, being neither one of those but i frankly say, i was pretty amazed by the timeless beauty of nature.. next, still on the same day 4 (yeah, i know you just said "huh?? still got ah??") and continued to be amazed by the nature on the way back to Asahikawa (旭川) for dinner, stay tuned!! :) travelogue posts in this series: