23 August 2023
This was the day when we started on our 8 days road trip to explore the North Eastern part of Hokkaido. Our plan for the day was to drive from Chitose to Asahikawa via Furano and Biei with a few stops and activities along the way at:
- Farm Tomita
- Lunch at Yuiga Doxon in Furano
- Furano Cheese Factory
- Furano Marche
- Drive down the Panorama Road near Biei
- Shirogane Blue Pond
- Shirahige Waterfall
Although Farm Tomita is located between Furano and Biei, my plan was to visit this place first as this popular attraction is known to get really busy and crowded later in the day once tour buses from Sapporo arrive.
We had to start early as it takes slightly more than 2 hours to drive from Chitose to Farm Tomita which opens at 9 AM. It was not difficult to wake up early as the bright morning sunlight was already streaming through the cracks in our hotel room’s curtain at 5 AM. Although Queen’s Hotel Chitose does offer breakfast with the room, I chose to have a simple breakfast of instant noodles (brought from home) and the room’s capsules coffee so we could depart early.
We left Chitose as planned. The morning traffic was not heavy and we made pretty good progress. The Toyota Corolla Hybrid was quiet and spacious for our group of 3 adults.
Along the way, we made a change to our plan and decided to go to Furano Cheese Factory first instead of Farm Tomita to avoid backtracking back to Furano for lunch. We reckon it may be worthwhile to save 30 minutes of driving time and take a risk on the crowds in Farm Tomita in the afternoon.
Furano Cheese Factory
Furano Cheese Factory manufactures and sells dairy products such as cheese, butter, and Furano milk. We arrived at the Furano Cheese Factory shortly after 9 AM. There were only a few cars before us in the large car park.
Aside from a short self-guided tour course showing visitors how cheese are made from behind glass windows and cheese tasting at the shop, there is nothing much here. Visitors can sign up for cheese making workshop but that is not something we fancy doing.
We could watch cheese being made on the first floor of the building.
Browsing the cheese, butter, and milk products.
The second floor is where dairy products are sold and cheese could be sampled before buying. There is also an exhibition section that introduces the history and culture of dairy products.
There were 3 kinds of cheese for us to sample, including a black cheese colored by squid ink.
A life-size cow with rubber udders is available for those who want a picture of themselves milking a fake cow.
Cheese from around the world.
In other buildings next to the cheese factory, there is an ice cream parlor (called the "ice milk factory") and a pizzeria ("pizza factory").
We bought some gelato and cheese-flavoured soft-serve ice cream and spent some time relaxing in a shady spot under some trees, surrounded by greenery.
A antique red tractor.
We lazed around till it was time to go the Furano Marche which opens at 10 AM.
Furano Marche
Furano Marche is only a short drive away. Furano Marche is a small plaza that is home to twenty different shops, eateries and restaurants.
We went to check out some souvenir and local produce shops. There are lavender, Furano melon, wine, cheese and local vegetables products sold and these seems to be quite popular for visitors.
We also went to a Ralse Mart to buy some snacks and drinks. The alcohol products like whiskey and beer are definitely good stuff to buy compared to the prices back home.
The first of our many strong zero beer we consumed on this trip.
Although there are many restaurants and eateries in Furano Marche, we did not eat there. I had a better plan for our lunch in Furano.
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