Hokkaido Day Tour | Asahiyama Zoo, Shirahige Falls, Biei | Sapporo Departure | English/Chinese Guide

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- What You Can Expect -

Embark on the most dreamy winter journey in snowy Hokkaido!

The itinerary departs from Sapporo, with the first stop being Asahiyama Zoo, Japan's most popular zoo, where you can watch adorable penguins stroll in formation and experience the therapeutic atmosphere of close interaction with animals. Next, you'll traverse the Biei Snowfield, where the endless white hills resemble a scene from a Nordic fairytale, a truly breathtaking experience.
The itinerary also includes the spectacular blue snowscape of Whitebeard Waterfall, the warm handcrafted atmosphere of the cabins at Forest Elf Terrace, and romantic photo opportunities at landmarks such as the Seven Star Tree and the Ken & Mary Tree.

The winter-only Chiyoda Ranch offers opportunities to feed small animals and enjoy sledding, awakening your inner child. Summer itineraries feature the Blue Pond and the idyllic countryside of Furano – equally wonderful!

The itinerary offers flexible scheduling with routes A, B, and C, as well as a summer version. Regardless of the route chosen, we guarantee to take you deep into the classic best of Hokkaido, capturing all the highlights in one day!

 - Itinerary Introduction -

• Meeting Point: Sapporo Tokyu REI Hotel or in front of the Sapporo TV Tower Information Center.
• Departure time: Depends on meeting point, season, and itinerary.
  
  
  

• Winter A Itinerary (Jan 10 – Apr 7)

07:40 Depart from Sapporo Tokyu REI Hotel
Depart from the Sapporo TV Tower Information Center at 07:50.
09:05 Sunagawa Rest Stop (approx. 15 minutes)
10:30 Asahiyama Zoo (approx. 90 minutes, lunch at your own expense)
Crossing the Biei Snowfield (sightseeing from the car window)
13:00 Shirogane Blue Pond Waterfall (approx. 20 minutes)
13:30 Biei Blue Pond (approx. 20 minutes)
14:20 Furano Garden Rest Area (approx. 15 minutes)
15:20 Ningle Terrace (approx. 50 minutes)
※ Note: Ningle Terrace may be canceled due to crowd control; in that case, time will be extended at other stops.
Iwamizawa Rest Area
18:40 Arrive at Sapporo TV Tower
18:50 Arrive at Sapporo Tokyu REI Hotel

• Winter Itinerary B (December 1 - April 7)

07:40 Departure from Sapporo Tokyu REI Hotel
Depart from the Sapporo TV Tower Information Center at 07:50.
09:05 Sunagawa Rest Stop (approx. 15 minutes)
10:30 Asahiyama Zoo (approx. 90 minutes)
12:30 Biei Seven Star Trees or Ken & Mary Tree (15-minute visit) ※The guide will choose one depending on the day's conditions; please understand that the visit may be cancelled due to traffic problems or severe weather such as blizzards.
13:05 Herb Garden Restaurant (Meal included or optional, 60 points)
14:30 White Beard Waterfall (approx. 30 minutes)
16:40 Iwamizawa Rest Stop
Arrive at Sapporo TV Tower at 18:30
18:40 Arrive at Sapporo Tokyu REI Hotel

• Winter Itinerary C (December 20 - March 31)

07:40 Depart from Sapporo Tokyu REI Hotel
Depart from the Sapporo TV Tower Information Center at 07:50.
Highway rest area (approximately 15 minutes)
10:30 Asahiyama Zoo (approx. 100 minutes)
Crossing the Biei Snowfield (sightseeing from the car window)
13:00 Biei Chiyoda Interactive Ranch (approx. 70 minutes, lunch + free time for sightseeing) ※If there is insufficient snow cover, we will proceed to Biei Town instead.
15:00 Forest Elf Terrace (approx. 30 minutes) ※Due to capacity restrictions at the Forest Elf Terrace, the itinerary may be changed to a visit to the "Takushinkan".
Highway service area
Arrived at Sapporo TV Tower at 18:20
Arrive at Sapporo Tokyu REI Hotel at 18:30

• Summer itinerary (April 29 – November 3)

07:40 Departure from Sapporo Tokyu REI Hotel
07:50 Departure from Sapporo TV Tower 1F Information Center
          Sunagawa Highway Oasis (approx. 15 minutes)
10:30 Asahiyama Zoo (approx. 120 minutes, Lunch at your own expense)
          The Patchwork Road (Sightseeing from the Car Window)
13:00 Seven Stars Tree (Free time, 15 minutes)
          Ken & Mary Tree (view from car window)
13:50 Shirahige Waterfall (approx. 20 minutes)
* Note: From July 1 to September 15, the tour will skip Shirahige Waterfall and visit Farm Tomita (60 minutes) instead.
14:20 Blue Pond (Shirogane Blue Pond) (approx. 30 minutes)
          Iwamizawa Rest Area (approx. 10 minutes)
18:00 Arrival at Sapporo TV Tower
18:10 Arrival at Sapporo Tokyu REI Hotel

 - Attraction Info -

• Asahiyama Zoo, located at the northernmost tip of Japan, is the most visited zoo in the country and is voted the most popular zoo by the public. Asahiyama Zoo emphasizes designing the zoo with the animals themselves in mind, preserving their most natural and original living environments, and designing spaces that allow visitors to observe the animals up close, not only closely but also interact with them. The annual penguin parade, limited to winter, is one of the highlights of Hokkaido tourism.

• Biei Blue Pond is located on the left bank of the Biei River in Hokkaido, Japan, at an altitude of approximately 500 meters. The pond's water is a clear, azure blue, and it is often shrouded in mist, creating a hazy, ethereal beauty. As the seasons, weather, and environment subtly change, the pond water displays various colors, which, combined with the scenery interwoven with the forest, present a unique and captivating landscape.

• Shirahige Falls, with a drop of 30 meters and an elevation of 600 meters, is located in Shirogane Onsen-kyo, Biei Town. It gets its name from the way the water cascades down from the cracks in the rocks, resembling a white beard. Furthermore, the underground water gushing against the rocks creates waves that shimmer with a blue light, making for a spectacular and pleasant sight.
  Note: Between July 1 and September 15, the tour will skip Shirahige Waterfall and visit Farm Tomita instead (60-minute stop for sightseeing).
  

• Seven Star Tree
  In 1976, this cypress tree, along with the surrounding landscape, was used in the packaging of Seven Star cigarettes in Japan, and the tree has been known as the Seven Star Tree ever since.

• Ken & Mary Tree
  The Ken & Mary Tree is a birch tree standing in the farmland of Furano, which rose to fame after appearing in a Nissan Skyline commercial in the 1970s. The birch tree symbolizes purity, beauty, resilience, and vitality, while the romantic couple "Ken" and "Mary" in the advertisement imbued it with a symbolic meaning of love. Today, the tree, with its profound symbolism and captivating scenery, has become a popular photo spot for tourists.

• Forest Elf Terrace
  Ningle, named after the book of the same name by author So Kuramoto, is a 15cm-tall "forest sage" who has lived in the forests of Hokkaido for a long time. Today, in the "village" of Ningle Terrace, beneath the wooden houses, some artisans still live, carrying on the "wisdom of the forest." They are not just "making" handicrafts, but "creating."

• Biei Snowfield: Biei is most famous for its rolling hills, which, combined with the thick snow in winter, create a pristine white snowfield landscape, often referred to as "Japan's Scandinavia." It is beautiful in all seasons, but the tranquility and romantic atmosphere in winter are especially captivating.

• Biei Chiyoda Ranch - A Snow Paradise In the midst of a snowy winter, Biei Chiyoda Ranch welcomes every traveler with its most beautiful splendor: gaze at the majestic Tokachi Mountains, run and have snowball fights in the snow, rediscovering the purest joy of childhood; interact up close with ponies and alpacas, and even have the chance to experience the unique fun of short-legged ponies pulling a cart; slide down snow slopes on a sled, feeling the wind whistling, and then challenge yourself with snow raft drifting, letting screams and laughter echo across the snowfield. Food lovers will not want to miss the Wagyu curry set meal – the ranch-exclusive Biei Wagyu beef is tender, juicy, and melts in your mouth, warming your body and soul with its temperature and aroma. Having fun and satisfying food, that's what Biei Chiyoda Ranch is all about in winter.

• Biei Town ※When there is not enough snow at Chiyoda Ranch, we will head to Biei Town, nestled among vast fields, like a fairytale countryside town. There are many Japanese restaurants around the station, making it convenient to enjoy local cuisine. The Four Seasons Tower is a seven or eight-minute walk away. Climbing the tower offers panoramic views of the town: colorful rooftops, small trucks weaving through the landscape, and the distant, layered mountains of Tokachi, all combining to create a dreamlike pastoral scene.

• When there are restrictions on the number of visitors to the Forest Elf Terrace at Takushinkan, we may visit Takushinkan, which was converted from the abandoned old Chiyoda Elementary School and displays the photographic works of Shinzo Maeda, a famous landscape photographer from Hokkaido. Next to the small building is a birch forest corridor. In winter, the snow covers the forest, making it quiet and pure, as if you have entered a fairy tale world of Hokkaido.

• Biei Blue Pond (from Jan 10, 2026 onward)
  Visiting the Biei Blue Pond in winter feels like stepping into a serene and pure fairy-tale world. The pond gradually freezes in the cold, and its once vivid blue surface is covered with snow and ice. The bare larch trees rising from the water are wrapped in white, standing like silent sculptures, creating an ethereal and magical atmosphere.
  

• Farm Tomita | Seasonal Special (July 1 – September 15)
  The most enchanting colors of a Hokkaido summer are hidden right here at Farm Tomita. Lavender sways gently in the breeze, filling the air with a delicate fragrance that seems to slow down time itself. Beyond the iconic purple fields, the farm blooms with a variety of seasonal flowers that shift in hue as the weeks pass, painting a new landscape across the earth with every turn of the season. Take a leisurely stroll through the blossoms and don't forget to try the famous Lavender Soft Serve Ice Cream—a sweet way to etch the gentle spirit of a Hokkaido summer into your memory.
  

• Patchwork Road
  This is not a landscape designed by artifice, but a living tapestry woven by generations of Biei farmers. As different crops are planted and harvested, the rolling hills naturally unfold in layers of contrasting colors, resembling patches of fabric hand-stitched by the earth. Following the undulating slopes, you aren't just seeing beautiful rural scenery; you are witnessing the rhythmic pace of life in Hokkaido—working in harmony with the four seasons, respecting the land, and quietly nurturing the harvest.
  

Other recommended tours in Hokkaido:

Hokkaido Day Trip | Lake Toya Onsen Town & Noboribetsu Jigokudani & Showa Shinzan & Lake Shikotsu | Optional Bear Ranch Package (Departing from Sapporo)

Hokkaido Sapporo Day Trip | Sapporo Beer Museum, Shiroi Koibito Park, Jozankei Onsen, Daibutsuden, Seafood Market | English and Chinese Guide