Farm Tomita Part 2

I hope you're all ready for part 2! This one is an overload of lavender goodness because it was my favorite field to photograph :) Walking through the entire hillside that was covered in lavender and smelling the fragrance was definitely a highlight of my day. 

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful week! :)

Farm Tomita Part 1

Sorry for such a lack of posts lately everyone! I'm moving back home so my list of things to do is never ending. Anyway, back to today's post. It will the first of several parts from Farm Tomita because the flowers and scenery were gorgeous :) 

To get to Farm Tomita, you can take the Kururu Bus (drops you right at the farm, but also goes to other attractions. About 1,200 yen for as many rides as you want for two days although there is no one day pass), the Norokko Train (if you buy the Furano Biei ticket like my friend and I did, you get unlimited rides on this one as well. It stops at the Lavender Station, about a five minute walk from the farm), or take a taxi (about 3,000 yen one way). It's also a 25 minute walk from Nakafurano Station. 

The place is quite expansive and is known for its lavender despite opening another farm called Lavender East in 2008 down the road. The blooming season for the flowers vary, but many of them, including the lavender, peak during mid to late July. We arrived just before mid July so some of them weren't in full bloom, but the lavender seemed to be at their peak or nearing it. It was crowded (no surprise there), but we still spent the whole day there, wandering through the various flower fields. 

Tokachi mountain range in the back :)

Irodori Field

Forest Field

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful week! Keep cool and hydrated in this summer heat! 

Journey to Furano

If you're thinking about going to Furano, all I can say is to PLAN. I went over the itinerary and various bus and train options and schedules numerous times until I understood everything. This site was very useful for me and offers various ticket options for Furano and Biei, depending on how much time you have, and what you want to do. To buy the tickets, my friend and I went to the tourist information center at JR Sapporo Station and asked for the specific tickets that we wanted. Even if you're going for just one day, it still saves you some money, but you'll save a lot more if you stay for multiple nights.

We started off the morning early, catching the 6:51 Super Kamui Express to Takigawa before transferring to the Furano line at JR Furano. The entire ride took us a little over two hours, but it was a very scenic and nice train ride :) We bought a bunch of snacks and drinks from the conbini before boarding and nibbled them until we arrived at Furano while enjoying the scenery ^^ 

Thank you so much for reading! Next post will be from Farm Tomita--flowers galore!! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend :)

Odori Park

My first impression of  Odori Park was in February during the Yuki Matsuri, and it was covered in a blanket of white snow. Coming back in mid July was (unsurprisingly) a complete 180. In place of the snow were numerous flower gardens that stretched for the entire length of the park. The cool and sunny weather made it a perfect place for locals and tourists alike to come and relax next to the water fountains and munch on snacks. I am constantly impressed by how well tended public gardens are and Odori Park was definitely no exception. 

Yep, they include a sign that tells you how many of each type of flower is planted! 

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful week! :)