| Admission | Free |
| Opening Hours | 9:00 - 17:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0166-94-3355 |
| Notes | Wifi available Parking - 165 vehicles Coffee shop & restaurant Restrooms (wheelchair access) Park golf Shopping area |
| Location / Getting There | It takes about 20 minutes by car from JR Biei Station. A 2 and a half hour drive from Sapporo. Shirogane, Biei, Kamikawa District, Hokkaido 071-0235 |
Huge park area next to facilities
Whilst on the road and taking in the sightseeing spots in Biei, the Biei Shirokanebiruke Roadside Station is a nice spot to have a rest, do some shopping, grab a bite to eat, or to enjoy the park and its facilities. The rest area is just down the road from the Blue Pond, and also the Kaiku Kiln Museum, which are some good spots to visit while in Biei. There are about half a dozen new buildings at the site, which is surrounded by a large park that incorporates a park golf course.
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Souvenir shop
Besides the park golf course, you can find restrooms here for some relief. For those looking for a quick bite to eat, there is a nice little hamburger shop called Between the Bread. Here you can eat inside their restaurant, or have lunch in the park. The park is full of sculptures and there is a table tennis table plus some instruments(interestingly), and seating. The other buildings include a souvenir shop that has information about Biei and the surrounding areas, plus an ice-cream shop, and a North Face outdoor equipment store.
| Admission | Free |
| Opening Hours | 8:30 - 17:00 |
| Closed | Tuesdays *Open every day in July & August |
| Contact | 0166-94-3354 http://www.kaikukiln.com/ |
| Notes | Free parking No photos allowed inside Ceramics for sale |
| Location / Getting There | 20 minutes by car from JR Biei Station. 20 minutes by Dohoku Bus from in front of Biei Station. Shirogane, Biei-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido |
One of the many sculptures
Kaiku Kiln Museum is a large, quiet homestead that is home to a gallery, kiln room, workshop, and house. The Kaiku Kiln property is located between the Blue Pond, which is a five minute drive away, and the ‘Biei Shirokanebiruke’ road station. The Blue Pond and road station can get quite crowded during the summer, so the gallery is a nice place to take a pleasant stroll and look at the sculptures, and get away from the crowds. The grounds are covered in various sculptures created from wood, clay, and metal, and there is a small rock path that crosses through the trees.
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One of the buildings
The gallery itself is located on the left of the entrance. The sculptures displayed at the gallery, are by local prominent artists. The gallery also serves as a shop where you can buy some fantastic ceramic dishes and serveware. These works are not cheap but they are high quality. Photos of the works in the gallery are not allowed, though photos outside are permitted. There is free parking available for those with transport. To getting to the gallery is a twenty minute drive from Biei station. There is also the Dohoku bus that stops in front of the station.
| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥500 to ¥1000 for lunch |
| Opening Hours | 9:00 - 17:00 Yoichi 9:00 - 18:00 Date |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0135-31-2222 Yoichi 0142-68-6270 Date |
| Notes | Fresh supermarket Small restaurants on site |
| Location / Getting There | Located along route 5. A 40 minute drive past Otaru. 1 Chome-930 Oe, Niki, Yoichi District, Hokkaido 048-2402 On route 276, past Lake Shikotsu. 1 hour 30 minute drive from Sapporo. 637-1 Otakiku Sangaitakicho, Date, Hokkaido 052-0303 |
Take your pick
There are two Mushroom Kingdoms located in Hokkaido. They can be both found along highways and serve as a souvenir stop, supermarket, restaurant and a rest stop while driving around the island. As this is a popular place for those on the road, there is a huge amount of produce that can found here. You can choose from over a thousand kinds of products! As the name suggests, mushrooms are in abundance here, and most of the dishes at the large eatery use mushrooms in their ingredients.
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Farmland Niki
If you don’t like mushrooms, then not to worry! The souvenir shop sells local wines, jams using fruit from Hokkaido, dairy products including cheeses, and also snacks, sweets, and desserts. The spacious restaurant has seating for 120 people, plus external seating that is open from April to October. The menu includes soba noodles, udon noodles, and ramen. Next to the main building is the ‘Farmland Niki’ supermarket. It is here that fresh vegetables are brought directly from neighboring farmers and stocked. So, for some shopping, a bite to eat, or just as a pit stop, Mushroom Kingdom is a good spot to mark on your map.
| Opening Hours | 9:00 - 17:30 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0158-29-2730 |
| Notes | Souvenir shop Toilets open 24 hours Tea house & road stop Takeout food stall |
| Location / Getting There | 5 minute drive from Takinoue city center. Located on route 273. Asahimachi, Takinoue, Monbetsu District, Hokkaido 099-5602 |
First floor
Located on highway 273, the Aroma Village serves as not only a rest area, but it’s a top spot in Takinoue to buy some souvenirs or something for the home. The first floor of this large building has plenty of things to buy, jams, cutting boards from local wood, agricultural products, serving wear and cutlery, plus a large variety of herbs. All the items are locally produced. If you are stopping in for a snack, then the Aroma Village has a small eatery and coffee on the first floor, which has some herbal teas on the menu.
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Ice cream & noodle shops
The small eatery also has some delicious sandwiches, with homemade sausage and cassis or rhubarb jam. They also have fresh cream cheese, fromage blanc, mitarishi dumplings, and zenzai (a sweet bean soup). On the second floor of Aroma Village they have local information on all the sightseeing spots and things to do in Takinoue. Next to the Aroma Village you will find two small huts. One serves up ice cream, the other has a variety of soba and udon noodles. They also have a steak sandwich, with cheese!
| Admission | Free |
| Opening Hours | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0123-34-7800 |
| Notes | World's largest tomato plant Garden & flower store Local market Restaurant on site Free parking |
| Location / Getting There | 15 minute bus ride from Eniwa Station Hokkaido, Eniwa, Makiba, 281−1 061-1421 |
Plenty of produce
The Tomato Forest (or Tomato no Mori) is a HUGE tomato plant, that is so big, it was certified on November 13th, 2013 as the “World’s Largest Tomato Plant”. Impressive! Found in the town of Eniwa, this plant is an ordinary variety of tomato plant and is grown from one grain, which is gown through hydroponics. This feet of botanical accomplishment has seen the tomato plant reach dimensions of around 40 square meters, and produces up to 17,000 tomatoes annually! You can buy the tomatoes from the Garden Center Flower Ranch next door.
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Entrance to store, and the tomato forest
If you’re a gardener, or if you looking like to buy fresh, local produce, then the Garden Center Flower Ranch is a great spot! You can find a huge selection of ornaments for the garden and home, furniture, herbs, and a selection of indoor and outdoor plants. During the year, this store has seminars led by herbalists and gardeners to offer advice and information! They also have a wide variety of flowers to choose from. Eniwa is surrounded by many farmlands that produce fruit and vegetables. The Garden Center has a small market of local fruits and vegetables, (especially tomatoes!). These fresh foods are great not only for kitchen, but also as souvenirs! While looking around and shopping you can also stop in at the ‘Camel’ Italian restaurant for some lunch.
| Opening Hours | 9:00 - 18:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0123-35-2321 |
| Notes | Garden store Market |
| Location / Getting There | 15 minute bus ride from Eniwa Station Hokkaido, Eniwa, Makiba, 281−1 061-1421 |
| Opening Hours | 10:00 - 21:00 Sapporo Station Esta 10:00 - 20:00 Pivot Department store 10:00 - 21:00 Ario Department Store |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | http://www.uniqlo.com/jp/ 011-280-5121 Sapporo Station Esta 011-219-5123 Pivot Department Store 011-743-9240 Ario Department Store |
| Notes | Shops are located in all major cities in Hokkaido Tax free shop Credit cards accepted |
| Location / Getting There | Sapporo Esta - 2 minute walk from Sapporo station Pivot Department Store - 5 minute walk from Odori Subway station Ario Department Store - 10 minute walk from Naebo station |
Uniqlo store at Pivot Department store
Uniqlo is a world wide clothing store that was originally founded in Japan in 1984. Interestingly, the name comes from the contraction of “Unique Clothing”, though when the company registered the name, staff misread the ‘C’ for a ‘Q’ and that is how the brand name was born. There are around thirty stores around Hokkaido, with a dozen of these being in Sapporo. If you are looking for a store while in Sapporo, the three main stores in central Sapporo are at Esta (Sapporo station), Pivot Department store (near Odori park), and at Ario Department store.
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The famous logo
So, why is Uniqlo so popular? The huge Uniqlo chain aims at the casual clothing market. They have clothing for men. women, and children. This brand is popular due the cheap prices where you can buy simple and well made casual clothing, whether it be for relaxing at home, or for hanging out with friends. The stores in Hokkaido are mostly tax free, which is a welcome plus for tourists (just remember to bring your passport). Each main city throughout Hokkaido has a Uniqlo store, so if you are either in Sapporo or traveling around, a Uniqlo store will be close by!