Furano

Furano is known as Heso no Machi (the Belly Button Town) due to its central location. Furano's inland location (almost 100 km -- about as far inland as Japan gets) and high elevation result in a continental climate, the reason behind Furano's successful ski hill and wine industries. There is a very large temperature variation, so a light jacket is recommended even in the summer. Summer midday temperatures may exceed 30 °C, and midwinters will drop below -30 °C. Furano has very heavy snowfall in the winter.

The population is approximately 26,000, including the incorporated communities in the outskirts. The population of the main municipal area is said to be about 16,000. Don't expect to meet a large number of English speakers outside of the major hotel and tourist areas.

There has been a substantial increase in foreign skiers and snowboarders, particularly from Australia. Furano seems set to enjoy the same skiing success that Niseko has.

Meanwhile, the Furano Basin has become more and more famous for its summertime lavender fields, which draw multitudes of visitors from Taiwan and China as well as from all over Japan.

Tourist information:

Guide sites by local tourism associations:

Furano City: Furano Index, multilingual guide site.

Nakafurano Town: bilingual.

Kamifurano Town: multilingual .

By plane:

The nearest airport to Furano is Asahikawa, which has flights to major Japanese cities but only limited seasonal connections elsewhere. Furano Bus has around 7 services per day directly from the airport (1 hour, ¥840).

During the ski season, Hokkaido Access Network also runs direct buses from Sapporo's much larger New Chitose Airport (3 hours, ¥5000).

By train:

Furano is the terminus of the JR Furano Line from Asahikawa. There are 12 direct local trains daily, leaving between 05:44 and 22:34 (as of Aug 2025). The journey from Asahikawa takes just under 1½ hours. Alternatively, the sightseeing train Furano Biei Norokko operates the same route, taking just over 1½ hours. Services operate irregularly; check the timetable. Service ends in 2026.

Furano is also on the JR Nemuro Line from Takikawa. In the summer (Jun–Sep), the Furano Lavendar Express makes one round-trip daily from Sapporo at 07:41, which begins its return departure from Furano at 16:54 (Aug 2025). In the winter ski season, there is one daily Ski Express Train from Sapporo at 08:04. When these trains do not operate, you'll need to connect via Takikawa. Local services to Takikawa leave 8 times a day and take 1 hour. An onward connection to Sapporo aboard a Limited Express also takes 1 hour. All services eastward towards Nemuro have been discontinued.

By bus:

Furano express, Chūō Bus (中央バス高速ふらの号). 08:00–19:20 (departure time at Sapporo). This bus connects Sapporo and Furano in 2½ hr. Approximately hourly service from Sapporo Station bus terminal. 2700¥. (updated Aug 2025)