Mingei Goten （民芸御殿）／Sunflower Field｜Lake Toya Area

I came to Lake Toya （洞爺湖） with my tour guests. How peaceful it is!

Look at the sunflower field, just in front of the lake! Wow! Wow! Wow! We were so excited to see the beautiful lake and the pretty field at the same time!!!

We parked a car, and enjoyed taking pics of the field for a while.

Using a parking lot, we dropped by this souvenir shop, "Mingei Goten （民芸御殿）". 

Ainu crafts are sold in this shop.
We actually planed to eat lunch in another restaurant, but as we were hungry, we decided to have lunch here, too. Hahaha!

How do you like seafood BBQ? Are you envy me?

This is Ishikari Nabe （石狩鍋）, a salmon and vegetable stew with miso, which is a typical local dish. Yummy x 2!!

Don't miss local scallops!!! My guests and I enjoyed local products from the bottom of our heart!!

After having lunch, we again enjoyed the beautiful field..........

We really love summer!!!

■Where is "Mingei Goten （民芸御殿）／Sunflower Field"?

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■Tour guide information■

Do you need a nationally-licensed English-speaking tour guide when you travel to Hokkaido?I'll guide you! Plz click here!

FARM TOMITA （ファーム富田） in Early August | Lavender Farm | Naka-Furano

FARM TOMITA is one of Hokkaido’s premier flower farms. Originally a simple lavender farm, today the farm has expanded to include a number of large fields of various flower types, including Poppies, French Marigolds, and many more.

The most famous image of the farm is that of the ‘rainbow field’ created by planting rows of different flowers along the gentle rolling hills. The image is unforgettable and each year visitors come to photograph the fields made famous by their use in a nation wide Japan Rail calendar.

The farm has several different flower fields like this↓

Among them, we visited "HANABITO field" near the parking lot, because it is the most beautiful in this season!

Wow wow wow! We were so impressed with the wonderful flowers!!!

Lavenders are over the peak season, but the other flowers are more than perfect!

The park is packed with a lot of people, and you may not park a car near the park..... Please be careful!!

But it's worth coming here! I love this farm!!

It's like a rainbow carpet!

The field now includes the lobelia, agereatum, soaproot, poppy, periwinkle and so on.

After enjoying this farm, please enjoy lavender and melon ice cream! Yummy x 2!!

The farm serve other delicious desserts such as lavender cake, lavender cream puff, lavender jelly, lavender pudding, melon buns and so on.

In the previous post, you can also see the details of the lavender goods in the biggest lavender shop called "HANABITO House" and flowers in the late-May in FARM TOMITA.

In the late May to late August, you can enjoy the different flower combinations depending on the season! Why don't you enjoy the beautiful flower garden in Furano!

If you are interested in this flower field in other seasons, please refer to my other posts!
■Mid July---→☆ (Best season for lavenders)
■Early June---→☆ (including a snow-capped mountain pic)
■Late May----→☆ (including lavender souvenir information)

■Where is Farm Tomita?

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■Tour guide information■

Do you need a nationally-licensed English-speaking tour guide when you travel to Hokkaido?

I'll guide you! Plz click here!

Higashimokoto Moss Pink Park （ひがしもこと芝桜公園）| Oozora Town （大空町）

Hokkaido has two famous moss pink parks, one of them is Takinoue Park （滝上公園）(See the details→click here!), and the other is Higashimokoto Moss Pink Park （ひがしもこと芝桜公園）↓

When we went there, about 70% of moss pink are bloomed out like this↓

Let's go to an observatory on the top of the hill!

Climbing up the 287 steps, we will reach ...................

Yamazumi Shrine （山津見神社）, which was built around 900 years ago!

 This park is around 100, 000㎡, as large as three baseball parks!!!!

But when you learn the history of this park, you must be surprised!
Mr. Chubachi's sister brought just a strain of moss pink from Rubeshibe （留辺蘂） to Higashimokoto （東藻琴）.

That's the start of this park. After that, he made great efforts to create this huge moss pink park.

Actually he planted about 70% of moss pink here in this park alone!!!

This hill is light up at night, and very beautiful!

If you want to enjoy the park from the sky, why don't you take a helicopter!!

Don't miss "Ginreisui （銀嶺水）"in this park, one of the 100 most delicious spring water in Japan （日本名水100選）.

Look at the faucet! Striped owls are the God for Ainu people!
(If you want to learn about Ainu people, an indigenous people in Japan, please refer to my other post→click here!）

 How about unique ice cream in this park?

This is pink moss ice cream!!!

■Where is "Higashimokoto Moss Pink Park （ひがしもこと芝桜公園）"?

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■Tour guide information■

Do you need a nationally-licensed English-speaking tour guide when you travel to Hokkaido?

I'll guide you! Plz click here!

Goryokaku Fort （五稜郭）| Fortress Park with 1,600 Cherry Trees | Hakodate

Goryokaku Fort （五稜郭） was the last battle field of a large-scale civil war between the Tokugawa shogunate and the new government forces, and worked as a cornerstone of the end of feudal era of Japan in the 19th century. Now it is opened to the public as a park, where about 1,600 cherry trees are planted!

Let't go to the Goryokaku Tower （五稜郭タワ） to see the whole picture of the fortress park!

From the 107m-high double-decked observatory, we can enjoy the panoramic views of Hakodate from every angle!!

Voila!
This is Goryokaku Fort （五稜郭）, which is a star-shaped fort!

When you come here in the spring time, the star is filled with pink cherry blossoms like this↓

Let's walk in the park↓

How beautiful the blossoms are! There are 1,600 cherry blossoms planted in the park.

Anyway, do you know how many countries have such a star-shaped fortress? We can learn the history of the fortress as well as the history of Japan in the 19th century at this observatory.

When you come here, please visit this cafe stand on the first floor of the observatory!

Have you ever eaten cherry blossom ice cream?

This is a seasonal specialty during the spring time only! Yummy x 2!!!

Let's go down to the first floor, which has one of the largest souvenir corners in the city, with a huge lineup of local products as well as the original goods that cannot purchased anywhere else.

■Where is "Goryokaku Fort （五稜郭）"?

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■Tour guide information■

Do you need a nationally-licensed English-speaking tour guide when you travel to Hokkaido?I'll guide you! Plz click here!

Soba Cafe （そば cafe）| Itadakimasu Company （いただきますカンパニー） | Obihiro

"Itadakimasu Company （いただきますカンパニー）" located in Obihiro operates several seasonable cafes outdoors. One of them is "Soba Cafe （そば cafe）". We visited there on the 15th of August.

The site is near "Uemura Naomi Obihiro Outwards-bounds School （植村直己帯広野外学校）, about one hour away from JR Obihiro station. As we arrived here a little bit earlier than we expected, we went up to the facility↓

If I were a child, I wanted to spend a facility like this for at least one month!!

Just for reference, this is information and background of Mr. Naoki Uemura, a famous adventurer in the world.

 Look at the buckwheat field! How huge it is!

"Soba Cafe （そば cafe）" is just in front of the field owned by Mr. Soma.

Tables and chairs are set up like this. I love this atmosphere!

Look at the buckwheat flowers! We could enjoy the time tricked by very slowly here!

Mr. Nochimura, an owner of "Clover （玄葉）", a soba restaurant, made soba from buckwheat flour  produced in this field by Mr. Soma!

He added water to the buckwheat, and kneaded it for a while to make soba dough.

 Only with the rolling pin, he made the circle dough to

the square dough!!! How professional he is!!

Dushing some flour on the pin and the dough, he cut it very thinly!

 Look very delicious, don't they?

Mr. Soma, its producer, and guests including us tried to cut the dough, but............

These are like udon noodles! Hahaha!

Until the soba served, we enjoyed shopping on the cafe counter.
Look at Tokachi Bran Mix, pancake mix, made of local flour only!

Have you ever heard buckwheat honey? Sounds yummy x 2!!!

This is buckwheat flour produced by Mr. Soma.

How about eggs from floor feeding poultry raised by Mr. Kusanagi? As it looked appealing, I put it on..................

hot rice, and enjoyed it! Yummy x 2!!

Here comes soba!!

Looking at the beautiful buckwheat flour flowers,

 we enjoyed very fragrant soba! How happy we are!!!

Next, I want to try their "potato cafe" in the autumn time!

■Where is "Soba Cafe （そば cafe）"?

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■Tour guide information■

Do you need a nationally-licensed English-speaking tour guide when you travel to Hokkaido?I'll guide you! Plz click here!