Why is Furano in rural Hokkaido home to so many Michelin-star restaurants?
Hokkaido’s Furano and Biei in Japan serve up spectacular skiing, scenery and gastronomy
We are two hours into lunch and the degustation courses show no signs of slowing down in quality – or quantity. Valore looks like a little countryside home from the outside, and inside, there is space for only a handful of diners while chef Saida-san rustles up his Michelin-starred Italian-Japanese creations. His wife emerges bearing plates that feature mushrooms from Tokachi, duck from Takikawa, local snapper, daikon in rainbow colours, served Italian style. The uni spaghetti is creamy, al dente, perfect.
We are in Biei, near Furano, a part of Japan that is home to eight Michelin-starred restaurants, a phenomenal count in such a rustic district. Our guide, Narita-san, explains, “The surrounding farmland produces quality local meat and dairy, and the wide temperature differences between cool nights and hot days in summer, plus fresh water from the mountains, make very sweet vegetables.”
The area is, in fact, best known for its surreal summer scenery, when fields of flowers like lavender and sunflowers bloom in colourful patchworks and the famous Blue Pool’s birch trees reflect in the luminous water they grow out of, best viewed from the lakeside onsen. Hiking, mountain biking and rafting are also popular.
Furano’s ski fields are beginning to poach skiers and winter tourists from Niseko. Fly into Sapporo and turn north east rather than south west, and in a couple of hours you will have authentic Japanese experiences undiluted by condos and crowds.
In Biei the food is good, the scenery is spectacular and the people are friendly
Furano Ski Area is home to the Prince Snow Resort, a ski-in, ski-out hotel that links to the 23 ski trails of Furano and Kitanomine that enjoy a long season that lasts from around November to June. At Mount Asahi, the lifts are industrial, the skiers are expert, and the descents are free, through powder and trees, over rocks and streams, with few pistes to speak of. Biei is smack bang in the middle of both.
“Ice hole fishing is very popular, especially for guests from Asia,” says Futoshi Yiu of the Alpine Visitor Centre. “There is nothing like freshly caught fish that are turned into tempura on the spot.”