September Itinerary Idea Day 8 (Hokkaido Day 3 Extra Edition)

Table of contents

Introduction

1. Transfer from Sapporo to Asahikawa

2. Transfer from Asahikawa to Biei

3. Lunch

As the 8th day of the itinerary idea in September (3rd day in Hokkaido), we introduced sightseeing in Sapporo city. Autumn is also a wonderful season for Biei, so I would like to introduce Biei as an extra edition. If you’ve been to Sapporo many times, it might be a good idea to go to Biei.

A day trip from Sapporo is possible, but the return trip to Haneda Airport is overwhelmingly more convenient from Asahikawa Airport than from New Chitose Airport. If you move to Asahikawa after enjoying the night view of Sapporo on the 7th day, the morning on the 8th day will be easier, so sightseeing in Biei will be easier.

However, the tour of the “Biei View Bus” that we would like to recommend has been canceled from August 27th to September 30th to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection.

You can rent a bicycle to visit the tourist spots. For rental bicycles, we recommend renting an electrically power assisted bicycle because there are many hills in Biei.

1. Transfer from Sapporo to Asahikawa

① After enjoying the night view at JR Tower Observatory T38 on the night of the 7th day, head to Asahikawa.

② Head to Asahikawa in the early morning of the 8th day.

2. Transfer from Asahikawa to Biei

In case of the “Biei View Bus” (sponsored by the Biei Tourism Association) operating

Every Wednesday (excluding holidays), the tour location will change due to the closure of Takushin-kan. Takushin-kan is a photo gallery created by Shinzo Maeda, who is famous for his photographs of Biei. The museum is closed from August 27th to September 12th due to the announcement of the state of emergency.

“Biei View Bus” fare: Adults June / October: Yen 2,600 July-September: Yen 3,000

Elementary school students: June / October: Yen 1,300 July-September: Yen 1,500, free for children under 5 years old

Since the capacity is 10 people, it is recommended to make a reservation online in advance.

For rental bicycles

There are many bicycle rental shops around Biei Station. There are places where the radio waves of mobile phones do not reach, so it is safe to get a map (roadmap) of Biei at the Biei Tourist Center ( Shikino Jouhoukan).

Introducing the distance from Biei Station. “Shirahige Waterfall” and “Shirogane Blue Pond” are close to each other, and “Shikisai no Oka” and “Photo Gallery Takushin-kan” are close to each other.

There is a Biei River / Blue Pond cycling course. However, it is not a bicycle-only road, and pedestrians also pass through it.

For a combination of bus and bicycle rental

Shirahige Waterfall and Shirogane Blue Pond are far away, so you can take a bus to the roadside station Biei “Shirogane Birke” and rent a bicycle.

2km from Road Station Biei “Shirogane Birke” to Shirogane Blue Pond

4.8km from Road Station Biei “Shirogane Birke” to Shirahige Waterfall

In the case of local bus

We can also go to “Shirahige Waterfall (Shirogane Onsen)” and “Shirogane Blue Pond” by local bus. However, the number of buses operating is quite small. In the case of local bus, if we do not have much time, we need to choose either Shirahige Waterfall (Shirogane Onsen) or Shirogane Blue Pond.

Shikisai no Oka and Photo Gallery Takushin-kan cannot be reached by local bus.

Shikisai no Oka can be reached by taxi from Biei Station (about 12 minutes) or 25 minutes on foot from JR Bibaushi Station (7 minutes from JR Biei Station, ticket Yen 300 yen). There is an “alpaca ranch” on Shikisai no Oka.

Photo gallery Takushin-kan can be reached by taxi from Biei Station (about 15 minutes).

3. Lunch

In Biei, we will eat “Soup Curry”, which is a “Local dishes loved by nation“. After a break, it would be nice to eat at a restaurant on the way to rent a bicycle. We can also eat “soup curry” at “Shikisai no Oka”. “Shikisai no Oka” also has a local dish “Jingisukan”, so if you fly earlier, you need to eat “Soup Curry” and “Jingisukan” at the same time in order to eat all the local dishes.

The length of stay in Biei depends on the return flight. Please note that the last flight is early for JAL.

Example of the last flight from Asahikawa Airport to Haneda Airport

JAL556 flight 16:45 departure 18:35 arrival

ANA1086 flight 17:25 departure 19:05 arrival

ANA4788 flight 19:30 departure 21:15 arrival

For JAL556, the following transportation are recommended routes to Asahikawa Airport.

For ANA1086, the following transportation are recommended routes to Asahikawa Airport.

In the case of ANA4788 flight, there is a lot of time to spare. We will be able to enjoy Biei all day long. For ANA4788, the following transportation are recommended routes to Asahikawa Airport. How about eating the local dish “Jingisukan” at Asahikawa Airport for dinner? We can eat at Asahikawa Airport’s “Teppan-yaki Asahito”.

How was the extra edition? Compared to the Sapporo edition, it will be more difficult to eat all “local cuisine” and “local popular cuisine specialties”. However, when the weather is nice, Biei in autumn can enjoy a wonderful view. Please consider the extra edition as well.

(Note: The departure / arrival times and fares for transportation listed in the text are as of the time of writing the BLOG. They may change in the future, so please check for yourself when you go on a trip.)