Four Recommended Spots in Furano, Hokkaido You Won’t Want to Miss

Kita no Kunikara is a TV series that is talked about to this day as a timeless TV masterpiece. Its popularity remains to this day, and there are many tourists who visit to see where it was filmed. Rokugo, which was the site of this series, retains some of the set from the time including the houses, so you can see how it was when it was filmed.

・Rokugo no Mori (The Forest of Rokugo) (Photo top and middle)

■Phone: 0167-23-3388 (Furano Tourism Association)　■Hours: 9:30 am - 5:30 pm (may change by season) ■Rates: 500 JPY, ticket package 1,200 JPY (includes Hirottekita Ie (The House Made From Gathered Materials), Rokugo no Mori (The Forest of Rokugo) and Goro no Ishi no Ie (Goro's Stone House))　■Closed: Late November - late April

・Goro no Ishi no Ie (Goro's Stone House) (photo bottom)

■Phone: 0167-23-3388 (Furano Tourist Association) ■Hours: 9:30 am - 6:00 pm (may change by season) ■Rates: 500 JPY, ticket package 1,200 JPY (includes Hirottekita Ie (The House Made From Gathered Materials), Rokugo no Mori (The Forest of Rokugo) and Goro no Ishi no Ie (Goro's Stone House)) ■Closed: When there is snow

This is a facility that consists of a workshop for original glassware including the famous SHIBARE frosting glassware, and an exhibition and sales space. Each of the glasswork that is created with the four seasons of Furano as the motif is a wonderfully expressive and charming piece of artwork. Reservations are recommended if you wish to participate in the glassmaking experience (1,000 JPY and up to make a glass bead, etc.)

■Phone: 0167-39-9088　■Hours: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm (Till 7:00 pm on some days during July and August)　■Closed: Unscheduled

This is a cheesemaking factory in a nature rich environment surrounded by Japanese white birch trees. You can see the cheesemaking room and fermentation chamber through a glass window and also taste various cheeses. There are also ice cream, butter and cheesemaking experiences available. The Wine Cheddar (802 JPY for a pack of three of 40g each) that has wine made in Furano mixed in and the freshly milked low temperature pasteurized milk from Furano (124 JPY for 180cc) are popular.

■Phone: 0167-23-1156 ■Hours: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (to 4 PM between November and March) ■Holidays: None ■Rates: Free to visit; handmaking workshops (700 JPY and up for butter, 880 JPY and up for cheese; reservations required)