Biei Travel Guide: Blue Pond, Flower Fields and Getting Around

JGO! editorial team — WEBMARKS Inc. (Fujisawa, Kanagawa)

Biei lies between Asahikawa and Furano in Hokkaido. Two well-known stops illustrate different sides of a visit: Shirogane Blue Pond is a pond in a forested setting, while Shikisai-no-Oka is a flower-field attraction with seasonal admission and optional activities. They are separate destinations, so choose your transport and timing for each rather than assuming that one route connects them conveniently.

This guide compares the main charges, explains the access information published by the town and facilities, and sets out what to check before travelling. The Blue Pond can be reached by bus from JR Biei Station, but the published information here does not confirm the timetable or fare for a particular date. Check the return service before you leave, and plan around the actual transport you can use.

Biei’s scenery includes working farmland, not just visitor attractions. Enjoy views from permitted public places, keep out of fields even when they are covered in snow, and follow local guidance about roads and parking.

Biei at a glance: compare the main stops

The Blue Pond and Shikisai-no-Oka suit different plans and have different kinds of charges. At the pond, the charges below are for parking; at Shikisai-no-Oka, general admission and parking are separate costs. The prices and hours in this comparison were checked on 5 November 2026, but check the official pages again for your travel date.

For the pond, the Biei Tourism Association lists the revised parking rates effective from 1 July 2026. The Tokachidake Geopark page also shows an older ordinary-car price of ¥500, so use the association’s revised listing for planning rather than treating the older amount as current. Check the Blue Pond visitor information again before travelling, especially if your plans depend on parking hours.

Shikisai-no-Oka’s visitor guide and access page distinguish admission from parking and optional activities. That distinction matters when comparing costs: the admission price does not include alpaca-farm access or rides, and June–September parking is an additional cash charge. See the facility’s visitor guide and access information for the published details.

As a simple example, two visitors in the high-school-and-older category would pay ¥1,600 in general admission during the listed July–September period. If they also park a car during the June–September paid-parking period, the listed ¥500 parking charge brings those specified costs to ¥2,100. This is a calculation from the published charges, not a package price; it does not include transport, food, optional activities, or any other costs.

Getting around Biei

The town says Asahikawa Airport is about 15 minutes from Biei by car. The Biei Tourism Association gives an approximate journey of 20 minutes from JR Biei Station to the Blue Pond by car or Dohoku Bus. These are individual travel estimates, not a door-to-door itinerary or a guarantee of the time needed to reach several attractions in one day.

For a bus visit to the pond, identify the stop listed as Shirogane Aoi Ike Iriguchi. Before setting out, check the operator’s current timetable and fare for your date, and note the return departure you intend to take. The official facility information available here does not establish the service time or price for a specific journey, so do not plan around an assumed departure or fare. Leave enough time at the pond to reach the stop and make your chosen return service.

For Shikisai-no-Oka, the facility lists a 25-minute walk from JR Bibaushi Station. Bibaushi is an unattended station, so check train times in both directions before choosing this route. The walk from Bibaushi is separate from the Blue Pond bus route; do not assume the two attractions can be combined conveniently without checking the connections and time available on your travel date. The facility’s access page is the relevant place to confirm its published station access and parking information.

If you are driving, Biei’s town tourism information describes free public parking near JR Biei Station and encourages visitors to park there and transfer to public transport. The town also publishes a congestion map for major attractions, including Tokachidake Bogakudai. Check the Biei Town tourism page when deciding where to go, and use the congestion information as one input to your plans rather than assuming that a particular site or road will be clear.

A practical way to prepare is to decide first whether you are relying on a car, bus, train, or a combination. Then verify the service for each separate leg, including the return, and compare those times with the opening information for the attraction. If any connection is not confirmed, avoid building a tightly timed visit around it.

Visiting the Blue Pond

The Blue Pond is in the Shirogane area of Biei. Tokachidake Geopark explains that the pond formed when water accumulated upstream of a barrier built as a mudflow countermeasure; standing trees in the pond include larch and birch. Knowing how the pond formed gives the landscape context beyond its use as a photographic stop. The geopark’s Blue Pond description gives the geological explanation.

At the parking entrance, visitors take a parking ticket, and ordinary vehicles and large vehicles use different entrances. Follow the signs for your vehicle when you arrive rather than assuming that all traffic uses one entrance. The published seasonal times refer to parking access, so check the current site guidance separately for any other visitor conditions or changes before travelling.

The Biei Tourism Association lists the Blue Pond as about 20 minutes from JR Biei Station by car or Dohoku Bus. For the bus, the nearest stop identified by the geopark is Shirogane Aoi Ike Iriguchi. The approximate travel time does not tell you which service to take or when it returns, so check the operator’s current information and leave enough time to get back to your departure point.

In the snowy winter period, the blue water surface is not visible. The pond may therefore look different from photographs taken in another season, and a winter visit should not be planned on the assumption that the water will have its familiar appearance. Never walk onto the frozen pond, and do not throw stones or rubbish into it; the visitor-manners guidance states these restrictions.

Do not rely on an old winter illumination schedule as if it applied to your travel date. The association’s page retains information from a previous season, and the 2026 winter schedule has not been confirmed in the official information used for this guide. Check the tourism association’s current Blue Pond page if an evening visit or illumination is important to your plans.

Accessibility also needs advance attention. The geopark notes that there is an unpaved area beside the pond and that wheelchair movement there can be difficult; it also lists a wheelchair-accessible toilet. If step-free access is essential, check the current route and ground conditions locally before setting out rather than assuming that every part of the viewing area is accessible.

Visiting Shikisai-no-Oka

Shikisai-no-Oka is in Shinsei Daisan, Biei. Its visitor guide says that it operates throughout the year except on 31 December and 1 January, while opening hours and admission conditions vary by season. The listed November–December hours are 09:10–16:30, but those hours should not be applied to other months. Use the facility’s visitor guide to check the information for your actual date.

For July–September, general admission is ¥800 for visitors of high-school age and older, ¥500 for elementary- and junior-high-school students, and free for children below elementary-school age. Access to the alpaca farm and use of rides cost extra, so do not treat them as part of the general admission price. Confirm any optional activity’s current charge directly with the facility before budgeting for it.

The facility lists a 25-minute walk from JR Bibaushi Station, which is unattended. If you plan to walk from the station, check the train in both directions and allow for the walk as part of your visit plan. That station route does not itself provide a connection to the Blue Pond, so verify any onward transport separately.

Parking is charged at Shikisai-no-Oka during June–September: the listed fee is ¥500 per use, payable in cash. Motorcycle and bicycle parking are listed as free. If you are comparing a car visit with a train-and-walk visit, keep parking separate from admission, and check the facility’s current access information before travelling.

A pair of visitors aged high-school level or older would pay ¥1,600 in general admission in July–September. Add one ¥500 car-parking charge if they park during the June–September paid period, and the two listed charges total ¥2,100. This example uses only the published admission and parking amounts; it is not a ticket bundle and excludes optional activities and all other expenses.

The visitor information available for this guide does not clearly establish whether general admission requires a reservation. Do not infer a booking rule from the listed prices or opening hours. If a reservation question affects your plans, contact the facility through its official visitor information before you go.

Choose your season and respect the countryside

Start with the conditions you want to see rather than assuming that every season looks like a familiar photograph. The Blue Pond’s water surface is not visible in the snowy winter period, while Shikisai-no-Oka’s hours and admission information vary by season. Check both sites for your travel dates, and treat photographs from a different month as examples of another season, not a promise of what you will encounter.

Biei’s fields are working farmland, not open visitor areas. The tourism association warns that soil carried on shoes can harm crops and asks visitors to stay out of fields, including fields covered by snow. Keep to permitted public places even if a field looks empty or seems like a convenient place to take a photograph.

The association also asks visitors to use paved roads rather than entering farm roads or gravel roads. Do not stop in a way that takes you onto farmland or an unapproved road for a better view. Read the Biei visitor-manners page before choosing photo stops, and follow signs and local instructions at the site.

Driving and parking choices can also affect how smoothly a visit works. Biei provides free public parking near JR Biei Station and promotes transferring from a parked car to public transport; the town’s tourism page links to congestion information for major destinations. Check the town tourism page and congestion map when planning your route, then confirm that the transport you intend to use is actually available for your date.

For a straightforward pre-trip check, confirm the destination’s seasonal hours and charges first. Next, check the current bus or train timetable and the return journey, allowing for the actual route between stops rather than relying on a rough travel estimate. Finally, review access conditions and countryside guidance, and keep a fallback plan if the transport connection you need is not available.

Visitor videos and frequently asked questions

The following traveller videos offer different seasonal or route ideas: Let’s Go Today presents a car-free Blue Pond and Shikisai-no-Oka trip; Janine desu presents a winter journey through Asahikawa, Biei, and Furano; and Yellow Productions introduces Biei as a destination. SKENROOM has a one-minute Biei travel video, while Hokkaido 4K Travel Guide presents a Japanese-titled map and landscape tour of Biei’s hills. TiewJourney presents a Thai-language summer trip featuring Biei and Furano.

Use traveller videos as inspiration, not as current transport or facility guidance. A video may show a different season, route, or set of conditions from the ones you will encounter, and the published details here do not verify the schedules or prices shown in those videos. Check the official town, operator, and facility information for the date you plan to travel.

Can I reach the Blue Pond from JR Biei Station by bus?

Yes. The Biei Tourism Association gives an approximate journey time of 20 minutes from JR Biei Station by Dohoku Bus, and the geopark identifies Shirogane Aoi Ike Iriguchi as the nearest bus stop. Check the operator’s current timetable and fare for your date, including the return departure, because the facility information used here does not confirm a particular service or price.

Can I see the Blue Pond’s blue water in winter?

The tourism association says that the water surface is not visible during the snowy winter period. The pond may therefore differ from the familiar images of its blue water, so consider the season when deciding whether the visit fits your expectations. Do not walk onto the frozen pond, and do not throw stones or rubbish into it.

How much is Blue Pond parking?

The Biei Tourism Association lists rates effective from 1 July 2026 of ¥1,000 for an ordinary car, ¥300 for a motorcycle, and ¥6,000 for a vehicle at least 6 m long. Parking is ticket-based, and ordinary and large vehicles use different entrances. Check the current association listing before travelling; the older ¥500 ordinary-car figure shown on another page is not the revised rate.

Can I walk from Bibaushi Station to Shikisai-no-Oka?

The facility lists a 25-minute walk from JR Bibaushi Station, which is unattended. Check the train times in both directions and the facility’s seasonal hours before setting out. The station walk does not establish a connection to the Blue Pond, so check any onward route separately.

Is Shikisai-no-Oka admission the same as its optional activities?

No. The listed general admission is separate from alpaca-farm access and rides, which cost extra. For July–September, general admission is ¥800 for high-school age and older, ¥500 for elementary- and junior-high-school students, and free for children below elementary-school age; confirm optional charges and any reservation arrangements with the facility.

Information in this guide was checked on 5 November 2026 against Biei Town, the Biei Tourism Association, Tokachidake Geopark, and Shikisai-no-Oka. Transport schedules and fares for a particular travel date, and the 2026 winter illumination schedule, were not confirmed by the facility information used here.