Biei Travel Guide

Biei Shrine is a shrine in Biei, Kamikawa, Hokkaido, enshrining the guardian deity of the Biei area. Set amid Biei's famous farm scenery, its grounds are lush and quiet, a centre of local worship and festivals. While visiting, you can also take in the Biei hills; the shrine is near sightseeing routes such as Patchwork Road and Shikisai-no-Oka, making it a good stop for worship while touring the Biei hills by car, taking in the faith and scenery of this farm town.

'Hill with the Red Roof' (Akai Yane no Aru Oka) in Fukutomi, Biei, is a classic postcard view: a red-roofed farmhouse among rolling farmland hills, often used in TV commercials and photography. Free to view year-round, the red roof can be seen from the JR Furano Line trains or from the nearby Shin-ei-no-Oka View Park—one of the most photogenic stops along the Patchwork Road. The house and fields are private property, so view and shoot from the roadside.

Jet Coaster Road is a stretch of country road in Biei, Hokkaidō, famous for rolling hills whose ups and downs mimic the track of a roller coaster; driving or cycling along it feels like riding an aerial train as the pavement rises and falls across the terrain. On either side lies the classic Biei 'patchwork' landscape — multicoloured fields of potatoes and wheat, solitary trees and red-roofed farmhouses, with the palette shifting through the seasons: fresh green in early summer, flower seas in midsummer, gold in autumn and snow-white hills in winter. There are no fences or tickets; it is purely a 'road attraction' beloved by drivers and cyclists, with small pull-offs every so often for photo stops. The light is softest at dawn and dusk, making it a classic spot for photographers chasing the 'Hokkaidō window view' and a standard stop on any Biei hill-country loop.

Zerubu-no-oka (Zerubu Hill) is a tourist farm beside Route 237 in Daisan, Biei, known for flower fields of some 30 seasonal varieties and 3,000 lavender plants against the Tokachi range and Daisetsu mountains. Visitors tour the fields by buggy or cart, the lookout frames the Ken and Mary tree, and the restaurant serves lavender soft-serve and Genghis Khan grilled lamb.

Shinei-no-oka View Park sits on the hills of Bibaushi in Biei, Hokkaido, along the Patchwork Road. From its crest a 360-degree panorama opens over Biei's rolling patchwork hills and red-roofed hamlets; to the east rise the Tokachi volcanic group—led by 2,077 m Mount Tokachi—and the far Daisetsu range, while the western slope is a celebrated sunset viewpoint. Sunflowers, salvia and other blooms carpet the park from summer into autumn, and from July to September a small shop sells farm-fresh milk treats. Entry and parking (30 cars) are free; the park closes during the snowy season. It is a classic stop on any Biei driving or cycling loop.