By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team
Every June, when Hokkaido is at its most vibrant and colorful, Biei Town and Furano transform into vast seas of blossoms. Purple lavender proudly blooms, while a myriad of colorful flowers create rainbow-hued hills that are simply breathtaking. Beyond the flower seas, Hokkaido’s famous Unkai Terrace offers one of summer’s must-see views—a majestic sea of clouds cascading nearby, giving visitors the thrilling sensation of floating among the clouds.
Visit the Unkai Terrace at Hokkaido’s Hoshino Resorts Tomamu to experience the thrill of floating on clouds—no plane ride required. (Image provided by Hoshino Resorts Tomamu)
Located at Hoshino Resorts Tomamu in Hokkaido, the Unkai Terrace has been open since 2012. With a single ticket, visitors can take a cable car directly to the terrace, ascending to an altitude of 1,088 meters. As you get closer to the surging sea of clouds and sip coffee, you can start your day surrounded by heavenly views. The best time to visit is around dawn at 6 or 7 AM, when a pristine white blanket of clouds reveals the Hidaka and Tokachi mountain ranges slowly emerging from the mist. Please note that depending on weather conditions, the sea of clouds may not be visible or the terrace may be closed. Visitors planning to go can call the Unkai Dial (Unkai Dail) hotline or check the official Hoshino Resorts Tomamu website for daily operating status and cloud sea visibility probabilities.
A variety of flowers come together to form a vibrant patchwork sea of blooms. (Image source: matome)
Beyond the sea of clouds, summer flower fields are another stunning spectacle not to be missed. Among the most popular flower-viewing spots are Biei Town and Furano. Located in the Kamikawa region of central Hokkaido, Biei Town is famed for its picturesque rolling hills and expansive flower seas, making it one of Hokkaido’s top travel destinations. A rich tapestry of flowers creates a rainbow-quilted landscape, interwoven with lavender, sunflowers, poppies, cosmos, and purple salvia. Among the many attractions, Patchwork Road and Shikisai no Oka (Seasons of Flowers Hill) offer particularly moving floral views, along with the captivating scenery of gazing at the horizon from atop the hills.
Vast lavender fields and distant rolling mountains form one of Hokkaido’s most beautiful vistas. (Image source: miutour)
Not just lavender—various bright-hued flowers also bloom vibrantly in the summer. (Image source: furanotourism)
Another favorite among visitors is Furano, located right in the heart of Hokkaido. With its year-round scenic charm, visitors can enjoy endless lavender fields as well as blooming lupines and tulips starting in May, followed by blue salvia and yellow poppies in June. The romantic lavender begins to paint Furano in dreamy shades of purple from late June, peaking in July. Sunflowers and cosmos stand out brilliantly under the radiant summer sun. Then in September and October, fields of rapeseed flowers and dahlias come into full bloom.
Sunflowers bloom brightly, heralding the height of summer. (Image source: portal.hokuryu)
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