Furano & Biei

This part of Hokkaido was opened up to large-scale farming from the late nineteenth century, and the patchwork of fields seen today is a working agricultural landscape. Lavender became a signature crop in the Furano area in the mid-twentieth century: Farm Tomita's Traditional Lavender Field dates from 1958 and is described by the official Hokkaido tourism site as one of Japan's oldest lavender fields.

The Blue Pond was something of an accident. It formed when an erosion-control system was built in 1988 to protect Biei from volcanic mudflows from Mt Tokachi, and water carrying minerals from the Shirahige Falls area collected behind it. Its colour comes from fine particles in the water scattering sunlight.

Furano and Biei are farming communities first, and the fields that visitors photograph belong to working farmers who grow wheat, potatoes, vegetables and flowers. Biei wheat is used by local bakeries and shops. Residents have asked visitors to respect their fields and daily routines, and the Biei Tourism Association publishes a set of requests on etiquette, reflecting how closely tourism and farm life sit side by side here.