Biei
美瑛43°35′ N 142°28′ ETownPop. 9,143Furano
Biei's rolling farm hills sit between Asahikawa and Furano, and the town makes a calm base for Shirogane Onsen and the Tokachidake volcanoes.
Photo by Héloïse Appourchaux on Unsplash and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay in Biei for a quiet, central base between Furano and Asahikawa with fast access to Shirogane and Tokachidake. It suits touring riders and photographers with a car.
The name
piye
ピイェOily, greasy
ainu
The town is named for the Biei River. Its headwaters run off the Tokachidake volcanoes, and sulphur in the water made it look cloudy and oily, which the Ainu name describes; this is Yamada Hidezō's reading. The same minerals tint the Blue Pond at Shirogane today.
SourceEat · 食べる
Yōshoku to Café Junpei洋食とCafe じゅんぺいcafe¥
A yōshoku café a few minutes from Biei Station known for its overflowing ebi-don of fried prawns. Lunch only, 11:00–15:00 until sold out; closed Mondays.
Family Restaurant Daimarushokudo¥
A family diner in Nakamachi for Biei curry udon and tonkatsu. Lunch 11:00–15:00; closed Wednesdays.
Restaurant Aspergeアスペルジュfine¥¥¥
French cooking built around Biei vegetables, inside the Biei Senka market in Ōmachi. Open from 11:00; closed Wednesdays.
bi.blebi.blefine¥¥¥¥
This auberge and bakery in an old schoolhouse in the hills serves French courses at lunch and dinner. Closed Tuesdays; book ahead.
Kareya Amadeuscurry¥
This curry shop next to the station opens 11:00–15:00 every day of the year.
Kametsuruizakaya¥¥
Kametsuru grills Biei wagyu over charcoal in Nakamachi and is one of the few places in town open for dinner. Closed Tuesdays.
Drink · 飲む
Jikabaisen Coffee Goshcoffee
This roaster in Bibaushi south of town now serves coffee and baked goods only. Open 11:00–17:00; closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Do · 遊ぶ
Calistemon / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Shirogane Blue Pond light-upsight
Dead larch trunks standing in the frozen pond are lit in shifting colours every evening from late October 2026 to April 2027, until 21:00. Parking is paid at the gate.
663highland / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5 Shirahige Fallssight
Water spills out of the cliff into a blue river at Shirogane, and you watch it from the bridge in the onsen village.
663highland / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5 Shirogane Onsenactivity
A small onsen village at the foot of Tokachidake with several hotels offering day bathing.
663highland / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5 Patchwork Road and Panorama Roadwalk
Drive or snowshoe the farm roads west and south of town for the famous trees and hills. Stay on roads and paths, because the fields are private farmland.
Biei is the patchwork hill country that ends up on postcards. Long swells of farmland broken by windbreaks of birch and larch run to the horizon, and here and there a single tree stands on a ridgeline. In winter all of it goes white and the shapes get stronger. On a clear morning after a storm the low sun throws blue shadows across every fold, and the Tokachidake range stands behind it all with steam drifting off the summit.
For riders it sits in the middle of everything. Shirogane Onsen and the Tokachidake touring zone are about 30 minutes up the valley, and the other big hills of the central region are all within about an hour. The town itself is small and eats early. At lunch the yōshoku café Junpei near the station is famous for its prawn bowl, and Daimaru serves the local curry udon. Inside the Biei Senka market, Asperge cooks French food around the town's vegetables. After dark, drive up to the Blue Pond, where the larch trunks standing in the frozen pond are lit until 21:00 through the winter.
Quick answers about Bieiよくある質問
What does the name Biei mean?
Biei comes from the local name piye, meaning oily, greasy. The town is named for the Biei River. Its headwaters run off the Tokachidake volcanoes, and sulphur in the water made it look cloudy and oily, which the Ainu name describes; this is Yamada Hidezō's reading. The same minerals tint the Blue Pond at Shirogane today.
Is Biei a good place to stay?
Stay in Biei for a quiet, central base between Furano and Asahikawa with fast access to Shirogane and Tokachidake. It suits touring riders and photographers with a car.
How do you get to Biei?
JR Furano Line trains stop at Biei between Asahikawa and Furano. Dohoku Bus runs from Biei Station to the Blue Pond and Shirogane Onsen. Asahikawa Airport is about 20 minutes away by car.
Ride from Biei近くの山
Hot springs nearby温泉
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