Furano
富良野43°21′ N 142°23′ ECityPop. 19,394Furano
A farm town in the middle of Hokkaido with a World Cup ski hill on its edge and a food scene built on its own vegetables.
Volcanic alert
Tokachidake is at volcanic alert level 3
The Japan Meteorological Agency raised Tokachidake to level 3 on 12 September 2026, which restricts entry around the crater. Fukiage Onsen Hakugin-so and the Fukiage Roten-no-yu outdoor bath are closed, and Ryounkaku has asked guests who couldn't evacuate quickly to stay away for now. Check the JMA bulletin before you plan any tour on the Tokachi range.
Checked 2026-10 · jma.go.jp
Photo by Sung Jin Cho on Unsplash and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Base in Furano for long groomed runs and day trips to Tokachidake and the Daisetsuzan volcanoes. It suits riders who want dry snow and short lift lines in a working farm town.
The name
hura-nu-i
フラヌイThe place that has a smell
ainu
The widely accepted reading. The Furano River rises on the Tokachidake volcanoes and carries the smell of sulphur, and the Ainu name described the river and the land around it. Kamifurano ('upper Furano') and Nakafurano take their names from the same word.
SourceEat · 食べる
Yuiga Doxon唯我独尊curry¥
A log cabin by the station famous for curry topped with its own smoked sausages. Open 11:00–21:00; closed Mondays.
MIKI Yoshihito. (#mikiyoshihito) / Flickr · CC BY 2.0 Kumageraくまげらizakaya¥¥
Kumagera cooks regional food in a wooden dining room in Hinode-machi, with local beef and big hot pots on the menu. Open 11:30–22:00; closed Wednesdays.
Ramen Shina Tora支那虎ramen¥
The in-town ramen and tsukemen shop in Saiwai-cho. Lunch and dinner; closed Mondays, and it shuts early if the soup runs out.
Furano Tomikawa富良野とみ川ramen¥
Noodles made from house-milled flour with no artificial flavourings, out in the farming village of Rokugo. Lunch only, 11:00–15:00; closed Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Furano Yacurry¥
This Yayoi-cho shop serves soup curry every day 11:30–20:00.
Douglas Perkins / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 Furano Wine Houseふらのワインハウスfine¥¥
This hilltop restaurant on Shimizuyama above the town serves cheese fondue and local wine from 11:00 to 20:00.
Soba Kodamayasoba¥
This soba and ramen shop in Saiwai-cho near the station opens 11:00–20:30; closed Tuesdays.
Sendai Blog / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 Kashi Kobo Furano Delice菓子工房フラノデリスbakery¥
The cake shop on the hill outside town, known for puddings made with Furano milk. Open 10:00–17:00; closed Wednesdays.
Drink · 飲む
Drivephotographer / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 Furano Wine Factorybar
The town winery's cellar and shop on a hill above Furano opens for tastings most days 9:00–17:00, including in winter.
663highland / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5 Coffee Mori no Tokeicoffee
The forest café by the New Furano Prince Hotel built for the TV drama 'Yasashii Jikan', where you grind your own beans at the counter.
Do · 遊ぶ
663highland / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Ningle Terraceshop
Craft shops fill log cabins along a boardwalk in the forest beside the New Furano Prince Hotel, and the whole place lights up after dark. It reopens for winter in late November.
Douglas Perkins / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 Furano Cheese Factoryshop
A cheese dairy with tastings and a pizza workshop that uses its own mozzarella.
Night riding at Furanoactivity
The Kitanomine zone runs lights in the evening through the main season; check the resort for the night schedule.
Furano sits in a wide basin in the dead centre of Hokkaido, and in January it is properly cold. Mornings below minus twenty are common in a cold snap. The snow comes down dry and light, and the air over the town has the hard blue clarity you only get inland. The town itself is small and practical, with farm supply stores and low houses laid out in a grid around the JR station. The ski area starts at the edge of town, and the Kitanomine zone has its own little strip of lodges and bars at the base.
The mountain hosted World Cup races and still rides like a racer's hill, with long fall-line pitches off the ropeway and gates into the trees and bowls beyond the boundary on good days. It is far less crowded than Niseko. Tokachidake and the Daisetsuzan touring zones are within an hour, which makes Furano the natural base for a mix of resort and backcountry days. The 2026/27 season is set to open on 28 November.
Eat well here, because the town grows most of what it serves. The local dish is omu-curry, where an omelette sits on curry rice with a little flag on top. Yuiga Doxon by the station serves its curry with its own smoked sausages, and a few blocks away Kumagera cooks local beef and big hot pots in a wooden dining room. For ramen, Shina Tora in Saiwai-cho is the in-town bowl, and Tomikawa out in Rokugo makes its own noodles from home-milled flour.
At night the craft cabins of Ningle Terrace glow under the snow in the forest by the New Furano Prince Hotel. Next to them is Mori no Tokei, the café built for the TV drama 'Yasashii Jikan'. On a hill above town, Furano Wine Factory pours local Müller-Thurgau most days through winter.
Quick answers about Furanoよくある質問
What does the name Furano mean?
Furano comes from the local name hura-nu-i, meaning the place that has a smell. The widely accepted reading. The Furano River rises on the Tokachidake volcanoes and carries the smell of sulphur, and the Ainu name described the river and the land around it. Kamifurano ('upper Furano') and Nakafurano take their names from the same word.
Is Furano a good place to stay?
Base in Furano for long groomed runs and day trips to Tokachidake and the Daisetsuzan volcanoes. It suits riders who want dry snow and short lift lines in a working farm town.
How do you get to Furano?
Asahikawa Airport is the closest, about an hour by the Lavender-go bus. JR Furano Line trains run from Asahikawa via Biei and Kamifurano. Highway buses connect Furano with Sapporo in about two and a half hours.
Ride from Furano近くの山
Stay in Furano宿
Hot springs nearby温泉
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