, also known as Furano Ski Area, is a resort in

Furano, Hokkaido is a city in the prefecture of Hokkaido, Japan, located in the southern reaches of Kamikawa Subprefecture, under whose jurisdiction it resides. Well known throughout Japan as a tourism destination, it is famous for its lavender fields, the tele ...

, Japan, owned and operated by Prince Hotels. The resort became famous for its long-standing relationship with the

FIS Alpine Ski World Cup The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France ( ...

. In more recent years, it has held the mid-February Snowboarding World Cup, sponsored by Dydo Drinco. A view from the top of the slopes offers a panoramic view of the Furano Valley and the Tokachi Peak Mountain Range. Recently, there has been a sudden influx of interest from winter sports enthusiasts abroad, particularly from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, and the number of tourists has increased every year.

Ski season

The resorts generally operates from around the end of November to the beginning of May.

Accommodation

Accommodation is in three main areas. At the base of the Furano Zone, at the base of the Kitanomine Zone or in downtown Furano. There is a lot of accommodation around the base of the Kitanomine Zone within a short walk of the lifts. Accommodation includes hotels, pensions, western-style self-contained condominiums and backpackers. In the Furano Zone the only accommodation next to the lifts is the ski-in ski-out New Furano Prince Hotel.

Transport

The public bus service called Lavender runs from New Furano Prince Hotel via the Kitanomine resort area and then into downtown Furano. In addition to this there is a night Resort Shuttle Bus from New Furano Prince Hotel to downtown Furano via Kitanomine.

Airports

* Asahikawa Airport **This is the closest Airport to Furano. From Asahikawa Airport you can take a public bus service called Lavender. This is a public bus service and therefore cannot be paid in advance. Alternatively Hokkaido Resort Liner operate a reserved seat service. *

New Chitose Airport is an international airport located south-southeast of Chitose and Tomakomai, Hokkaidō, Japan, serving the Sapporo metropolitan area. By both traffic and land area, it is the largest airport in Hokkaidō. It is adjacent to Chitose Air Ba ...

** From New Chitose Airport Hokkaido Resort Liner operate a bus service several times a day directly to Furano. This bus must be booked in advance and only operates in winter.

Railways

Those coming from

Asahikawa is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo. It has been a core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well known for the Asahiy ...

may take the

Furano Line The is part of the Hokkaido Railway Company network in Hokkaidō, Japan. It connects Furano Station in the city of Furano and Asahikawa Station in the city of Asahikawa. Popular with tourists, it has recently come to serve commuters in the be ...

directly to

Furano Station is a railway station in Furano, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The station is numbered T30. Lines Furano Station is served by the following two lines. *Nemuro Main Line *Furano Line Station layout Th ...

. Those coming from the

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

, and Takikawa areas can go by way of the JR Nemuro Main Line. There is also a low-transit time Direct Limited Express Train that runs seasonally from Sapporo.

Buses

A bus route operated by Furano Bus Systems known as the Lavender Express runs between

Asahikawa Station is a railway station in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). Asahikawa Station is the central train station for the city of Asahikawa, which is the second largest city in Hokkaido by population af ...

, Asahikawa Airport, and Furano Station. The transit time from Asahikawa Station to the ski area is around one and a half hours. From the airport it takes roughly seventy minutes, and from those coming up from the town below, it is ten minutes from the train station. There are also direct routes running from various hotels inside the cities of Asahikawa and Sapporo, however these only run during the winter months. The Northliner, an intercity bus operating between Furano and

Obihiro is a city in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Obihiro is the only designated city in the Tokachi area. As of February 29, 2020, the city has an estimated population of 165,851. The next most populous municipality in Tokachi is the ...

, stops at , the large hospital in the heart of the city. A bus from Shimukappu also runs, however it avoids the ski resort area altogether, only going as far as Furano Station.

Automobiles

*National Highway 237, running very near the Asahikawa Airport, connects Asahikawa and Furano, reducing travel times and commuting stress. From New Chitose Airport and the Greater Sapporo Area, Hokkaido Prefectural Roads serve the needs of the busy traveller.

Ski slopes

*Furano Ski Resort is divided into two areas, the Furano Zone and the Kitanomine Zone. The 24 courses are serviced by a series of lifts and gondolas.

Lift statistics

References

External links

Furano Reviews

Hokkaido Ski Resort
{{coord, 43.324, 142.352, type:landmark_region:JP, display=title Ski areas and resorts in Hokkaido Prince Hotels Tourist attractions in Hokkaido