Lavender Fields of Farm Tomita at Furano, Hokkaido, Japan

I would love to see the famous rainbow field of flowers or to be surrounded by lavender along the hills of Farm Tomita, but like most of us whose vacation schedule depends on the approval of the higher power (Hi Boss! I believe he knew about my blog),I visited the farm one week prior the winter closing season, I was prepared to see nothing but empty fields but what I did not expect is how much I still enjoyed my visit.

Allow me to show you around the farm and hopefully, it will give you more reason to include Hokkaido on your trip to Japan, though I would recommend Summer as the best season, as they say “just when the flowers are in full bloom”.

Farm Tomita is one of the main reason that draws tourist to Hokkaido, to the town of Naka-Furano specifically. With hectares of lands divided to five different fields depending on the type of flowers planted, not only the farm attracts blooms enthusiast but it is a photography haven as well, as inspired by the picture of the lavender farm at the Japan Rail calendar.

The most famous image of the Farm Tomita is the one taken at Sakiwai Field(top image) or maybe at the Traditional Lavender field, where 4 variations of lavenders are planted- Kamurasaki,Yotei, Hanamoiwa, and the dark purple Noushihayazaki.

Hanabito field is where California poppies and marigolds can be found, giving a rich variation of red-yellow colors to the predominant purple shade of the Sakiwai field. On top of the Hanabito field is the Green House, that can be entered anytime and observe the farmers busy working and preparing for the next season.

Sage, cosmos and cleome blooms covers the Autumn Field while the blooming flowers of chive, iceland poppies and oriental poppies at the Spring Field is like a reminder on how the region of Hokkaido yearly survives the harsh winter condition.

There were less than ten visitors during my trip and as I have mentioned earlier there were more empty flower fields than the occupied one but when I think about it, there is something kind of poetic seeing the vacant land, as if it shows a cycle of existence- a time to sow and a time to reap.

From a simple lavender field started by Tokuma Tomita in 1903 for the purpose of harvesting essential oil, Farm Tomita is now a complete facility producing an expanded lavender product range, which all of these can be enjoyed inside the Potpourri house.

I bought tea and soaps for omiyage(souvenir) and to culminate my day, a cone of lavender ice cream.

During the summer months, special train station (Lavender Batake Station) and tourist bus (Lavender Go bus) are setup by Japan Railways in order to cater for the overwhelming number of tourists, which reduces the time needed to reach the farm from JR Naka-Furano by walk from 25 minutes to 3. But if you visit off-season like me, it can be quite costly and you might resort to taking a cab, attributing to the limited train per hour that travels to JR Naka-Furano station.

I don’t mind the 25 minutes or make it an hour walk, in fact I encourage you to cycle or walk in Hokkaido because it allows you to appreciate the beauty of its openness, a glimpse on the residents daily lives and not mentioning how truly nature-gifted the region is, just imagine having the last photo as your backyard, just amazing.