Tokachidake Observatory — Attraction in Biei

We visited in early October, when the Autumn leaves were stunning. The views of the valley and up towards the peak were both outstanding. You wouldn't want to go if all you could see were clouds. It hadn't been perfect weather that day, yet still the car park was busy. It's a very popular place, not least because even with a short walk we could see the crater of the volcano and numerous steam jets coming out of the side of the mountain. Incredible!!

The information centre is fascinating, with general information about volcanoes as well as lots of details about this one and its place in the geology and ecosystem of the area.

It's a very worthwhile trip, if the...

Takachidake has an open carpark with access to washroom and vending machines as a pit stop, but its also a place many locals drive their 4WD and vans up and camp out of their cars with lawn chairs and all to enjoy the presence and air of nature.

Trekking to the volcano crater is possible but hard so its not for the elderly or individuals that can't walk on uneven and loose gravel.

If you are driving and have time to spare, do spend a cooling afternoon hiking up "The Roof of...

After the visit to the Blue Pond, we continued our journey through the hills and we were really glad to stop at the vista point. We lucked out that the storm had passed a couple days earlier so was sunny and quite pleasantly warm even though the ground had snow and the mountains were snow covered. Great vista point to view the 360 degrees of the mountain ranges and the Biei and Furano valleys below in the DaiSetSuZan (Big Snow Mountain) national park. Worth the stop for some...