Tokachi
Tokachi is the great farming plain of eastern Hokkaido, centred on the city of Obihiro and ringed by the Hidaka and Daisetsuzan ranges, about an hour and a half by air from Tokyo.
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Journeys
- One of our journeys
overview
A wide plain of wheat and beans beneath the Hidaka range, and the great gardens of the Hokkaido Garden Path.
Tokachi is the largest plain in Hokkaido, a sweep of farmland with the Hidaka mountains along its western edge and the Daisetsuzan range to the north. It was settled in the 1880s by a company of farmers from Shizuoka, who cleared the forest by hand, and it now grows a large share of Japan's wheat, potatoes, sugar beet and azuki beans, with dairy herds on the uplands. The fields are set in great rectangles divided by windbreaks of larch and poplar, and from any rise the plain looks like a quilt.
In recent decades Tokachi has also become known for its gardens. Several of the best gardens in Japan in the English and naturalistic manner lie on the plain, and with gardens in Furano and Asahikawa they form the Hokkaido Garden Path, a route of some 250 kilometres linking eight gardens across central Hokkaido. The light, the cool air and the fertile soil suit perennials and meadow planting, and the gardeners here work on a large scale.
The plain feeds the whole country in other ways. Obihiro is the sweets capital of Hokkaido, built on Tokachi butter, milk and azuki beans, and the region makes much of Japan's natural cheese. The city also keeps two traditions rare anywhere in Japan: the moor onsen of Tokachigawa, whose water is coloured by ancient plants, and ban'ei, a race for heavy draught horses run only in Obihiro.
see and do
What to see in Tokachi
Tokachi Millennium Forest
A garden of some 400 hectares in the forest of Shimizu, at the foot of the Hidaka mountains, with a meadow garden by a celebrated English designer, an earth garden of grassy waves, and a forest garden of native trees.
Manabe Garden
A conifer nursery on the edge of Obihiro, opened as a garden in 1966, laid out as a Japanese garden, a European garden and a landscape garden of spruces, firs and pines.
Shichiku Garden
A flower garden on the plain near Obihiro, begun by a farming family and grown to hundreds of varieties of perennials, roses and annuals in a series of garden rooms.
Rokka no Mori
A garden and forest in Nakasatsunai planted with the wildflowers of Tokachi painted on the wrapping paper of an Obihiro confectioner, with small galleries among the trees.
Tokachi Hills
A garden on a hill in Makubetsu, with flower borders, a vegetable garden and views across the whole plain to the Hidaka mountains.
Tokachigawa Onsen
An onsen town on the Tokachi River, a quarter of an hour from Obihiro, whose amber moor water, coloured by ancient plant matter, is soft on the skin and rare in the world.
Ban'ei racing at Obihiro
The last course where ban'ei is run: horses of about a tonne pull iron sleds over two sand hills, guided by drivers walking behind, a tradition of the farming settlers of Hokkaido.
Ikeda Wine Castle
The winery of the town of Ikeda, which began making wine in the 1960s, with cellars and a tasting room in a hilltop building over the plain.
Lake Shikaribetsu
The highest lake in Hokkaido, at about 800 metres, in the forest of Daisetsuzan National Park on the northern edge of the plain, with an onsen on its shore.
experiences
The best of Tokachi
The gardens with a garden specialist
A day on the Hokkaido Garden Path with a guide who knows plants, from the meadow and earth gardens of the Millennium Forest to the borders of Shichiku and Manabe.
An evening in the moor onsen
A night at a ryokan in Tokachigawa Onsen, with the amber water of the moor springs in an open-air onsen above the river, and dinner of Tokachi beef and vegetables.
The taste of the plain
An afternoon among Obihiro's confectioners and cheesemakers, tasting the butter, cream, beans and cheese of Tokachi, and butadon, the bowl of rice and grilled pork that began in the city.
Ban'ei at Obihiro
An afternoon at Obihiro racecourse watching the great draught horses haul their sleds over the sand hills, a sight of old Hokkaido kept alive.
plan your visit
Tokachi on a journey through Japan
- How long to stay
- One full day for the gardens, and two nights at Tokachigawa Onsen to add the plain, the city of Obihiro and an evening in the moor onsen.
- Getting there
- By air from Tokyo Haneda to Tokachi-Obihiro Airport in about an hour and a half. From Sapporo by limited express train in about two and a half hours, and from Furano by private car in about an hour and a half.
journeys
Tours of Japan that include Tokachi
Open a journey below for its route, its dates and its price. On dates of your own, a Custom Tour of Japan can bring you here and anywhere else in Japan you would like to go.
questions
Tokachi: questions answered
What is the Hokkaido Garden Path?
A route of some 250 kilometres linking eight gardens across central Hokkaido, from Asahikawa through Furano to Tokachi, including the Tokachi Millennium Forest, Manabe Garden, Shichiku Garden, Rokka no Mori and Tokachi Hills.
How do you get to Tokachi?
By air from Tokyo Haneda to Tokachi-Obihiro Airport in about an hour and a half, by limited express train from Sapporo in about two and a half hours, or by car from Furano in about an hour and a half.
What is moor onsen?
Moor onsen is hot spring water that has passed through ancient plant deposits, giving it an amber colour and a soft feel. Tokachigawa Onsen is one of the few places in the world where it rises.
What is Tokachi famous for?
Farming above all: wheat, potatoes, beans and dairy, and the sweets and cheese made from them. It is also known for its gardens, the moor onsen of Tokachigawa and ban'ei horse racing in Obihiro.
What food is Obihiro known for?
Butadon, a bowl of rice topped with grilled pork in a sweet soy glaze, which began in Obihiro, and the cakes and confectionery made with Tokachi butter, cream and azuki beans.
Which Luxury Japan Travel journeys include Tokachi?
The Summer Tour of Hokkaido visits Tokachi for the day. On dates of your own, a Custom Tour of Japan can include Tokachi too.
Can Tokachi be part of a private tour of Japan?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director, and it can go anywhere in the country, Tokachi included. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.
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Every place in Hokkaido
Tokachi, planned for you.
Tell us when you would like to travel and what draws you to Tokachi, and we will answer with the journey that suits you best: one of our published tours, a journey of The Private Collection, or a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone.