Your Essential Itinerary For Spring Skiing In Furano

Been eyeing up a Furano ski trip this spring but don’t know where to start?

Yep, that’s the catch-22 of booking into an emerging resort. Sure, there’s less crowds on the slopes, a more traditional Japanese experience due to a smaller tourism market, and much cheaper restaurants around town, but with less of a tourism market, it can also make it hard to find info to help you plan out an itinerary...

So we wanted to give you a rundown, providing you with a proposed of local knowledge to help you plan out an epic 7-day getaway this spring. 

Day 1 - Get Kitted And Fitted

Alright, you’ve touched into Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport, grabbed a rental car, and now you’re approaching Furano. Now, what?

First things first, let’s pick up our rental car and then head to our accom to check in. After that, we recommend heading towards Rhythm Furano to pick up your ski/snowboard rentals and get fitted (yes, if you’ve pre-booked, you can collect them from 1pm the day before your rental period starts). 

Once you’re kitted and fitted, we’re going to suggest walking around the corner and visiting our Furano Locker Room, where you’ll be able to store your gear overnight and have it safely waiting for you right opposite the Kitanomine gondolas. 

After that, head into town and explore for a little bit, then for dinner, we recommend going with a local izakaya. Originating as ‘snack bars’, Izakaya is a style of dining in a similar vein to tapas, allowing you to eat a variety of small dishes instead of one big set meal – making it the perfect entry point for those new to Japanese dining.

Day Two: Time To Strap In

The moment you’ve been waiting for, time to get out and explore the slopes! Having already picked up your rentals the night before, head to the locker room and collect your gear, then you’re sweet to get out there – especially if you’ve already purchased an Ikon pass for some laps back at home, as Furano is now also covered under the Ikon Pass. 

If you haven’t, head to the lift ticket counter. Make sure you bring ID for the whole fam as kids under 12 score free lift passes. 

After that, let's get out exploring the resort for a few hours! 

After a few hours on snow, you might be feeling a bit tired so it's probably an early night in. As we all know, after the first day back out riding, you’ll be sore in muscles that you didn’t even know existed, so our suggestion? Pick up a hearty Soup Curry (Hokkaido speciality) to fill you up before an early night in. 

Day Three - Rest, Ride, Repeat

Rest, ride, repeat – that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. But we also know that the young ones may be struggling with back-to back-days on the slopes, so we think for day three, let’s get some early morning laps in before doing a fun activity in the afternoon. 

So for the afternoon, we’re going to spend it visiting the quaint snow covered village of Ningle Terrace, where you’ll find handmade souvenir stores and spots to grab a quick bite to eat. 

Our suggestion? Head there for the sunset, it’s truly a sight that needs to be witnessed in person. After that, explore the village and grab a few different food options to snack on. If you’re still hungry afterwards, there’s always a konbini on the way home.

Day Four - Time For Some Rest

Better to rest the kids up so they can go hard on their final few days in town. 

So for our rest day, we’re going to suggest a day trip to Hokkaido’s second largest city, Asahikawa. Only a short one hour drive from Furano, Ashikawa is an awesome spot for a day of activities, whether you want to spend an arvo at the cinema, visit their famous zoo to see seals, polar bears and penguins, or do a little bit of retail therapy at their big shopping district, you’ll never be short of options.

For those of you driving, we recommend leaving relatively early in the afternoon to make sure the drive home is still well lit. Then, once back in Furano we suggested hitting up one of the local sushi restaurants for some dinner.

Day Five - Rested and Ready To Send It

We are SO back – tme to get back on the slopes after some much needed RnR. 

Your legs will be feeling more refreshed than ever, so head out and cut some laps with the fam, stop in for a light lunch at Rhythm and Beans, and then head out for a full afternoon of riding.

Then, after wrapping up for the day, how about an onsen? Trust us, your body will thank you later. 

If you’re looking for some rejuvination overlooking Furano’s famous snowcovered farmlands and mountain ranges, we recommend La Terre, one of the region's famous onsen facilities, which offers up over 7 different types of bath. 

On the way back through Furano (as both onsen facilities are in Furano Biei), stop by a local yakiniku and experience some traditional JBBQ!

Day Six: Still so much to explore

Let’s get the best of both worlds for day six, after all, it is your final full day in town.

So for the morning, we’re going to go bakery hopping. Start your day out at Beans for a morning pick-me-up. After that, head in the car and head out to Cafe Goryo for a quick bite: we recommend their daily sweets specials. Then, on the way out, pick up some takeaway bread, head to Furano Marche’s farmers market to grab some fresh produce and then have a quick homemade lunch. 

After that, head out and enjoy some late afternoon laps – maybe even some night riding for those of you who still have the energy. 

Day Seven: The Worst Day Of Every Trip

The day we always knew was coming but didn’t want to ever actually come. 

Time to wake up early and return those rentals before getting back on the road. But this time around, we’re going to go the scenic route home, through Furano Biei. 

There, we’ll stop through scenic attractions like the Shirogane Blue Pond and Shirahige Falls for some of the best photo spots of the whole trip and then head through the farmland on the way back to Sapporo.

Day 8 - Research, Again

Time to start looking into that trip for next year...