Cycling Hokkaido: Biei and Furano by Bike

From the window of a tour bus, Biei looks like a postcard. From the saddle of a bike, it feels like one you are riding through. The roads roll over hills striped with wheat, potatoes and buckwheat, and every crest opens a new view toward the Tokachi mountains.

Cycling Hokkaido's Biei and Furano is easier than it looks. An e-bike handles the hills, and rentals start at about ¥600 an hour near Biei Station. The town's official Patchwork Road course is 15 km, and the Panorama Road course is 25 km. The ride to the Blue Pond is about 18 km each way on a mostly dedicated cycling road. Ride between late April and October, with July bringing the lavender.

Why cycle Biei and Furano?

Biei and Furano sit side by side in central Hokkaido, about 34 km apart on Route 237. Their landscape of open farmland and gentle hills is the reason people come, and it is best seen slowly. Buses and cars skip the quiet back roads between the viewpoints, which is where cycling pays off.

Hokkaido takes cycling seriously. The Hokkaido Cycle Route Liaison Council lists 10 official cycle routes across the island. One of them is the Furano-Biei route, a 277 km loop with 2,777 m of climbing, according to the Hokkaido Development Bureau. Most visitors ride a much shorter piece of it in a day.

Biei cycling routes

The Biei Tourism Association publishes three cycling maps. Each one starts near Biei Station.

Patchwork Road Course

The Patchwork Road course is 15 km with a maximum elevation difference of 160 m, according to the Biei Tourism Association's Patchwork Road map. It loops past the lone trees that appear on Biei's posters and postcards. Optional detours add 0.4 km, 2 km, or 9 km.

The Patchwork Road gets its name from the colored strips of crops on Biei's hills.

The best-known stops are the Ken and Mary Tree, a tall poplar on a hilltop, and the Mild Seven Hill. Every stop on this course is a view from the road, not a place to walk into the fields.

The Ken and Mary Tree is one of the main stops on the Patchwork Road.

Panorama Road course

The Panorama Road course is longer and hillier. It is 25 km with a maximum elevation difference of 221 m. It passes Shikisai no Oka, a hillside flower park, and the views of the Tokachi range open up as you climb.

Shikisai no Oka lies on the Panorama Road course south of Biei Station.

Shikisai no Oka does not rent bicycles. It runs its own buggies, carts and a tractor bus on the farm from late April to late October.

Biei to the Blue Pond

The Refresh-line course runs from Biei Station to the Shirogane Blue Pond and back. It is 41 km round trip with a maximum elevation difference of 261 m, according to the Biei Tourism Association's Refresh-line map. Most of the route follows a dedicated cycling road that opened in spring 2020.

The tourism association suggests about two hours each way. The ride climbs gently toward the mountains, so the return to town is the easy half. Our Biei Blue Pond guide covers what to expect when you get there.

The Shirogane Blue Pond is about 18 km from Biei Station by bike.

Bike rental in Biei and Furano

Several rental shops are within a few minutes' walk of Biei Station, and e-bikes are the norm. The Biei Tourism Association gives a general rate of about ¥600 an hour. It also says most shops close between 16:30 and 17:00, so plan to be back early.

Two shops with published prices:

• Biei no Guide (Field North): Yamaha e-bikes at ¥1,400 for 2 hours, ¥1,800 for 3 hours and ¥3,500 for a full day, with a free helmet and insurance included. Bookings open two weeks ahead, per Field North's rental page. The 2026 season ran from April 24 to October 31.

• BIEI HILLS: e-bikes from ¥600 an hour, two minutes from the station. It does not rent in rain or snow.

In Furano, Lavender Shop Moriya in front of JR Furano Station rents both e-bikes and regular bikes from early April to mid-November. It does not publish prices, so ask at the counter. Other Furano operators run seasonal rentals and guided rides between late April and October.

If you would rather ride with a guide, Field North runs half-day e-bike tours around Biei's hills from ¥7,200 per adult for two or more riders. Its tours do not visit the Blue Pond or the flower farms.

Cycling in Furano and the lavender farms

Furano's lavender season is the busiest time of the year. At Farm Tomita in Nakafurano, the lavender starts coloring in late June and peaks from early to mid-July, according to Farm Tomita. By early to mid-August the harvest is over.

Farm Tomita's lavender peaks in early to mid-July.

Farm Tomita is about seven minutes on foot from the seasonal Lavender Farm Station, or about 15 minutes by taxi from Furano Station. For more on the area, see our list of things to do in Furano.

Best time for cycling in Hokkaido's Biei and Furano

Rentals run from about late April to the end of October. July and August are the warmest months, with average highs around 26°C (79°F) in Furano and Biei, per Japan Meteorological Agency averages. They are also the busiest, and Field North warns that it may refuse some July and August bookings.

June and September are the sweet spots for many riders, with green hills and fewer crowds. By October, highs drop to about 14°C to 15°C, and snow starts to fall in November. Biei averages 79 cm of snowfall that month, so the cycling season is firmly over.

Rules for cycling in Biei and Japan

Biei's farms are working farms, and the fields are private land. The Biei Tourism Association prohibits entering the fields and asks visitors to take photos from the road. Pull well off the road before you stop, and watch for farm vehicles.

Japan's road rules for bikes apply too. Ride on the left side of the road, ride single file, and do not use a phone or earphones while riding. Since April 1, 2026, police can issue fines to cyclists under a new "blue ticket" system, according to the National Police Agency. Holding a phone while riding costs ¥12,000, and riding side by side costs ¥3,000. Helmets are not mandatory, but all riders are asked to wear one. Field North includes a helmet with its rentals.

Biei's maps also warn about bears near the forest roads. Stay on the marked routes and ride in daylight.

Getting to Biei and Furano with a bike

Biei Station is about 32 minutes from Asahikawa by local train on the JR Furano Line. Biei is also about 16 minutes by Furano Bus from Asahikawa Airport. From Sapporo, Furano is about two hours by train with a change at Takikawa.

To bring your own bike on JR Hokkaido trains, you must fold it or take it apart and pack it in a bike bag, per JR Hokkaido's rules. It then counts as free hand luggage, up to 250 cm in total size and 30 kg. Most visitors simply rent locally.

Plan your Hokkaido cycling trip

A day each in Biei and Furano is enough to ride the main courses. Add a third day if you want the Blue Pond and the Patchwork Road at an easy pace. Our five-day Hokkaido flower and food itinerary shows how Biei and Furano fit into a wider trip.

For more rides across Japan, see our 10 scenic cycling routes.

If you want a whole trip built around the bike, follow our seven-day bicycle itinerary through Japan.