Key Points:

• Furano tops the list of Japan's most famous summer flower-viewing locations.
• Lavender is Furano's most famous summer bloom, with a blooming season that runs from late June to early August.
• Furano's "must-see" lavender-viewing location is ‘Farm Tomita’, the largest lavender farm in Japan.

Farm Tomita Lavender

Farm Tomita is located in the municipality of Naka-Furano, around 20 minutes drive from Furano township. The Farm's history dates from the early 1900s, with its cultivation of lavender commencing from the late 1950s.  As recently as 2008, the farm was almost doubled in size to 29 hectares, with the addition of the new "Lavender East", lavender cultivation area.

[Farm Tomita] welcomes over a million tourists annually!

Farm Tomita continued commercial production of lavender even as Hokkaido's once vibrant lavender producing industry began to shut down in the '60s and '70s in the wake of competition from cheaper, synthetic oils and imports.  This persistence by the founder is paying huge dividends these days, with around a million tourists annually arriving through its 'admission-free' gates.

Farm Tomita

There are four main varieties of lavender cultivated at Farm Tomita, each with different characteristics and blooming times. The earliest blooms, characterised by the deepest purple colour, are generally seen from end June to mid-July. Late-flowering varieties bloom after the beginning of July, with the best viewing time being from mid to late July.

Peak lavender viewing season is generally from around 10 July - 25 July. As harvesting will take place at any time in August, the latest time to view the expansive area of the farm's lavender blooms is end July.

Whilst lavender is the main flower-type cultivated at Farm Tomita, over 80 different flower varieties are on display from spring through autumn in a total of 12 flower gardens. A "Winter Garden" has also been created to display blooming lavender over the winter. The year-round lavender-growing greenhouse also provides an opportunity to view lavender blooms in spring and early summer prior to the main blooming season.

Visitors during summer can also enjoy trying locally grown Furano melon at the neighbouring "Tomita Melon House", which is operated by members of the famous Farm Tomita family but is unrelated to the operations at Farm Tomita itself. Freshly harvested Furano melons can be bought by the slice or half and eaten on-site, or gift-boxed whole melons can be purchased to take away or to send to friends.

Photogenic lavender soft-serve ice cream

Farm Tomita also sells all manner of lavender and lavender-themed souvenirs, from essential oils to scented pillows and cushions. One of the lavender consumables on sale at the many retail points throughout the farm is lavender flavoured soft-serve ice cream, which is highly popular and quite "insta-famous".

Apart from Farm Tomita's flower gardens, there are also several indoor facilities that can be toured. These include a memorial hall dedicated to the Farm's founder, Tadao Tomita, and a dried flower hall that is open year-round in addition to the lavender-growing "Winter Garden" greenhouse.

Farm Tomita Winter Garden

Farm Tomita's "Distillation House" is also open to visitors. This is Japan’s only lavender oil extraction factory, and distillation work is done from the beginning of July to mid-August. There is a scent testing room that is open to visitors, where the fragrances of different types of lavenders can be compared. There is also a display of the distillation apparatus.

More Information:

Access to Farm Tomita can be by car, bus or train. The Farm is about 20 minutes drive from Furano, or 45 minutes drive from Asahikawa Airport.

By train on the JR Furano Line, access is from Nakafurano Station (5 minutes by taxi, or 25 minutes on foot).

From June - October, the special ‘Norokko-go’ lavender train runs from Asahikawa to Biei via Furano. The ‘Lavender Field Station’ is open during the season of operation, located around 5 minutes on foot from Farm Tomita.

Address: Kisen Kita, 15 Sorachi-gun, Nakafurano

Tel: 0167 39 3939

Hours: 8:30am - 6:00pm daily - store/cafe/indoor facilities

9:00am - 5:00pm daily - Tomita Melon House

Car Park and Gardens open 24 hours

Open: May - October

Admission:  Free

COVID-19 Changes: Some enclosed spaces closed. Please check with us for updates.

Farm Tomita Garden Map

‍