The summer trip he had planned for me was full of unimaginable wonders.

We began our journey by celebrating with a glass of Furano Wine, and I relaxed a little.

This was our first date on an excursion.
The mild tension between us faded as we headed for the Furano Winery on the Kururu bus.
We sampled wines that had matured over time.
"They say that the soil, geography, and climate of an area is directly brought out in the taste of wines made in that area.
Which means, “this wine is like drinking Furano itself," said my boyfriend.
Seeing how the wines are made and matured, was truly a valuable experience.

I never knew I would be so amazed by the scent of flowers and melons.

Route 237 which connects Furano and Biei is otherwise known as the Hanabito Road."
The name is derived from the many flower gardens and fields in the area that give vivid color to the short summers of Hokkaido.
The world of breathtakingly beautiful pastoral scenery here is _x0008_so extensive, and is hard to imagine it was made by humans.
There are many stores near the flower fields that sell local vegetables and fruit.
We went crazy over the fresh melons and enjoyed the richness of Furano as we gulped down our melon shakes.

A world for just the two of us..Shared moments in the Mt. Hokusei Shinrin Park.

Next we visited Mt. Hokusei Shinrin Park. Because Furano is a very well known tourist attraction,
the city is crowded with tourists everywhere.
But this place was a whole different world.
The fresh air and the sunlight that filtered through the trees was pleasant, and the songs of birds filled the woods.
All five senses were in sync with nature, and it was as though we were the only two people in this natural wonderland.
As we cleared the forest, the view opened up to a vast expanse of lavender fields, and before we knew it,
we were standing on the summit of a lavender mountain!
"Usually, people get to the summit on the chair lift,
but I found a route through the forest that we could walk together,
" he says. Taking me on this secret trail was the best gift anyone could give me.
From the summit we could see the Furano Basin, and underneath the vast sky, the Tokachidake Mountain Range stood proud.
This typical scenery of Furano is created by both humans and nature.

Furano (Wine Road), Nakafurano(Saika-no-Sato, Nakafurano Town Parking), Kamifurano (Jet Coaster Road, Sumio Goto Art Museum, Tada Farm), Biei(Shikisai-no-Oka)

For lunch we stopped into a restaurant run by local farm owners.
We chose the curry that had lots of colorful vegetables in it.
The owner explained that all of the vegetables and rice used for the curry were grown on their farm.
The more you realize how many delicious foods are made in this beautiful town, the more everything tasted better!
"This is really delicious," we agreed as we cleaned our plates.

As the trolley train slowly rocked us to each sight, our thoughts continued.

If there was such a thing as a Furano Clock, the hands would probably move very slowly.
This time spent together was soothing in every way, and incomparable to anything else.
As we watched the pastoral landscape out of the windows of the nostalgic Norokko trolley train,
he says,"This is really beautiful. I wonder what it looks like in different seasons?"
We sat next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, pondering the possibility of our next excursion here.

Coverage Support
JR Furano Station [Furano Kururu] Stop, Furano Wine Farm, Farm Tomita, Tomita Melon House,
Mt. Hokusei Shinrin Park, Mt. Hokusei Town Lavender Gardens, Curry House Kirara, JR Lavender Field Station, JR Furano Norokko