1. Tokachi Hills (Makubetsu Town): A garden themed on flowers, food, and farming where you can fully enjoy Tokachi.

From its location on a small hill, Tokachi Hills offers a luxurious panoramic view of the Tokachi townscape and the Tokachi mountain range. In this superb setting, the cafe serves gourmet dishes made with local ingredients, allowing you to enjoy a relaxing time. Additionally, the Hills Shop & Shop Cafe, located before the garden entrance, is filled with unique items you can only find here, such as handmade goods by Tokachi artists and lovely garden accessories.

2. Tokachi Millennium Forest (Shimizu Town): Where you can also enjoy Segway guided tours.

Tokachi Millennium Forest offers a magnificent landscape with broadleaf natural forests and larch plantations. It is a space where people and nature can interact in various fields such as forests, gardens, art, agriculture, and food. Known as one of the eight gardens of the "Hokkaido Garden Path" scattered throughout Shimizu Town, you can enjoy horseback riding and Segway guided tours here.

3. Taushubetsu River Bridge (Kamishihoro Town): The nationally famous "phantom bridge" of the former JNR Shihoro Line.

A 130-meter-long concrete arch bridge known as the "phantom bridge." It appears on the frozen lake surface around January, begins to submerge as the water level rises from May, and disappears beneath the lake by summer. When it starts to sink, the reflection of its arches on the water's surface resembles eyeglasses, earning it the nickname "Meganebashi" (Eyeglass Bridge). It is the only arch bridge in Japan that appears and disappears with the seasons.

4. Ikeda Wine Castle (Ikeda Town): The home of the internationally acclaimed Tokachi Wine.

A winery with over 50 years of history, famous for its "Tokachi Wine." It was named the Wine Castle due to its resemblance to a medieval European castle. The first floor features a shopping area where you can buy Tokachi Wine and other local specialties from Ikeda Town. In the underground aging cellar, numerous French oak barrels and old vintage wines rest quietly.

5. Rokka no Mori (Nakasatsunai Village): A vast landscape of flowers from Rokkatei's wrapping paper.

Against the backdrop of the magnificent Hidaka Mountains, Rokka no Mori is enveloped in rich nature, with 100-year-old elm trees and the gentle sound of a babbling brook. You'll be greeted by the familiar wildflowers depicted on the floral wrapping paper of Rokkatei, a popular Hokkaido souvenir. The park also houses facilities like the "Naoyuki Sakamoto Memorial Hall," where you can enjoy exhibits of his paintings of Hokkaido's mountains and sketches of wildflowers.

6. Kofuku Station (Obihiro City): Famous for its auspicious "To Happiness" tickets.

With a name that makes you feel happy just by visiting, this station is now a beloved "Railway Park." Two diesel cars that were in service until the line was discontinued, along with the platform and station building, have been preserved. The "Kofuku-yuki" (To Happiness) tickets, available as souvenirs, are still popular for their good fortune.

7. Tokachi-mura (Obihiro City): Visit this spot next door after enjoying Ban'ei horse racing.

Located on the grounds of Obihiro Racetrack, where the thrilling "Ban'ei Horse Racing" takes place, this tourist spot brings together all the culinary charms of Tokachi. Inside, you'll find a "Kitchen" serving dishes made with local ingredients, a "Sweets & Select" shop with confections made from high-quality materials and original goods, and a "Direct-from-the-Farm Market" selling safe and reliable agricultural products and local specialties. It's the perfect place to find unique Tokachi souvenirs.

8. Ryugetsu Sweetpia Garden (Otofuke Town): Full of sweets made with ingredients from the agricultural kingdom of Tokachi.

Sweetpia Garden is the factory of "Ryugetsu," a company representing Tokachi in both Japanese and Western confectionery. The facility includes a factory tour course, a cafe corner, and a confectionery-making workshop. Among its offerings, the limited-quantity "Sanpouroku Bargain Items" are so popular they often draw a line.

9. Karikachi Kogen Eco-Trolley (Shintoku Town): Enjoy a trolley ride on an 800-meter course.

Ride on pedal-powered or electric trolleys and enjoy an 800-meter-long course that you power yourself. The course, built on the former Nemuro Main Line's Shinnai Station grounds, features railway crossings, various signs, and signals to obey, making you feel like a real train driver.

10. Manabe Garden (Obihiro City): A magnificent garden boasting a 25,000-tsubo (approx. 8.26-hectare) site.

Boasting a site of 25,000 tsubo (approx. 8.26 hectares), Manabe Garden is a circuit-style garden composed of three themed areas. Its collection of plants, gathered from around the world over many years, numbers in the thousands, and wild birds and Ezo squirrels are daily visitors. The grounds also feature a relaxing cafe terrace and a garden center where you can purchase rare and new varieties of plants.

11. Sahoro Resort Bear Mountain (Shintoku Town): Observe powerful brown bears up close!

A spot where you can observe brown bears, the largest species native only to Hokkaido, in a near-natural habitat. Seeing the bears up close from various angles, such as from the "Bear Watching Bus" or the 5-meter-high "Walking Path," is a truly powerful experience. There are also cute bear-themed original goods, making souvenir shopping another fun part of the visit.

12. Shihoro Kogen Nupuka no Sato (Shihoro Town): A viewpoint overlooking the entire Tokachi Plain!

A 20-minute drive up a gentle slope from Shihoro town brings you closer to Higashi-Nupukaushinupuri of the Daisetsuzan mountain range. As you arrive, captivated by the majestic mountains, you turn around to find a grand panorama of the endless Tokachi Plain before you. It's a luxurious spot where you can feel the clear air and wind with your whole body, and at night, you can see a sky full of fantastically twinkling stars.

13. Lake Shikaribetsu (Shikaoi Town): The highest lake in Hokkaido.

Lake Shikaribetsu, the only natural lake in Daisetsuzan National Park, is located at an altitude of 810 meters, the highest in Hokkaido, with a maximum depth of about 100 meters. Surrounded by primeval forests, it is home to precious wildlife such as the pika, considered a living fossil said to have inhabited the area since the ice age, as well as white-tailed eagles, black woodpeckers, and grey herons.

14. Ban'ei Tokachi (Obihiro City): The world's only powerful draft horse racing.

This is the only place in the world to see Ban'ei horse racing, where large horses weighing over a ton pull heavy iron sleds, competing in strength and speed on a straight course. Originating from strength competitions among farm horses during Hokkaido's pioneer days, it has been passed down as a modern race and is now recognized as a Hokkaido Heritage site, inspiring all who watch. After enjoying the races, you can also buy delicious food and souvenirs from Obihiro and Tokachi at the adjacent "Tokachi-mura."

15. Kanda Nissho Memorial Museum of Art (Shikaoi Town): A permanent exhibition of works by a leading Hokkaido Western-style painter.

Kanda Nissho was one of Hokkaido's leading Western-style painters, also known as the model for the character Tenyo Yamada in the NHK morning drama "Natsuzora." This museum permanently exhibits more than half of the precious major works of Kanda Nissho, who passed away from illness at the young age of 32, his talent deeply mourned. His strikingly realistic style has earned timeless acclaim.

16. Tokachi Nuppuku Garden (Obihiro City): A multi-purpose spot with horseback riding, a restaurant, and a dog run.

A vast, handmade garden spanning approximately 4 hectares. The grounds feature Western-style and Japanese-style gardens, as well as a natural forest. You can enjoy horseback riding, feeding rainbow trout, and interact with ponies and rabbits in a petting area. The sound of the spring-fed river is soothing, and you can see rainbow trout and koi swimming in the pond. From the observatory above the waterfall, you can get a panoramic view of the entire garden.

17. Shihoro Onsen Plaza Ryokufu (Shihoro Town): Refresh in a free-flowing Moor hot spring.

A unique Shihoro hot spring where you can enjoy Moor Onsen, a designated Hokkaido Heritage, with all baths luxuriously fed directly from the source. Soaking in the silky, smooth water amidst the rich nature of a deep forest will leave your skin feeling moist and soft. The facility is well-equipped with a large public bath, a jacuzzi, and lie-down baths. At night, you can bathe in the rock-made open-air bath while gazing at a star-filled sky.

18. Tokachi Horokayanto Pit Dwelling Site (Taiki Town): Ponder ancient times.

This is a major settlement of an indigenous people, built on the Bansei coastal terrace at an elevation of 15 meters overlooking the Pacific Ocean, stretching about 2 km from north to south. The remains of these pit dwellings are scattered in about 130 locations in the surrounding area. A distinctive feature of this archaeological site is the small number of pottery and stone tools found, while metal tools have been unearthed. It has also attracted attention for the excavation of Okhotsk-style pottery. It was registered as a Hokkaido Designated Historic Site in 1966.

19. Scenic Cafe Churui (Makubetsu Town): Relax and enjoy the South Tokachi scenery from a cafe.

A cafe terrace located within the Churui Kyoei Ranch, which spreads over a small hill. "Scenic" means "having a good view," and the magnificent panorama from an altitude of 189 meters, along with the sight of cattle grazing leisurely, will make you forget the hustle and bustle of daily life.

20. Ginga no Mori Astronomical Observatory (Rikubetsu Town): Stargaze with one of Japan's largest telescopes.

A public astronomical observatory equipped with one of Japan's largest 115cm reflecting telescopes, as well as smaller 30cm class telescopes and a 4-unit solar telescope. In the exhibition room, you can experience space through panel displays of the galaxy forest, auroras, and beautiful cosmos, as well as through a space exploration computer and a 70-inch large-screen monitor. The second-floor rooftop plaza has a large telescope dome and a small telescope observation room where you can enjoy the starry sky.

Choose by Purpose! How to Enjoy a Drive Near Obihiro