Shikisai no Oka

Discover

About Shikisai no Oka

Shikisai-no-oka, the “hill of four seasons,” covers about 15 hectares on a slope of the Panorama Road south of central Biei. The land has been turned into a flower garden planted in bands that form a sequence of colors from the top to the base of the hill, with the region’s fields and the Tokachi range in the background.

The flowering season begins with tulips and other species in late spring and continues with lavender, poppies, lupins, sunflowers, salvias and dahlias in summer and early autumn. The bands are replanted each season, so the pattern changes from month to month. The color peak is usually in July and August, but it depends on the weather. The beds sit next to private potato and wheat fields, which complete the hillside pattern seen from above.

Because the hill is large, the farm offers carts, a tractor that pulls wagons and golf carts to travel the paths. There is also a small pen with alpacas, farm product shops and snack stalls. In winter, the site often offers sled rides pulled by snowmobiles over the white hills during some periods.

Shikisai-no-oka is on the route of tour buses and receives many visitors at midday. From the top you can see the Panorama Road and the rolling terrain that makes Biei famous. On clear days the view reaches the Tokachi and Biei peaks, sometimes still with snow in early summer.