Pavilion and flowers in Manabe garden

"Hokkaido Garden Path" a romantic highway that Hokkaido boasts

Do you know "Hokkaido Garden Path" which connects Asahikawa (Taisetsu)-Furano-Obihiro of Hokkaido? It is a course that connects the eight beautiful gardens typical of Hokkaido with a highway of about 250 kilometers in length from Asahikawa (Taisetsu) to Furano and Tokachi. Hokkaido flowers are said to be bright even in the same kind of flowers. Hokkaido's climate, which has a large temperature difference between cold and warm, is considered to be the cause of producing bright colors. Hokkaido's great nature is the mother nature that produces beautiful vitality.

The magnificent beauty of Hokkaido Garden Path, which seems to surpass the Cotswolds, which is one of England's famous rural landscapes, and the romantic roads that Germany boasts, is exceptional. Each garden has a unique expression that takes advantage of the local climate and landscape, and the number of visitors increases with the passing year, and it has become as popular as the killer content for sightseeing in Hokkaido in just three years. Many tourists come from not only domestic but also foreign countries.

Tokachi Millenium Forest Receives Grand Award for Garden Designers,UK

Among the Hokkaido Garden Path, the five gardens in the Tokachi area are characterized by extensive grounds, a wide variety of beautiful flowers, and magnificent scenery.

The Tokachi Millennium Forest at the foot of the Hidaka Mountains is a magnificently-scaled garden under the supervision of English garden designer Dan Pearson. In the garden reflecting the magnificent landscape of Tokachi, works of art are plotted throughout the garden. Tokachi Millennium Forest was awarded the Grand Award, the first award in Japan, to be selected by the Garden Designers Association of the UK for its outstanding garden design. The judges praised it as "The most beautiful garden" "The best example of 21st century garden design".

You can feel the power of Hokkaido's magnificent nature on a scale that can only be realized with the vast site of Tokachi. The garden includes a plant garden, a forest dotted with wood art, a hill where stone art is plotted, a ranch with sheep and horses, and a cafe and restaurant using local vegetables and dairy products. Tourists will not get bored even if they stay for a day. The scene of walking through the hills and forests on the Segway was also impressive.

"Tokachi Hills" A hill garden that vividly colors the scenery of Tokachi

Tokachi Hills, located on the hills of Makubetsu, is a garden with flowers, vegetables and fruit trees that change the expression every season. At the restaurant, a menu that focuses on ingredients such as using vegetables and fruits harvested in the garden is popular, and the rare Mangalica pig, which is the national treasure of Hungary, is reared and produced.

It is devised to enjoy seasonal flowers naturally such as smoke tree lined tree way, princess apple lined tree way. Edible flowers are grown in the food-themed garden “Vize Potage”, and besides watching it, you can also experience eating those flowers.

From the garden surrounded by plants and trees, there is a pond in the area called "natural oasis" where you can enjoy various animals and plants such as luriite dragonfly and narcissus at once. I look up at the trees, walk in the yard with beautiful flowers and breathe in the clear air on the hill, I feel like I will be purified from inside the body.

The Tokachi Millenium Forest, which spreads on a vast land, and the Tokachi Hills, which spreads on the hills overlooking the city, are power spots that show the unique expression and feel the power of life.

"Shichiku Garden" Beautiful garden that the 91-year-old Shichiku Grandma loves

Among Hokkaido Garden Path, the "Shichiku Garden" in Obihiro is a special existence. The owner is Shichiku Ms. Akiyo Shichiku, who is loved in the name of "Shichiku Grandma".

The background that Shichiku Garden was born is attributed to a word that her daughter asked to Akiyo-san who lost her beloved husband and was in deep grief for many years. "My father always told me that Akiyo-san was a person like a bright sun or a sunflower." Akiyo-san’s daughter said to Akiyo-san. Akiho-san woke up from sadness from the message and decided to live like herself. In 1989, when Akiyo-san was 63 years old, she thought that she want to create a landscape like a field where the wild flowers bloomed, not an artificial flower garden. Then, the land that is covered with trees, and it became a forest. The site of 1,500 tsubo became a mountain full of wonderful scenery. In the park, many tourists from all over the country sometimes can meet “Shichiku Grandma” who takes care of the garden.

"Shichiku garden" is a rare garden that does not use any pesticides and does not disinfect. In the last few years, gardening has been carried out under the concept of growing in nature, without watering the garden.

In spring, tulips, Muscari, Christmas roses, delphinium in the early summer, rudbeckia, autumn willow, and autumn leaves (such as maple, blueberries etc.) will be in full bloom. You can see the "Ribbon flower bed" with a wonderful awning and the "Palet flower bed" like a palette spread out on a green grass. The Shichiku Garden is a unique garden that we would like to recommend to the people who want to get well in nature.

"Rokka no Mori" Symbol of Hokkaido No1 pastry maker Rokkatei

"Rokka no Mori" is a garden facility operated by "Rokkatei", a confectionery store representing Hokkaido. This garden is the garden that made the world of "Tokachi Rokka" used for paper bags and wrapping of confectionery to a real world. The flowers drawn by the mountain painter Mr. Naoyuki Sakamoto on the wrapping paper of Rokkarin are blooming every season.

Among them, Calcia palustris var. Barthei, Gentiana triflora, Trillium camschatcense, Dogtooth violet, Glaucidium palmatum, and Rugosa rose, which are said to be Tokachi six flowers, can be seen when visitors walk in a variety of plants including these wildflowers. On the day I visited, the flowers of Rugosa rose were beautifully blooming in the blue sky.

There are some art museums where you can appreciate the art works, and there are also sculptural works on the vast hills. The Rest House & Shop sells sweets and original goods. You can also enjoy tea elegantly in an open location at the on-site café.

"Manabe Garden" Japan's first Conifer Garden

Among the "Hokkaido Garden Path", especially unique gardening is "Manabe Garden". The Manabe Garden, also known as Japan's first Conifer Garden, has been constantly changing and expanding with time since 1966, and is composed of 25,000 tsubos and Japanese gardens, western gardens, and landscape gardens.

The Manabe Garden is created by a landscaping company to convey the image of planting for professionals, and is the only sample garden in Hokkaido certified by the Japan Tree Planting Association.

There are many types of ground cover plants, not to mention trees, mainly conifers. The Manabe Garden is loved by people in and outside of Hokkaido as an attractive botanical garden as well as unique gardening. A space far from the city will surely cure your fatigue. It is the beginning of the time to love flowers, be invited by flowers, talk with flowers. Well, which flower's path will you walk from?

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