The Tokachi Table
A food and farmland trip through Hokkaido's agricultural heart.
From ￥729,000 per person · based on 2 guests
Recommended months
July–August
Duration
5 days / 4 nights
Route
Obihiro → Nakasatsunai → Taiki → Ikeda → Kamishihoro
An immersive journey through Hokkaido's agricultural heart.
Tokachi grows a disproportionate share of Hokkaido's food. It's flat, wide, and full of delicious produce. There are dairy cattle, wagyu farms, and vegetable farms (potatoes, beans, sugar beet, wheat) — and the towns around it have built an identity out of that rather than trying to be something else. Obihiro has ban'ei keiba, a form of horse racing found nowhere else in the world: draft horses built for farm work pull loaded sledges over two small mounds on a straight track, and the crowd gets as invested in a two-tonne horse straining up an incline as anyone at a regular racetrack.
The rest of the trip works outward from there. A morning at a working dairy farm, followed by a lunch made from what the farm produces. Nakasatsunai's dahlia garden is one of the largest in Japan and blooms through summer without the crowds that Furano's lavender fields get in the same season. Taiki, on the coastal edge of Tokachi, boasts genuinely dark skies rare this close to civilization in Japan. Nearby Ikeda runs a town-owned winery built on cold-hardy grape varieties, a quirky but well-established fixture of the region since the 1960s.
It's a food and farmland trip more than a scenery trip, aimed at people who'd rather understand where dinner came from than just eat it.
Starts at New Chitose Airport (CTS)
Solid: driving · Dashed: back to the start
What makes this trip.
- Evening at Obihiro's Banei Keiba, the world's only remaining draft-horse sled racing
- Hands-on dairy farm visit — milking, calf feeding, and a butter or ice cream-making session
- Farm lunch made from the host farm's own dairy, vegetables, and meat
- Nakasatsunai Dahlia Garden and a walk or cycle along the town's elm-lined avenue
- Tasting at Tokachi Ikeda Wine Castle, Japan's northernmost town-owned winery, using grapes bred to survive Hokkaido winters
- Tokachi wagyu beef lunch
- Guided stargazing session under Taiki's notably dark, light-pollution-free skies
- Dawn hot air balloon flight over the Tokachi plain near Kamishihoro
- Confectionery workshop at Rokkatei, making the shop's signature butter sandwich cookies by hand
- Farm lodge accommodation for at least one night, rather than a standard hotel
A summer immersion into Hokkaido's agricultural heartland and artisanal food culture.
Day 01Day 01
Arrival → Obihiro
City orientation and draft-horse racing
- Morning
- Upon arriving at New Chitose Airport, take a private transfer to Obihiro. Begin with an easy orientation walk through the city.
- Afternoon
- Lunch at a local butadon shop to taste the signature grilled pork dish.
- Evening
- An outing to the Obihiro Racecourse to watch the unique Banei Keiba draft-horse sled races, accompanied by a relaxed beer garden atmosphere.
Day 02Day 02
Dairy Farm and Dahlia Garden
Hands-on farming and seasonal blooms
- Morning
- Drive to a working dairy farm in the Otofuke or Shikaoi area for a morning of hands-on milking and calf-feeding. Following the farm activities, enjoy a workshop making butter or ice cream using the farm's own milk.
- Afternoon
- After a fresh farm lunch, proceed to the Nakasatsunai Dahlia Garden to wander through thousands of blooms and take a scenic bike ride along the town's historic elm-lined avenue.
Day 03Day 03
Ranch, Winery, and Dark Skies
Wagyu, local wine, and stargazing
- Morning
- Visiting a working Tokachi wagyu cattle ranch, including a walk with the rancher to see the herd.
- Afternoon
- A local wagyu lunch, followed by a tour and tasting at the town-owned Tokachi Ikeda Wine Castle, where you can sample cold-climate varietals.
- Evening
- A trip to Taiki for a guided stargazing session under the region's exceptionally dark, light-pollution-free night skies before returning to Obihiro.
Day 04Day 04
Kamishihoro Balloon Flight & Obihiro Sweets
Aerial views and confectionery workshops
- Morning
- Depart early for a dawn hot air balloon flight near Kamishihoro, providing wide views over the Tokachi plain and the Taisetsu mountains.
- Afternoon
- Return to Obihiro to visit famous local shops like Rokkatei and Ryugetsu to sample sweets, or participate in a pizza-making workshop using local ingredients.
- Evening
- A farewell dinner in the city.
Day 05Day 05
Departure
Morning market and departure
- Morning
- A free morning in Obihiro to visit the local morning market or grab a final coffee at a local roastery.
- Afternoon
- Take your private transfer back to New Chitose Airport or Sapporo City for your onward travels.
Families with kids old enough to enjoy hands-on activity, and food-focused couples or small groups who want to understand Hokkaido's agricultural backbone rather than just its scenery.
Possible extensions
Add two nights in Hidaka for horse ranch country and Cape Erimo, extending the trip to a broader look at Hokkaido's rural south.
Upgrade options
Private, untethered hot air balloon flight instead of the standard tethered morning session (weather and availability dependent); upgrade to a fully private farm stay rather than a shared lodge.
Seasonal variations
Works in early autumn (September) with the dahlia garden still blooming and harvest activity underway on the surrounding farms; the balloon festival itself (a separate ticketed event) runs in early August specifically, so dates matter if that's a priority.
Service includes
The quotation per person can be less in the case of small children, and decreases per person as the group grows.
- Private vehicle with English-speaking driver-guide
- 4 nights in premium hotels, breakfast included
- Lunch every day (5 lunches) and dinner every evening (4 dinners)
- All activities and entrance fees in the itinerary
- Japanese consumption tax
Optional
- Dedicated English-speaking guide, ¥60,000 per day
Not included
- Flights
- Travel insurance
- Drinks
- Personal expenses
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