Shirogane Blue Pond to Shirahige Waterfall: A Biei Day From Sapporo

• Top choice Colored Hokkaido Tour from US$48 Rating4.56 from 122 reviews^[5]Duration1 day^[5]Guide languagesEnglish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean^[5]Stops includeShirogane Blue Pond, Farm Tomita^[5] Check availability
• Zoo, Waterfall & Blue Pond from US$48 Rating4.25 from 113 reviews^[7]Duration9 hours^[7]Guide languagesEnglish, Chinese^[7]Stops includeShirahige Waterfall, Blue Pond^[7] See this tour
• Asahiyama Zoo & Blue Pond from US$48 Rating4.49 from 47 reviews^[8]Duration9 hours - 1 day^[8]Guide languagesChinese, English^[8]Stops includeShirahige Waterfall, Blue Pond^[8] See this tour

Where Shirahige Falls sits in the Biei hills

Shirahige Falls and the Shirogane Blue Pond both sit in the Shirogane Onsen area above Biei, in the hills of central Hokkaido, and they are easy to see on the same day. The falls drop approximately 30 meters into the Biei River and count as a rare subterranean stream waterfall, because the water comes out of cracks in the rock face rather than from a stream running over the top.^[1] You tend to hear the water before the cliff appears through the trees, and the constant spray keeps the surrounding rock and moss dark and glossy. Buses and cars stop close by, so this is a sight you can enjoy without a long hike.

Biei is farming country first, and the landscape reflects it. Wheat is one of the four main crops in the local rotation, alongside potatoes, beans and sugar beet, and those fields are what turn the hills into the patchwork of colour people come for.^[11] The town itself is small, with a population of 9,775 as of 31 December 2020, so the countryside around it stays quiet outside the main viewing spots.^[12] The Blue Pond was created accidentally in 1988, when erosion control dams were built along the Biei River to protect against mudflows from the active volcano Tokachidake.^[13] That volcano stands at 2,077 m (6,814 ft) and last erupted in 2004.^[14]

What you actually see at the waterfall

Shirahige means white beard, and on a good day the name makes sense: white water fans down a rugged cliff and drops into the river below.^[1] You will often see it written in English as Shirahige Waterfall, Biei, or simply as Shirahige Falls, while Japanese road signs mark it in kanji, so it is worth having the name saved on your phone before you set off. The viewing area sits close to the road and works well as a short stop, but the contrast between the white water, the dark rock and the forest behind keeps photographers standing there longer than they planned.

The Blue Pond is the other half of the pairing, in the same Shirogane area. Its colour comes from suspended aluminium hydroxide colloids in the water, which scatter blue light in a process called Rayleigh scattering.^[9] Dead Japanese larch and white birch trees stand in the water, the remains of a patch of forest that was once dry and now looks like a sculpture garden.^[15] The pond reached a worldwide audience when it appeared in Apple's WWDC 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina Display introduction.^[16] Colours shift through the day and with the weather, so the water can look quite different on two visits in the same week.

The Shirogane Blue Pond, where dead larch and birch trees stand in the water like a sculpture garden.

Pairing the falls with the Shirogane Blue Pond

The two sights sit in the same small area, and several Sapporo day tours list both of them. The Asahiyama Zoo, Shirahige Waterfall and Blue Pond day trip stops at Asahiyama Zoo, Tree of Ken and Mary, Shirahige Waterfall, Shirogane Blue Pond and Ningle Terrace, from US$48.^[7] The Asahiyama Zoo, Waterfall and Blue Pond Tour follows a similar line, also from US$48.^[8] The first runs for 9 hours, and the second for 9 hours to 1 day.^[7][8] Stop lists are worth reading line by line, because not every Biei itinerary actually calls at the falls.

The Colored Hokkaido: Furano Flower and Biei Blue Pond tour from Sapporo runs for 1 day and lists Patchwork Road in Biei, Biei, Shirogane Blue Pond, Shikisai No Oka, a local restaurant and Farm Tomita among its stops, from US$48.^[5] Its live guide works in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean, and the listing offers free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[5] If the waterfall is the reason for your trip, choose a tour that names it in the stop list, or build in your own stop in the Shirogane area.

Getting there by train, bus or guided tour

Travelling independently, the falls and the pond are usually reached from Biei or Asahikawa. From Biei Station, the Blue Pond is about 20 minutes by Dohoku Bus route 39, and from Sapporo it is about 1 hour 25 minutes by JR Limited Express to Asahikawa plus 60-70 minutes by bus.^[2] A rental car gives you the freedom to stop at the viewpoints along the way, and the same drive feels very different once snow arrives. In fine weather the roads through the hills are part of the pleasure rather than just a way of getting somewhere.

Guided trips take the driving out of the day. Options run from the Colored Hokkaido tour, which runs for 1 day from US$48, up to private car days such as From Sapporo: Biei, Furano or Asahikawa Private Day Trip, from US$599 for 10 to 12 hours.^[5][17] There is also a small group option with the falls on its route, limited to 13 participants, from US$43.^[4] The Colored Hokkaido tour has 2 starting location options in Sapporo and 2 drop-off locations, which helps if your hotel is not in the centre.^[5]

When to go: lavender, flower fields and winter light

Summer is flower season in Furano and Biei, and the region fills up accordingly. At Farm Tomita's Traditional Lavender Field, lavender blooms from late June to late July, with the best viewing season from early to mid-July.^[3] Shikisai-no-oka is a set of panoramic flower gardens in Biei spread across fifteen hectares of land, and it appears on many of the day tours.^[18] The surrounding hills are working farmland, and the four main crops rotate through the fields, so the colours you drive past change from one week to the next.^[11]

Winter turns the area into something else entirely. The Blue Pond illumination runs from October 24, 2025 to April 22, 2026, with lighting until 9:00 PM, and the lights come on at 5:00 PM in October and November, 4:30 PM in December, 5:30 PM in February, 6:00 PM in March and 6:30 PM in April.^[6] Biei has a cold continental climate with warm summers and freezing winters, so the two ends of the year feel like different places entirely.^[10] Early autumn brings harvest colours to the fields, and spring arrives late and slowly in these hills.

Comparing day tours from Sapporo

Prices for a Sapporo day trip into Biei and Furano start low and climb quickly once you move into private cars. The Blue Pond and Furano flower sea tour with Shirahige Falls starts from US$43 and runs for 10 hours.^[4] The Sapporo Biei Best 5 photo spot tour, which leaves later in the day, starts from US$60 and runs for 10 to 10.5 hours.^[19] The Colored Hokkaido tour starts from US$48 and runs for 1 day.^[5] Coaches and small group vans dominate the cheaper end, and the difference between them usually comes down to group size and how many stops you get through.

Ratings help separate them. The Asahiyama Zoo, Shirahige Waterfall and Blue Pond day trip is rated 4.25 from 113 reviews, the Asahiyama Zoo, Waterfall and Blue Pond Tour is rated 4.49 from 47 reviews, and the Colored Hokkaido tour is rated 4.56 from 122 reviews.^[5][7][8] Reserve now and pay later, and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, are offered on each of those listings.^[5][7][8] Multi-language live guiding shows up on most of them, so check which languages are on your date.

Practical planning for a Biei day trip

Think about light before you think about distance. The waterfall and the flower fields are daytime sights, while the Blue Pond picks up its winter lighting after dark, so a late afternoon arrival can work well in the colder months as long as you check the start time for the month you travel.^[6] In summer, leaving Sapporo early gives you more of the day in the fields, and the roads out of the city are easier before the morning rush builds. A single long day out is enough for the falls, the pond and one flower stop.

Pack for the weather rather than for the calendar. Biei has a cold continental climate with warm summers and freezing winters, so a warm hat and gloves make sense from late autumn onward, and a light jacket helps in the hills even in summer.^[10] Shoes with grip are a good idea around the falls, where spray leaves surfaces damp, and a charged phone and some cash are handy for the long transfers between Sapporo, Biei and Furano. Save the map offline before you leave the city, because signal fades in the hills.

How to plan the day

1. Start with the stop list

   Not every Biei itinerary includes the falls. The Asahiyama Zoo, Shirahige Waterfall and Blue Pond trip names it in the stop list.^[7]

2. Check the daylight

   Blue Pond illumination runs from October 24, 2025 to April 22, 2026 and stays lit until 9:00 PM, so winter evenings work for the pond.^[6]

3. Time the flowers

   Farm Tomita's Traditional Lavender Field blooms late June to late July, with the best viewing early to mid-July.^[3]

4. Sort out transport

   From Biei Station the Blue Pond is about 20 minutes by Dohoku Bus route 39.^[2]

5. Pack for real weather

   Biei has a cold continental climate with freezing winters, so pack layers you can shed at midday.^[10]

Answers before you go