Biei, Japan: Self-Guided Walking Tour

Biei is a small town in Hokkaido known for rolling farmland, open skies, seasonal flowers and distinctive natural scenery. The best things to do in Biei are closely connected to its landscape, from a photography gallery set in former school grounds to a subterranean-flow waterfall and broad flower fields. Neywo has a free audio guide for Biei with three narrated places, available in 11 languages.

What to See in Biei

Takushinkan

Takushinkan is a photography gallery in the rolling hills of Biei, created from the former Chiyoda Elementary School. The gallery began with the work of photographer Maeda Shinzo, who wanted a permanent home for his photographs of Hokkaido’s landscapes. The town helped transform the closed school site into the gallery it is today.

The grounds cover about 33,000 square metres and are designed as an extension of the photographs inside. Some areas remain woodland, while others are cultivated. A birch tree corridor leads through slender white trunks arranged in neat rows, and a lavender path adds seasonal colour when the plants are in bloom. Takushinkan is therefore more than an indoor gallery: its grounds let visitors experience the kind of landscapes represented in Maeda Shinzo’s work.

Shirahige Falls

Shirahige Falls is located in the Shirogane Onsen area of Biei and has an unusual geological character. It is classified in Japan as a subterranean-flow waterfall, meaning that its water emerges from underground rather than flowing over a surface stream.

Groundwater travels through underground channels before appearing on the rock face. From there, it falls about 30 metres from an elevation of 600 metres, spreading into delicate white strands. This explains the name Shirahige, which means “white beard”. Instead of a typical river-fed cascade, the viewpoint offers a chance to see groundwater emerging directly from the landscape.

Shikisai-no-oka

Shikisai-no-oka, or the Observatory Flower Field, spreads across a gentle hill along Biei’s Panorama Road. Its name means “Hill of Seasonal Colors”, and the site lives up to it with about seven hectares of fields planted with roughly 30 varieties of flowers.

The flowers bloom in succession from spring through autumn, creating changing patterns across the slope. The elevated position provides a panoramic view over the fields, with the Tokachi mountain range often visible in the distance on clear days.

Shikisai-no-oka also includes a farm produce shop, a souvenir corner and a restaurant. Visitors can look over the flower fields while trying dishes featuring Biei’s corn and potatoes, or browse local vegetables and other products.

Experience Biei’s Countryside

Biei’s character comes from the relationship between cultivated land and natural scenery. Rolling farmland, flower fields, woodland and mountain views create a landscape that changes with the season, while the town’s attractions remain closely tied to that setting.

For travellers exploring Japan, Biei offers a quieter side of the country. It can also fit into a wider journey through Hokkaido, alongside cities such as Asahikawa, Sapporo, Otaru or Hakodate.

Explore Biei with Neywo

Neywo’s free Biei audio guide includes three narrated places. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Open the guide, walk from one place to the next and listen when you arrive, using the narration to add context to Biei’s landscapes as you explore.