Day Trip to Biei

Sunday we decided to get in the car and take a drive to Biei, which is almost the center of Hokkaido and a famous sightseeing area. This was the longest trip we've taken in our car so far.  It was a beautiful day – sunny, breezy and about 70 or so degrees F.

Notice the "Not Allowed Stop" kanji on the sign

 We bought a bento lunch and stopped at a little park to eat.

Even though these signs were posted in the park, we didn’t see any squirrels washing their hands or picking up trash.  Maybe next time.

We saw some interesting things along the roadway and a giant slice of melon tried to get us to come into his parking lot. Fifty kilometers per hour is the fastest speed allowed here.

The light at the end of the tunnel

This area is famous for its lavender fields and everything will be purple in a few weeks. We did see a lot of all kinds of flowers and took a drive down the Patchwork Road.

Ted met up with one of his friends when I bought a bottle of lemon tea.

Our last stop in the area was the Takushinkan Art Gallery, featuring the work of Shinzo Maeda, a famous landscape photographer.  We had a nice outing and saw a little more of Hokkaido.