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This week’s B ME Bites Trivia Question:

Welcome to Edition #71 of B ME Bites! If the last edition was about toll shock and problem-solving, this edition is about blue beer, lavender everything, and discovering that regret travels just as fast as expressways.

Hokkaido was calm. Our budgeting skills? Less so.

(Reminder: B ME Bites is now landing in inboxes fortnightly - well mostly 😉 - while its new sister newsletter, Effortlessly Organic Living, takes the opposite week.)

Japan Adventures Part 8: Lavender Fields and Lingering Toll Trauma

Hokkaido highlights (and hindsight)

After toll shock, ferry stress and long driving days, Hokkaido gave us something completely different — calm landscapes, themed everything, and one final toll lesson.

🚌 A Day Tour Through Furano and Biei

We booked a full-day tour with Gogoday Travel (via GetYourGuide) to explore the Furano and Biei region — best decision ever.

After days of navigating toll roads, ferry bookings and long drives, it felt nice to let someone else handle the logistics.

The entire day — from Shirogane Blue Pond to lunch and the lavender fields — was part of the organised tour.

And it turned out to be one of the most colourful days of the trip.

🏞️ A Surprise at Miharashidai Park

On the way toward Biei, the tour stopped at Miharashidai Park, a scenic lookout with parking and public toilets.

Across the rolling countryside, we could see a large white statue standing quietly above the fields.

It was the Furano Seikannon, a statue of Kannon associated with compassion and mercy. Peaceful. Still. Watching over the hills.

It wasn’t a dramatic tourist attraction — just a quiet presence in the landscape.

💙 Shirogane Blue Pond (And Committing to the Theme)

One of the main highlights of the tour was Shirogane Blue Pond near Biei.

The pond was originally created as part of a volcanic protection system, and its vivid blue colour comes from natural minerals reflecting light against pale rock beneath the surface.

We didn’t have time to walk the full loop path, but even viewing it from one platform was enough. The water was luminous in the soft June light — calm and almost surreal.

And, as Japan does so well, the theme didn’t stop at the scenery.

There was blue ice cream.
Blue soda.
Blue beer — yes, alcoholic.
Blue souvenirs.

Naturally, we tried one of each to share.

When a place commits to a theme, you commit back.

🍱 Lunch at Herb Garden Furano

Lunch at Herb Garden Furano was optional as part of the tour — you could add it to the cost when booking, or choose to organise your own lunch during the stop.

We were glad we included it.

The buffet-style setup meant we got to try a wide variety of traditional Japanese dishes in one sitting — which is always a win when you don’t know when you’ll be back.

The restaurant is located inside a larger building that also houses a lovely souvenir shop, filled with lavender-based products, snacks and gifts. Lavender is clearly a big part of the region’s identity — and it carries through far beyond just the fields.

All up, it made for a relaxed and satisfying mid-day stop before heading into full lavender territory at Farm Tomita.

💜 Farm Tomita — Lavender Leading the Way

Next stop: Farm Tomita.

Famous for its lavender, it was just beginning to bloom in late June when we visited. While lavender is clearly the star, the farm also grows wide bands of seasonal flowers planted in rainbow stripes across the hills.

But they lean heavily into the theme.

Lavender scooters.
Lavender tractors.
Lavender ice cream.
Lavender soda.

We remained committed to the experience and tried both accordingly.

If you visit in late June, you’ll catch early bloom. July is fuller and more intense — and busier. Either way, it’s visually stunning.

🌲 Ningle Terrace — Forest Wandering

Our final stop on the tour was Ningle Terrace, a small forest village of wooden cabins connected by winding stone paths lined with fairy lights.

Each cabin houses a different local artist or craftsperson, selling handmade goods ranging from glasswork and candles to wooden pieces and jewellery. It feels less like a shopping precinct and more like a creative woodland hideaway.

Not all the cabins were open when we visited, but the setting alone made it worthwhile.

You could easily imagine how magical it would feel at night, with the fairy lights glowing through the trees.

After a full day of stops, it was a gentle, peaceful way to end the tour.

We enjoyed the tour immensely and highly recommend if you’re heading to Sapporo.

🚗 Back on the Road (With Snacks, Obviously)

The following morning, we were back in driving mode.

After a necessary Starbucks stop (priorities), we began the drive back toward Hakodate.

We stopped again at the little produce store near Lake Toya — still ridiculously delighted to find organic options. We picked up a special souvenir twin-pack of Hokkaido Coca-Cola, which Taasjia saved to drink later, and some local Hokkaido cheese because, when in dairy country, you lean in.

Ririko had told us we must try ramen while in Hokkaido. We’d already done seafood, so ramen became the mission.

It did not disappoint.

What we weren’t quite prepared for was the level of customisation.

At this ramen shop, you could choose:

• noodle texture (hard, normal, soft)

• level of greasiness (yes, “greasy” was an actual option)

• flavour thickness (thin, normal, thick)

It felt less like ordering lunch and more like completing a personality quiz.

There is something mildly confronting about willingly selecting your own grease level.

We played it relatively safe — future-us has learned a few things by now — but the fact that “greasy” was sitting there as a bold, confident choice will stay with us forever.

Hokkaido ramen: fully researched. Highly recommend.

⛴️ A Different Ferry, A Different Feeling

We made it back to Hakodate in time to catch an earlier ferry than planned — which meant arriving in Aomori sooner and boarding a larger, more scenic ferry than the one we’d taken north.

This one was beautiful.

Ornate Frosted Glass.
Spacious seating.
Wide windows overlooking the water.

After the earlier booking stress, this crossing felt calm and slightly luxurious.

⏰ 4:30am and The Final Toll Total

The next morning began at 4:30am.

We were determined to avoid toll roads for as long as possible on the drive from Aomori back to Narita. Without toll roads, the journey stretched to at least 14 hours — not including stops.

We managed to stay off the expressways until Sendai, when rental return deadlines forced our hand.

Along the way, we found a Pokémon-themed Michi No Eki — a small but very welcome highlight in the middle of a very long day.

And then… the puppies.

The cutest little puppies we’ve ever seen, which immediately sent us into cuteness overload and made us miss our gorgeous Princess Lulu even more. There’s something about unexpectedly seeing tiny fluffballs when you’re far from home that hits you right in the heart.

It was exactly the kind of soft, joyful pause we needed before heading back into “how many hours left?” mode.

By the time we returned the car, the final tally was clear:

$651 in tolls with the motorhome.
$232 in tolls with the hire car.
$885 in total across 13 days.

Highway robbery?

Yep.

Lesson learned?

Definitely.

🌸 Travel Lessons (Hokkaido Edition)

🎨 If a place commits to a theme, commit back.
Blue beer. Lavender ice cream. Lavender tractors. Resistance is futile.

🛣️ Toll roads are fast. Regret is faster.
Future-us now studies maps more carefully.

🍜 When a local says “you must try this,” you must.
Hokkaido ramen proved that sometimes advice is not optional.

⏰ 4:30am departures feel heroic at 4:29am.
By 2pm, they feel like character development.

💬 What themed food have you tried purely because you were already there?

✨ Looking Ahead

Hokkaido was calm roads and open hills.

Next, we swap countryside for train platforms.

Tokyo reunions.
Hello Kitty limousine buses.
Japan Rail Pass decisions.
Pokémon Centre missions.
Go-karting through the city at night.
And discovering that booking a hotel without a Japanese phone number is… an adventure in itself.

The road trip chapter may be closing — but Japan is far from finished.

In Case You Missed It: B ME HQ Weekly Recap

🌿 Effortlessly Organic Living – Edition #9

Lucky in Love? Start With Self-Love.
Friday the 13th met Valentine’s Day — and instead of superstition or pressure, we turned it into something quieter and more powerful.

Read it here:

Effortlessly Organic Living 9: Lucky in Love (with Yourself)

🌅 B ME Sunrise Bite of the Week:

Sunrise Colour + Giant Sunflowers in Aomori 🌻

This one had actual colour in the sky — and a giant sunflower billboard right beside it.
Some mornings feel like the universe is showing off a little.

Watch here:

📺 Explore the full journey on the B ME Sunrise Bites YouTube Playlist
(Remember to hit subscribe!)

Resource Roundup

Below is a resource list that has been created with you in mind. Whenever something new that could be helpful is discovered or created, it’s added to the list, so check it out from time to time. If you’re strapped for time, once you open the page below, click on Resource List in the top menu, then click on the “Health Tools” link for a list of items that could be helpful on your path to a better you.

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