[Day trip] Hokkaido Course A: Asahiyama Zoo, Blue Pond, and Ningle Terrace

07:30 Sapporo Oriental Hotel Address: 4-422-41 Minami 8-jo Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo (boarding and disembarking at the meeting point) 08:00 Sapporo Station North Exit Group BUS Stop Address: 3-chome Kita 7-jo Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo (boarding and disembarking at the meeting point) 10:30 Asahiyama Zoo (admission ticket included, free lunch/approx. 100 minutes) Asahiyama Zoo closed: November 4th to November 10th, 2023, December 30th to January 1st, 2024 If Asahiyama Zoo is closed, the itinerary will be changed: Biei Ken and Mary Tree (30 minutes) - Shikisai no Oka (80 minutes) - Biei Blue Pond (30 minutes) - Shirohige no Taki (20 minutes) 13:20 April 1st to November 30th period: Biei Blue Pond (approx. 30 minutes) 14:05 April 1st to November 30th period: Shirahige Falls (about 20 minutes) 14:50 Ningle Terrace (about 30 minutes) 15:30 After a fun day of sightseeing, we start to return to Sapporo city. 18:00 Arrive at the disbanding location: Sapporo Station North Exit Group BUS Stop (3-chome, Kita-Shichijo-Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo)

This zoo has become famous for its "behavioral exhibits," which create comfortable spaces for animals according to their ecology and bring out their natural behavior. You can see animals living vibrantly in various places, such as the "Penguin House" where animals can swim freely through an underwater tunnel, the "Seal House" where seals go up and down a cylindrical tank, the "Polar Bear House" where you can see them diving spectacularly into the pool, the "Orangutan House" where you can take an aerial stroll through a 17m-high tower, the "Hippo House" where you can see them swimming in the pool from directly below, the "Red-Crowned Crane House," the "Ezo Deer Forest," and the "Hokkaido Animal House," which are unique to Hokkaido zoos. In 2022, the "Ezo Brown Bear House" will open, allowing you to get up close and personal with Hokkaido's representative wild animals in an indoor enclosure modeled after Shiretoko. During the "Penguin Walk" held during the snowfall in winter, you can see the adorable penguins waddling freely around a course without fences. (The Penguin Walk is held from late December to mid-March each year, depending on the snow conditions. The Penguin Walk is scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m.)

The Blue Pond is a pond that was created by a lucky coincidence. Located near the town of Biei, the pond was created to prevent damage from mudslides from Mount Tokachi. The color of the pond varies from vibrant turquoise to emerald to cobalt blue due to impurities in the water of Shirahige Falls. Its appearance can also change depending on the season, wind, clouds, and rain. This famous pond has become Apple's desktop wallpaper used worldwide. But more importantly, it has become a spiritual place for many.

Ningle is a 15cm tall "forest wise man" who lives in the forests of Hokkaido and appears in the play "Ningle" by screenwriter So Kuramoto. Ningle Terrace is a village of craftsmen in the forest, produced by So Kuramoto. 15 lodges are dotted along the wooden promenade, each with its own theme and lined with carefully selected crafts. It is a fantastical space, as if fairies are present. There are decks and benches along the promenade, so it is good to spend time quietly feeling the forest. You can experience the worldview of Furano everywhere in Ningle Terrace. All the products sold at Ningle Terrace are handmade. At the 15 lodges, you can buy carefully selected products with a nature theme that can only be purchased at Ningle Terrace.