Astonishing view of green grass and blue sky. It’s a little off the urban trail but it’s worth visiting. Love it.

+1

I went to the Tawadaira Observatory on a Golden Week trip to Hokkaido. The surroundings are all ranches, and you can see cattle being raised here and there, which shows that this is a dairy farming area. At Green Hill Tawadaira, you can have meals and barbecues, and there is also a campsite. The shop also serves soft serve ice cream, and there is the famous Nakashibetsu milk. With both, you can enjoy the scenery while tasting the rich milk unique to Hokkaido, making it truly the perfect spot to experience the feeling of a majestic ranch.

+3

I stop by every winter whenever I pass nearby. On a clear day you can see quite far, which feels great. Some years the road up to the observatory isn't plowed. In that case you can't reach it without snowshoes.

I had the impression that it was the go-to base for a trip to eastern Hokkaido, but is it no longer as well known as it used to be? When I went, perhaps because the weather was bad or because it was a weekday, there was no camping or barbecue, only a vast, majestic open field and a faint whiff of animals in the air. True to its name as a large ranch, there are indeed ranch animals here and there. If there were no fog, it seems you can see mountains in every direction through 360° from the observatory. To warm my chilled body, I had hot milk and homemade scones as a snack. The taste was comforting and reassuring. I think it's worth stopping by as a resting place right in the middle of eastern Hokkaido.

+3

The view from the observatory is the best!

+2