▼You can see spectacular scenery that hardly feels like Japan! The sheer vastness takes your breath away!! I think places with grasslands this expansive are rare even in Hokkaido. There were fewer cows when I visited, but I was moved to discover that a place like this exists in Japan. ▼What is more, in summer you can visit even without a car or motorcycle. You can rent an electric bicycle at Yu no Mori Pokke in Toyotomi Onsen and arrive in about 30 minutes (there are uphill sections, so I recommend an electric one if you are not confident in your stamina) ▼Regular buses to Toyotomi Onsen run from JR Horonobe and Toyotomi stations, where limited express trains stop. There is also an intercity bus from Sapporo to Toyotomi Onsen.

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This vast ranch, one of the largest in Japan, was also used as a filming location for the NHK drama 『Saka no Ue no Kumo』. It has not been heavily developed for tourism, so I passed only a few cars and motorcycles. There are no people at all, but plenty of cows. Enjoy the gently rolling green grasslands stretching on forever.

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Gently rolling hills stretch on forever, with pasture as far as the eye can see. Touring along the gentle rises, dips, and winding roads feels wonderful, and you can also enjoy watching cows slowly grazing in the pastoral scenery. Riding the Ororon Line and this vast grassland on the same day was fantastic. It might also be nice to visit the nearby municipal hot spring, whose water unusually contains petroleum. ・Naitai Ranch in Tokachi ・Soya Hills in Wakkanai ・And the vast grasslands of Toyotomi Personally, these are Hokkaido's three great hilly touring roads. Toyotomi seems the least crowded to me. At the rest house that once operated here, fresh Toyotomi milk came with unlimited refills for the price of １ glass. When I pick up Toyotomi milk at the supermarket, I remember the taste of the milk I drank there. I hope it will reopen someday.

The roads around here are full of spectacular viewpoints. I think the Soya Hills area, the area around Aso Kusasenri, Akiyoshidai Karst Road, and the roads around here are among Japan's representative scenic tourist roads inland in summer.

This road feels so much like Hokkaido that you could say you should not talk about northern Hokkaido without riding it. Cows grazing on majestic hills. A picture-perfect scene.