This farm, famous for it’s lavender was the whole reason I’d booked the tour. Pictures online show, during peak season seas of purple lavender that looked stunning. I also saw that they had lavender ice cream and I wanted it. The lavender in Hokkaido is probably best viewed in mid July and I was going in August. I’d checked online and with my friend that there was some left and was assured that some lavender was still blooming. Our guide walked us to a map, pointing at different things, I assume highlights and we all split up.
I headed along a path towards the traditional lavender field. Along the way, armed with my umbrella I ducked under awnings to see the snacks that were for sale and found my goal. Lavender ice cream. I debated momentarily about getting it later but I was already on my way to the lavender fields, I thought I might as well have it to enjoy on the way.
This picture above of me holding the ice cream in front of some lavender is at the Autumn field. The field was quite pretty but on a gray dreary day not the most vibrant. But I’m glad I didn’t wait till I got to the traditional lavender field because…
That field was already picked. No lush purple to enjoy with my ice cream that was quickly melting. It was good though. But as I mentioned before I really really love Japanese soft serve. And I like lavender. In college, in one of my classes we had a lot of students who liked to bake and one girl would make us lavender shortbread cookies and they were my favorite. (My contributions were oreos covered in cookie dough that I baked in my dorm. They were intense, and my go to thing to bring to gatherings.)
While the lavender wasn’t a stunning sea of purple, I’m still glad that there was some. It still smelled wonderfully and there was plenty of lavender things for sale in the shops and a couple DIY classes and areas where you could smell the lavender. Things like a perfume workshop and a potpourri house towards the edge of the farm. It was really just fun walking around smelling everything. I didn’t buy anything but postcards, and I didn’t make the perfume because I was concerned about time. Which is good because now that I look at the picture of the map I took, it looks like they closed it that day.
If you get hungry there are also a couple spots where you can take a break and enjoy looking out onto the fields. I thought this was cool. I mean they even have lavender tea you can try or Lavender calpis (a milky soda). Instead I got a lavender ramune to take to enjoy later on my trip. (I did have a Shinkansen trip to bring snacks for.)
The fields that were in bloom though were stunning.
After awhile of looking at flowers and enjoying the smell in the air I popped into a dried flower shop that was all done by an artist name Len Alkemade, whose a famous international flower designer, with several books on the subject out.
It was a popular spot to get out of the rain and take pictures in front of. There were also lots of shops in this area with more snacks, so if I’d missed something I could get it there. I decided to grab some melon, something I’d be told I had to try. There were seats in the area, which were full, but some ladies did offer to let me sit with them, which I thought was very kind. You cannot pick your slice of melon, but I wasn’t concerned, they all looked good. They also make melon soft serve, but I decided that two soft serves at one spot might be a bit much. Who knew what was available at the our other stops after all.
There is also a nice greenhouse to walk through, that does get a little crowded but has a nice view of the flower fields and mountains in the background.
Farm Tomita is open from 9am until 5pm. Keep in mind when the flowers are in bloom if that’s your goal. They are open in winter but the flowers will not be in bloom. I was on there at the tail end of the lavender season which was around August 10th. You could see staff in the fields picking flowers.