When thinking of Hokkaido, probably the natural scenery of this beautiful countryside pops out from your mind. But do you know that one more thing about Hokkaido which is popular among tourists is Ice Cream?

We know that ice cream is an extremely popular dessert not only in Japan, but worldwide as well. You might find ice cream flavours such as Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry are too mainstream in this new era of foodies, right? Well, you should visit Japan to find more unique flavours of ice cream such as Green Tea, Matcha, Red Bean, Mango, even Peach. This time, we have 3 unforgettable ice creams you can find in Hokkaido which are probably gonna blow your mind away by their unique taste!

Lavender Ice Cream (Furano)

Photo: JapanTravel by Navitime

Who here loves seeing Lavender flowers? If you happen to visit Hokkaido, Japan, then Farm Tomita in Furano is definitely a must-visit “holy land” of lavender fields. This farm is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Hokkaido, known for being the largest lavender farm in Japan. There are 5 lavender fields in total which is about 5 hectares. After walking in this purple garden under the bright summer sun, you may want to eat something sweet and delicious to wipe off the heat on your body, right? Then, you must try their Lavender Soft Cream which costs JPY 300/cone and JPY 250/cup. With one bite of this light and soft ice cream, the flavour expands in your mouth leaving a refreshing taste, perfect for summer! If you prefer the texture to be less pungent, you can order a combination of lavender and milk. It has a milder milky scent that may be more suitable for your taste.

You can visit their website for more information about their variant of Soft Ice Cream.

Sunflower Ice Cream (Hokuryu)

Photo: Tsunagu Japan

In the sunflower field named “Himawari no Sato”, more than 1.5 million sunflowers bloom in the summer. You can visit this sunflower field in Hokuryu town located in the southwestern part of Asahikawa city. Just like the famous lavender ice cream in Furano, you should not miss the chance to taste their ice cream which is made from sunflower seeds. The flavour of this soft ice cream is quite enjoyable with tastes of a bit of peanuts and sesame. We definitely recommend you to visit this sunflower village to enjoy the beautiful scenery of sunflower fields of Hokuryu and taste their rare sunflower ice cream.

Their website is also available if you want to know more about the Sunflower Ice Cream or the sunflower fields!

Handmade Gelato (Shimizu Farm)

Photo: Tsunagu Japan

When you are around Toyako town, there’s a handmade gelato shop in a farmhouse which recently became quite popular in Hokkaido. You can even find some news about this place in Japanese media outlets. The reason this gelato shop is becoming popular is because of its originality and freshness of the made-to-order gelato using ingredients that are directly picked from the local farm. Most people will scream “delicious” (or Oishii in Japanese) when they eat it because all flavours are guaranteed to be delightful and satisfying! Shimizu Farm is also known for producing sweet and juicy tomatoes, which are often sold in a flash once they are in stock. For the flavour itself, you can pick either Sweet Watermelon, Rich Pumpkin, and their famous Tomato flavour.

One thing you have to remember though: the gelato is not always sold every day. So, if you want to taste their handmade gelato, you have to visit their website beforehand.

Ice cream flavours are always a never-ending innovation. Which one of the 3 ice creams above you want to try the most anyway? Lavender, Sunflower, or Handmade Gelato of fruity flavours? Or, do you have any other recommendation of ice cream shop in Hokkaido? Let us know your thoughts below!

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