Nozo Hotel Invites Guests To Explore Furano, Japan Through Culture, Craft And Community
Stray from Japan’s most travelled tourist paths to discover a place with rich agricultural produce, stunning scenery and unique experiences
5 May 2025
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Photo: Nozo Hotel
Japan has a good problem to battle – it’s too popular amongst tourists now.
While that means lots of visitors to prop up the yen, it also means famous places like Tokyo and Osaka are seeing an increased degree of overcrowding. In 2024, a record-breaking 36.86 million international visitors made their way to its shores, leading to concerns about overtourism. A 2024 white paper on tourism confirmed this, stating the need to reduce the pressure on Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, which saw 70% of foreign visitors.
There is so much on offer in Japan beyond busy urban metropolises. One such place is Furano, the agricultural hub of Japan, located in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido. A two-hour drive out of New Chitose Airport, Furano, with its rolling fields surrounded by mountains, which in winter feature the same powder snow as its more famous cousin Niseko (but with fewer crowds), is a year-round destination, and a new hotel is making the most of it.
The hotel organises cycling tours to allow the guests to experience Furano’s natural beauty | Photo Credit: Nozo Hotel
“A lot of the attractions offered in Furano and neighbouring Biei include the surrounding natural beauty from the abundance of trees, flowers, fruits, vegetables and natural spring waters,” says Nathalia Wilson, CEO of NJW International and consultant to Nozo Hotel. “We have local dairy farmers, vegetable and fruit farmers, cheese factories, local wineries, craft beer breweries – essentially every day is a farmers’ market day in Furano,” she adds with a laugh. She emphasises the city as a year-round destination, with its excellent ski slopes and activities such as hot air ballooning and snow trekking in the winter, as well as outdoor sports such as cycling, hiking, whitewater rafting and kayaking in the summer.
Opened at the end of 2023, Nozo Hotel is the first international hotel in Furano, with a philosophy to make the area’s natural beauty more accessible to tourists. This is done in several ways. For one, they hire international staff, making it easy for English-speaking tourists to communicate their interests and receive help in booking and arranging their activities. “Communication (often a pain point for visiting Japan) is now much easier,” says Nathalia. “The local activities operators that we partner with also speak English to accommodate guests’ needs.”
These operators are also firm collaborators when it comes to bringing authentic experiences to guests throughout the year. In winter, this can mean heading out onto Lake Kanayama for ice fishing or visiting a local farm to learn about winter farming, accompanied by a delicious lunch of fresh produce. In the warmer months, the hotel organises cycling tours and visits to an asparagus farm.
Says Nathalia of the process of choosing activity partners, “We looked at the highlights of Furano as a destination and researched the local community, trialling activities and natural attractions first-hand to see what products and services offered would suit Nozo guests.” She notes that the hotel has chosen to work with groups with the same mindset and enthusiasm for creating an authentic cultural experience. Some local operators the hotels work with include wokkys — a company specialising in adventure activities in the region, Urespa, a local farm tours operator and Cycle Japan for tours in the warmer months.
Guests can visit a local farm to learn about winter farming in Furano | Photo Credit: Karen Fong
Even within the hotel, touchpoints ensure that guests are comfortable and have everything they need to experience Furano. Throughout the year, the hotel hosts different events and workshops that bring Furano arts and crafts or cultural experiences like taiko drums and koto performances closer to the guests. Their Shirakaba restaurant also offers a farm-to-table philosophy, using seasonal ingredients and local produce. Location-wise, the hotel is also ideally situated just a five-minute drive from the city centre and right around the corner from the two major ski slopes. For guests looking to dine out and taste some of the region’s specialities, like curry soup, a savoury warm stew with chicken and vegetables, the hotel’s staff have excellent recommendations.
Nozo’s recipe for success is hyperlocal, and its parent company, Parkwood Hotels Furano K.K., is focused on ensuring this is the experience it delivers to its guests. At the moment, the company also operates Hotel Solage Oita in Hiji, a town near the onsen hotspot of Beppu, and is currently focused on its efforts within Japan, though they are open to exploring beyond its shores should the opportunity arise. For the moment, with Nozo already winning accolades such as its inclusion in Trip.com’s 2024 Global 100 Ski Hotels list, it remains committed to bringing a side of Japan rarely seen by tourists to the forefront.
Hot Air Balloon Experience | Photo credit: Nozo Hotel
Winter in Furano | Photo credit: Karen Fong
Furano Melon Farm Visit | Photo credit: Nozo Hotel
Seasonal Veggies Picking | Photo credit: Nozo Hotel
Flower Fields Farm Tomita | Photo credit: Nozo Hotel
Author: Karen Fong
Karen Fong is a Singapore-based writer and editor who has previously spent time in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Canada. She writes parenting, lifestyle and travel content and has worked with publications including The Singapore Women’s Weekly, DestinAsian, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia and Prestige Hong Kong.
