Beautiful Nature Spots in Biei, Biei, Japan (B)

My initial plan upon arriving in Asahikawa was to check in at Asahikawa Ride then come back to the station and catch the train to Biei. I had 46 minutes between train rides to do this. But speed walking is not my sport, so I ended up dumping my bags in a locker in Asahikawa Station (400 for a small locker, 500 medium, 600-700 large).

Biei is a small town known for its flower fields and that Macbook wallpaper of a blue pond. I had booked (online) a seat on the bus tour for these two destinations (Blue Pond and Flower Garden Course, 2000 yen) and all I had to do was bring a printout of the email confirmation and present myself at Shiki no Johokan 四季の情報館, just outside of Biei Station, no later than 930am.

The first stop of the tour was Shirogane Blue Pond 白金青い池. We were given 45 minutes to explore the pond (the 45 minutes includes the 6-minute walk per way between the parking lot and the pond, so we technically had a little over 30 minutes to spend at the pond). ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).