Watch the magical sight of the sun rising over Biei's winter hills. If you are lucky, you may witness natural phenomena like sun pillars or diamond dust!
Sunrise~ 1 hr
JR Biei Station
Dec ~ Mar
Every Biei resident will tell you the same thing; Biei’s winter is most beautiful in the early morning.
When the sun breaks over the peak of Mt. Tokachi, the sunlight hits the snow and makes it sparkle in the most magical way. Even if you are not a photographer, you will appreciate the beauty of a still, white morning! We’ll meet at JR Biei Station and make our way to Shin’ei-no-Oka viewpoint, where you’ll be able to see a beautiful view of the hills and the Tokachi Volcanic Group mountain range. We’ll watch as the sun rises slowly from behind the mountains. On very cold days when the conditions are just right, you may be in with a chance of seeing sun pillar or diamond dust natural phenomena.
Depending on the time of year, the sun rises at different times. Pick-up time at JR station will be either 7AM (December & January) 6:30AM (February) or 6AM (March).
After you've enjoyed this experience, why not extend it with another? Try our Biei River Snowshoeing or Biei Winter Morning Walk for a full morning appreciating Biei's beautiful winter!
* Please dress appropriately for this experience as there is no indoor shelter at the viewpoint! Temperatures in Biei’s midwinter can be as cold as -30C. In the event that you are feeling too cold, we will return to JR Biei Station immediately. Note that we cannot offer refunds or discounts for experiences that have been cut short.
** The experience will be cancelled and a full refund given in the event that the forecast means the sunrise is not visible (cloudy, snowy, blizzard etc). You also have the option of changing to the morning walk or the morning snowshoe experience instead, in which case, the fee will change to reflect that of those tours.
Price (Per Person)
1 Person: ¥5,000
2 People+: ¥3,000
*Maximum 2 People, Minimum Age 12
Included
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Camp chairs to sit on
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Hand-Warmers & Other items to help you stay warm!
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Services of your Dohoku Local
Not Included
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Transportation*
*If you are using a rental car in Biei, please pick your Dohoku Local up at JR Biei Station and they will direct you to Shin'ei-no-Oka. If you are coming by public transport, we will need to take a taxi each way (please pay each taxi fare directly to the driver on the day in cash).
Terms & Conditions
We know, it's boring.
But if you'd like to join an experience, there are some particulars.
We appreciate your taking the time to read this before booking!
1. The minimum age for this tour is 12 years and above due to the cold. We can negotiate if you would like to bring younger children, however! 2. There are areas of this walk where it is not safe to approach the river. Please follow your Dohoku Local's instructions very closely to avoid incident. 3. Bookings are accepted a minimum of 24 hours in advance. Unfortunately we cannot accept bookings later than this. The online system only allows for bookings 3 days in advance, so for bookings sooner than this, please reach out to us via our contact form. 4. Please let us know if you have any health or mobility issues that may affect you on this experience. 5. Aggressive or threatening behaviour towards your Dohoku Local or Biei townspeople will not be tolerated. 6. The participant accepts that they bear responsibility for any accident or injury, except for those caused by negligence or poor behaviour on the part of their Dohoku Local. 7. We reserve the right to cancel the reservation on the spot with no refund given if any of the T&C are breached. 8. Cancellation Policy: Full refund if cancelled by you, the participant, more than 24 hours before the experience. 100% cancellation fee if cancelled within 24 hours of the experience. Unfortunately we do not accept illness or injury as mitigating circumstances. If we have to cancel the experience due to unforeseen circumstances on Dohoku Local's end, a full refund will be given.