This tour takes you inside Tashiro-no-Mori, a forest garden in Hiroo Town in Hokkaido’s Tokachi region. This forest is owned and managed by Yukihiro Izumi, who named it after his great grandfather Tashiro, a settler who moved to Tokachi during the pioneering days of Hokkaido. Natural springs flow throughout the forest, and various wild flowers bloom all over the area from spring to autumn. Izumi-san will guide you around the forest and tell you all about its flora and fauna. After the walk, you’ll experience a traditional outdoor tea ceremony with a Japanese tea instructor.

It took almost 20 years for Yukihiro Izumi to build the forest garden by himself, and he knows the place like the back of his hand. 

The forest grows with over 500 different varieties of trees and plants, and blooms with various wild flowers from spring to autumn. 

After the walk, you’ll take a rest at one of the thatched huts in the forest, and experience an outdoor tea ceremony known as “nodate”. The ceremony is led by Japanese tea instructor Wako Ietsune.

This tea called “jinencha” is made from natural ingredients and is brewed using the forest’s natural spring water. Savor the unique experience of enjoying tea and Japanese sweets in the middle of nature.

Note: All images are for illustration purposes only. Your actual experience may vary.

Schedule

9:30	Meetup at Tashiro-no-Mori
9:35	Forest walk with Izumi-san
10:25	Outdoor tea ceremony with Japanese sweets
12:00	Tour finish