How Do You Visit the Biei Hills and Blue Pond Without Harming the Farms?

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to see Biei's patchwork hills and the Blue Pond. It explains why the hills are not a park, what the town asks of visitors, how the Blue Pond gets its colour, and when it is crowded.

We used the English pages of the Biei Tourism Association. All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Some of the association's pages are still in Japanese or carry dates from 2024, and we say so where it matters. Check its site for current notices before you go.

The hills are farmers' fields

The association says Biei is known for the "Hill of Patchwork", and that all of its beautiful hills are the fields of farmers. Because this is not well known, it says there is no end to the number of tourists who step into the fields to take commemorative photos. In response, the town's tourism organisation made two videos, one with wheat fields in July and one with pepper tree flowers in September, to raise awareness of tourism etiquette.

The association's request page lists these rules:

• Never enter farmland. The page says shoes can harm crops through the soil.
• Do not enter farmland in the snow. All snow-covered hills are private property, and wheat and other crops grow under the snow. Stay on public roads that have been ploughed.
• Do not obstruct traffic. Be very careful on the roadway, and leave quickly after you stop.
• Stay on paved roads. Do not enter gravel or farm roads. The field is the farmer's private property, so unauthorised trespassing is illegal.
• No drones. In principle, drone flights and aerial photography are prohibited in Biei Town, except for those who received prior permission.
• Rubbish. Illegal dumping is strictly prohibited. Separate your waste and dispose of it properly.

The FAQ page explains the drone rule in more detail. The exceptions are flights approved by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Civil Aviation Bureau, with the consent of the landowner. It adds that some flights are prohibited under the Civil Aeronautics Act, and violations may be punished by law.

Why it is called Patchwork Hill and hill town

The FAQ page says a variety of vegetables is grown in the fields from spring to summer. The fields are green in spring and change colour as the season goes on, like pieces of a patchwork cloth.

It says the hills were formed from flow deposits of a large eruption about 1 to 2 million years ago, which weathered over a long time. The landscape came to resemble the countryside of Europe, and the town became known as the hill town.

The Blue Pond

The association says the pond looks blue because rivers with different contents mix. One is the Biei River, below Shirahige Falls. The other is upstream and contains aluminium and similar elements. The mixed water reflects light and looks blue. A second explanation on the page is that blue light scatters more easily from tiny particles in the water.

The page warns that after snowmelt in spring or after heavy rain, the water can turn cloudy or not look blue. It also gives these rules for the pond:

• Do not walk on the frozen pond, because the ice may break.
• Do not throw rocks or rubbish into the pond.
• Unauthorised photography is prohibited. Follow the photo rules.

When it is crowded

The page says to avoid the afternoon traffic by going in the morning. On sunny days, the hours from 13:00 to 15:00 are the most crowded. It asks visitors to leave extra time on weekends.

The page says the Blue Pond is about 20 minutes away by car or route bus. Our guide on getting to Biei covers the buses.

Parking and winter light-up, dated 2024

These details are from the Japanese section of the page and are dated. From 21 March 2024, the pond's car park uses a gate with automatic payment. The fees were 500 yen for a regular car and 100 yen for a motorcycle. For large vehicles of 6 m or more, the fee was 2,000 yen. The hours were 7:00 to 19:00 from May to October.

The page also said the pond cannot be seen under snow, so it was lit up from 25 October 2024 to 23 April 2025, from sunset to 21:00. Check the association's site for the current season.

When to go

The FAQ page says the popular season is early summer to autumn. From around the end of June the field vegetables change colour and flowers begin to bloom. Autumn leaves peak in mid-October. It also calls the snowy winter scenery very attractive.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Current parking fees and hours, and this winter's light-up dates.
• Which individual fields or roads are open to visitors. Ask the association.
• Fines or penalties for trespassing.
• How to apply for permission to fly a drone. The page names a local photography association, but we did not read its rules.
• Whether the video campaign is still running.

Related guides

• How do you get to Biei, and how do you travel around the hills?
• How do you stay safe around Biei? Tokachidake, bears, cold and 110/119

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. A request to all visitors (Biei Tourism Association) — (farmland, snow fields, traffic, drones, gravel roads, frozen pond, rubbish)
2. FAQ (Biei Tourism Association) — (drone rules; why Patchwork Hill and hill town; season; climate)
3. Biei Shirogane Blue Pond (Biei Tourism Association) — (why it is blue; crowd hours; parking and light-up details dated 2024)