The Tokachi plain in eastern Hokkaido is Japan’s breadbasket — an immense patchwork of farms beneath huge skies, centred on the city of Obihiro. Here you can swap the city for a farm stay, sleeping on a working dairy or crop farm, helping with chores, and feasting on just-picked produce, farm dairy and local beef. Tokachi is also home to the rare, amber “moor” hot springs (mojū-onsen) — peat-rich waters found in only a handful of places worldwide — and a famous food culture of sweets, cheese and the local “butadon” pork bowl. It’s an authentic, restorative slice of rural Hokkaido.

This guide covers farm stays, rural experiences, the moor hot springs, food and how to get there.

🗓️ Quick Reference
Location Tokachi plain (Obihiro), eastern Hokkaido
Highlights Farm stays, moor onsen, farm food
Time needed 1–2 nights
Best time Late spring–autumn (snowy winters)
Good for Families, slow travel, food, onsen

The farm stay experience

  • Stay on a working farm (dairy or crops) and join in: feeding animals, harvesting, butter or cheese making.
  • Eat farm-to-table meals of Tokachi produce, dairy and beef.
  • A relaxed, authentic way to experience rural Hokkaido and big-sky landscapes — see our dairy guide .

Tokachigawa moor hot springs

  • Tokachigawa Onsen is famed for its rare moor (peat) hot springs — amber, mineral-rich “beauty waters” found in few places on Earth.
  • Ryokan and day-use baths let you soak after a day on the farm.

Food & around Obihiro

  • Butadon (grilled-pork rice bowl) is Obihiro’s signature dish.
  • Tokachi is a sweets and cheese powerhouse — visit confectionery parks and dairies.
  • The serene Tokachi Millennium Forest gardens are nearby — see our Tokachi forest guide .

Combine your visit

Tokachi suits a slow eastern Hokkaido loop:

How to get there

  • JR to Obihiro (limited express from Sapporo ~2.5 hours), or fly to Tokachi-Obihiro Airport.
  • A rental car is best for reaching farms and the wider Tokachi countryside.