The lavender fields in Furano was the main reason for us to visit Hokkaido in early August. We would have taken up a tour package if not for the fact that there was not a tour group that spent more than 3 hours in Furano. With car, it is much easier to do farm hopping. We visited some of the bigger farms, and love the romantic feel of Hinode Park the most. However, I did not expect the summer in Hokkaido is at hot as Singapore – I was totally tanned after spending 2 days wondering in the parks and farms. We also tasted the honey-sweet Yubari rock melons and the scented lavender ice-cream. The Ninguru Terrace – a specialty arts village located in a forest was charming and magical when visiting at night.
Xiao Yee's blog on Furano: http://xiaoyeelee.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/%e5%af%8c%e8%89%af%e9%87%8e-furano-%e5%af%8c%e7%94%b0%e5%86%9c%e5%9c%ba/