What’s a trip to Hokkaido without indulging in ice cream? Here are some of our favourites.
Hokkaido is a dairy farming region known for producing delicious fresh milk, which naturally leads to exceptional ice cream. No matter the season, you can’t leave Hokkaido without trying its cold delights, and no, we’re not talking about powder snow. You’ll have to taste Hokkaido’s legendary soft serve ice cream, ice cream, and gelato — the latter is a summer specialty often crafted from local fresh fruits and vegetables.
From the photogenic lavender soft serve in Furano to the creamy cheese-flavoured ice cream in Niseko, we’ve gathered the best places in Hokkaido for ice cream lovers. Take note: Some locations can be challenging to reach by public transport, so we recommend renting a car for serious ice cream exploration.
NISEKO
Niseko Gelato: Located next to Niseko’s roadside station, Niseko Gelato offers an array of unique flavors that make choosing just one difficult. Everything is crafted from original recipes — none are made using pre-made bases or mass-produced flavour pastes. The crunchy hand-baked waffle cones are also a hit!
Ruhiel: Ruhiel is a well-loved gelato shop that has gained a cult following thanks to their high-quality ingredients and unique production methods. The gelato is made with minimal additives, allowing the natural flavors to shine. Fair warning, you’ll likely see queues of eager customers but it’s worth the wait. Go for the seasonal flavours, which are made from local fruits and fresh dairy products.
Takahashi Farm (Milk Kobo): Did you even go to Niseko if you didn’t visit Milk Kobo? This popular spot offers ice cream made from fresh, raw milk from Takahashi Farm, renowned for its rich and full-bodied flavour. The site also features a pizza restaurant, a chocolate shop, and a scenic photo spot with a large grassy roll and amazing views of Mount Yotei. If you want to go a step further, they also offer ice cream making classes that’s great for dessert lovers!
Read also: How Yuko Takai of Milk Kobo is Preserving the Taste of Tradition
Akaigawa Gelato: Located at a roadside station in Akaigawa, just a 40-minute drive from Niseko, Akaigawa Gelato Corner is housed in a distinctive mountain hut-style building. Here, you can savour gelato made from local Hokkaido ingredients. Skip your usual order and try one of the unique flavors like rice gelato, which tastes like crushed rice, or the Akaigawa soybean kinako, which has a coarsely ground soybean flavor. Both types have a subtle sweetness, making them a choice pick for adults.
Cheese Kobo Takara: While award-winning cheese is the star here, the homemade soft serve ice cream, made from freshly squeezed milk from the farm, is equally excellent. It’s so rich, it’s akin to drinking ultra fresh cow’s milk. On clear days, you can also see a rare view of Mount Yotei and Mount Shiribetsu side by side, like twins!
Mita Farm: The cows grazing on Mita Farm’s vast pasture produce the raw milk used to create gelato on-site. In 2023, they opened a café so visitors can enjoy their fresh gelato while watching the cows graze in the fields. Bliss!
Lake Hill Farm: This breezy gelato shop is located on a hill with beautiful flower fields, meadows, and gardens. Offering stunning views of Lake Toya and Mount Yotei, it’s worth heading over even just for the scenery. Gelato with a view? Count us in.
Yamanaka Farm: Situated in the mountains of Akaigawa Village along Route 393, which runs from Niseko to Otaru, Yamanaka Farm is known for its highly popular soft serve. Made with high-quality milk, the ice cream is extremely smooth and refreshing. They also have other crowd-pleasing flavours like green tea and chocolate.
Read also: Summer in Hokkaido: 10 Best Activities in Niseko, Rusutsu and Furano
FURANO
Blue Pond: Located in Biei-cho Shirogane, Blue Pond is a popular sightseeing destination thanks to its stunning landscape of gently rolling hills, azure waters, and standing dead larch trees. At the site, there’s a shop offering Blue Pond-themed products, including soft serve ice cream. The ice cream is served with a cute biscuit featuring a fox and comes in three varieties: Biei Milk Soft Serve, made with fresh milk from Biei; Aoi Ike Soft Serve, which adds ramune (citrus) flavour to the milk; and a mix of the two flavours.
Farm Tomita: Renowned for its endless rows of lavender fields, Farm Tomita also offers an original lavender flavoured soft serve ice cream. The pretty, pastel-hued delight is definitely made for the ‘gram, and luckily it tastes as good as it looks! A welcome treat on hot days, enjoy it while taking in the beautiful backdrop of the lavender fields.
Read also: Everything You Need to Know About Furano’s Flower Fields
Popura Farm: This sweet shop in Nakafurano is run by a melon specialty store, hence an eye-catching creation: the Furano Melon soft serve. This iconic Hokkaido summer dessert combines juicy, ripe orange melon with rich milk soft serve — the melon cut in half and topped with a generous swirl of soft serve ice cream. Often featured on TV, this is a must-try treat when visiting the Furano area.
Furano Cheese Factory: Best known for its cheese offerings — including Japan’s first wine-infused cheese — Furano Cheese Factory also sells ice cream in several flavours such as classic milk, unusual options like pumpkin, as well as unique combinations like cheese and grape. The one to go for? Their signature cheese soft ice cream, which is made with their own cheese. The architectural complex also has an in-house cafe and pizzeria, which serves pizza topped with local produce.