Hokkaido Places

Town Kamikawa Subprefecture

Bifuka 美深町

びふかちょう

Bifuka is a heavily forested farming town in the Teshio River basin of northern Kamikawa. Its name comes from the Ainu for "stony place." Visitors come for farmed sturgeon and home-grown caviar, self-drive trolleys on a closed JNR line, a high moor in the mountains, and a gravel road to the summit of Mount Hakodake.

Population (2020 Census)
4,145
Area
672.09 km²
District
Nakagawa District (中川郡)
Official website
www.town.bifuka.hokkaido.jp

Known for

  • Sturgeon and Bifuka caviar: Sturgeon farming began in 1983, when 300 hybrid bester sturgeon were released into an oxbow lake for a Fisheries Agency cold-climate trial.9 The town's caviar, salted to 3%, sells for ¥6,500 per 10 g jar.10
  • The Bikō Line and Trolley Kingdom: The JNR Bikō Line (美幸線) opened from Bifuka to Niupu in 1964. By 1975 it was famous as Japan's most unprofitable line (赤字日本一), and it closed in 1985.7 Since 1998, visitors have driven engine-powered trolleys themselves along a 10 km round trip on its surviving track.11
  • Matsuyama Wetland (松山湿原): Described as Japan's northernmost high moor, at 797 m.12 It is one of Japan's 500 Important Wetlands.13
  • Hakodake (函岳): A 1,129 m mountain with a 32 km gravel road to the summit and a 360° view. On clear days you can see Rishiri-Fuji.14
  • Teshio River canoeing: The 157 km from Nayoro to the river mouth has no dams or weirs. The tourism association calls it the longest non-stop canoe run in Japan and compares the river to the Yukon.15
  • Birch sap: Mori no Shizuku (森の雫) is a drink of 100% white-birch sap.16 The Birch Sap Spring Festival in Niupu held its 28th edition in April 2026.17
  • Snow and aerial skiing: Bifuka Ski Area has an FIS-certified aerial site and hosts the All-Japan aerial championships.18 Snowfall averages 888 cm a year.19
  • Sheep and A Wild Sheep Chase: Bifuka is said to be the model for the setting of Murakami Haruki's novel A Wild Sheep Chase (羊をめぐる冒険).20 Matsuyama Farm (松山農場) in Niupu raises sheep for hogget meat.21

Sights & activities

Nature & scenery

  • Matsuyama Wetland (Niupu): Park at Tenryū-numa pond. From there a 900 m trail climbs to the moor in about 30 minutes, and a 1.2 km boardwalk loops across the top.1328 The path around Tenryū-numa itself is barrier-free. In 2026 the access gate is open from 1 June to late October.13
  • Niupu Sixteen Falls: Five of the falls can be reached by car: Amagiri, Megami, Shinryoku, Gekiryū and Takahiro. The others need full canyoneering gear.29 As of May 2026 the forest road to Shinryoku Falls (深緑の滝) was closed after its shoulder collapsed.58
  • Hakodake: It is rare in Japan to be able to drive to a summit like this. The 32 km gravel road is popular with off-road riders. At the top are a rest hut, toilets, parking and a rainfall radar. On clear days you can see Rishiri-Fuji, and in 2011 the road appeared in a Mitsubishi Pajero commercial.14 The Okhotsk Sea is also visible.59 In 2026 the gates on the Bifuka–Utanobori and Kasumi Pass–Hakodake roads opened on 13 June.59 The road usually stays open until mid-October.14
  • Nozomi-no-Mori (望の森): A 52 ha area of Hokkaido-owned forest laid out as a park, with a forest-bathing course and a lookout.30 It is the site of the May cherry festival.49
  • Uruveshi Bridge (ウルベシ橋) on National Route 275 is 62 m high and 255 m long.30

Onsen

  • Bifuka Onsen (びふか温泉) is in Forest Park Bifuka Island (森林公園びふかアイランド). The water is a cold mineral spring (weakly alkaline, 19.4 °C at source, pH 7.8) that leaves skin feeling smooth. There are a sauna and jet bath, and the lounge has a large sturgeon tank. Day bathing runs 11:00–21:00, from 17:00 on Mondays. Admission is ¥500 for adults and ¥250 for children aged 4 to elementary school.60 The hotel holds 111 guests.30

Museums & heritage

  • Bifuka Sturgeon Hall (美深チョウザメ館), in Bifuka Island, is a small free aquarium with about 1,000 sturgeon.30 English Wikipedia says it keeps eight species.25 It also shows Sakhalin taimen (イトウ) and cherry salmon from the Teshio, along with displays on sturgeon farming.9 Open 9:00–17:00, closed Mondays except public holidays.61
  • For the Bikō Line archive room and bell at Bifuka Station, see Culture above. The line's track now carries the Trolley Kingdom (below).

Outdoor & seasonal activities

  • Trolley Kingdom Bifuka (トロッコ王国美深, Niupu): You drive an engine-powered trolley yourself along the old Bikō Line, over original JNR bridges and through tunnels of birch. The round trip is 10 km. The 2026 season runs from 29 April to 18 October.11 Departures run about hourly from 9:00, with the last check-in at 16:00. Fares: adults ¥1,800 each for two or more (¥2,000 alone), junior and senior high students ¥1,400, elementary pupils ¥800. The driver needs an ordinary car license.62
  • Canoeing and rafting: Cosmos Canoe Kikaku runs Teshio River canoe and rafting trips from late May to late October, from ¥5,000 per person, by reservation only.27 For a gentler paddle, rent a canoe on Mikazuki-ko, an oxbow lake in Bifuka Island, from late April to late October (¥520 per hour for adults).63
  • Camping in Bifuka Island (76 ha, early May to late October):63
    • Campground: ¥700 per adult. Cars can drive into the free sites.
    • Auto-camp: ¥3,500 per site. Every site has power and water and overlooks Mikazuki-ko.
    • Also log cottages, a park-golf course and a turf slope for summer sledding.
  • Crafts: Carve a kuksa (a Nordic wooden cup) from local birch at BASIS or in Onnenai. In winter, make a yukiita snowboard and take it trekking.64
  • Skiing: Bifuka Ski Area ran from 29 December 2025 to 8 March 2026. Night skiing runs 17:00–20:00, and a cross-country course opens in January.18

Food experiences

  • Restaurant BSB (Ōdōri-kita 4-chōme) pours Bifuka Shirakaba Brewery beers alongside cast-iron jingisukan of Matsuyama Farm lamb and sausage platters. Open 12:00–22:00 (last order 21:00) with no fixed holidays. You can fill your own growler.44
  • Farm Inn Tonto (ファームイントント) is the only inn in Niupu. Sheep graze in front of it from spring to autumn, and dinner can be jingisukan of sheep from the owner's farm. The jingisukan plan costs ¥13,900 per adult.65
  • Caviar with dinner: Guests who book Bifuka Onsen's dedicated plan are served Bifuka caviar at dinner.9
  • Around town:66
    • Matatabi Curry (またたびカリー): spice curry.
    • Niku Bar Minami (肉BAR南): a steakhouse run by Minami Ranch.
    • Asano Shokudō (あさの食堂): a soba shop in business for over 80 years.
    • Bibliothèque (ビブリオテーク): stone-oven pizza in a house built in 1960.
    • kusuda design and cafe: three minutes' walk from Bifuka Station.
  • Art Village Onnenai café: coffee and pasta. Open May–October, 11:00–17:00, closed Wednesdays and Thursdays.53

Roadside stations (Michi-no-Eki)

Bifuka (道の駅びふか)

  • Location: Aza Ōte 307-1, on National Route 40.12 The station is part of Forest Park Bifuka Island, with the Teshio River flowing behind it.42 The building is the Bifuka Product Exhibition Hall "Futagoza-kan" (美深町物産展示館「双子座館」). An Italian architect designed it to evoke a medieval European castle.67 Mapcode: 651 488 715.12
  • Hours: From the last Saturday of April to 31 October, the station and shop open 9:00–18:00. From November to the last week of April they open 9:00–17:30.12 In 2026, summer hours began on 25 April.68 Closed 31 December to 2 January (as of September 2026 — check before visiting).12 Rest House Auru opens from 10:30 in summer and 11:00 in winter, with irregular closing days.69
  • Shops & products: The Bussankan Auru (物産館アウル) shop sells local specialties,38 and the station can ship them to you by phone or fax order.42
    • Drinks and honey: Mori no Shizuku birch sap, Taiyō no Mizu tomato juice, Bifuka honey.
    • Bifuka caviar, in limited stock.42
    • Bifuka beer from Bifuka Shirakaba Brewery.
    • Vegetables, sweets, wine and pottery.12
    • Kita-gyūsha cheese41 and Shirakabo sablés.46
  • Food:
    • Rest House Auru (レストハウスあうる, 2nd floor): curry made to an Indian chef's recipe on a Hokkaido-onion base. Also ramen with the house's own miso or shoyu, ankake fried noodles, ginger-pork set meals and katsudon.69
    • Its pumpkin creamy pasta (¥900, with salad) uses flat noodles of 100% Bifuka Haruyutaka wheat and a Bifuka pumpkin sauce. The salad uses overwintered Bifuka cabbage.12
    • Takeout: Bifuka croquettes38 and Bifuka beef buns (¥250).12
    • Soft-serve: vanilla, mixed, chocolate, farm milk and honey soft-serve. Almond and almond-mix were paused from 1 December 2025 to 27 February 2026.7043
    • In season, kabo-kushi skewers of fried Bifuka pumpkin (from November in 2025, limited quantities).71
  • Facilities:12
    • Parking: 18 large and 200 standard spaces.
    • Toilet hall (where the stamp is kept, open 24 hours), with warm-water seats, an accessible toilet and an ostomate facility.
    • Nursing room, diaper-changing table, EV charger and Wi-Fi.
    • Credit cards accepted.
    • A rest lobby hung with photos of Bifuka's scenery through the seasons.
  • Around the station: The rest of Bifuka Island includes Bifuka Onsen, two campgrounds, log cottages, the Sturgeon Hall and a park-golf course.63
  • Notes:
    • Registered on 22 April 1993 (registration No. 5).12 The building opened as a product hall in 1992.7
    • The stamp can be used 24 hours a day, even when the station is closed.12
    • The station is run by Bifuka Shinkō Kōsha (株式会社美深振興公社), which also runs Bifuka Onsen.42
    • Some listings still give m-bifuka.com as the station's website.38 When checked on 23 September 2026, that domain showed unrelated content. Use bifukaonsen.com instead.
    • The Kamikawa tourism survey credits more visitors at Hakodake and the Michi-no-Eki for the town's rise in FY2025.32

Getting there & around

  • Rail: Bifuka Station (W54) is on the JR Soya Main Line.24
    • Every train stops, including the limited expresses Sōya and Sarobetsu, with three express round trips a day.
    • Asahikawa is about 1 h 15 min away. Sapporo is about 2 h 55 min, changing to the Lilac at Asahikawa for Sarobetsu trains.24
    • The tourism association gives about 2 h 40 min from Sapporo and about 2 h from Wakkanai.72
    • Bifuka is now the only station in town (see History).
  • Bus:
    • Soya Bus's Esashi express (特急えさし号) links Sapporo and Bifuka in about 3 h 45 min.72 It has stopped at Bifuka since November 2015.23
    • Meishi Bus runs from Nayoro in about 35 minutes. No direct bus runs from Asahikawa or Wakkanai.72
    • For Bifuka Onsen, take the Meishi Bus Onnenai line from the "Bifuka" stop on Route 40, five minutes' walk from the station, to "Bifuka Onsen-mae" (about 20 minutes).73
    • The Niupu demand bus replaced the Bikō Line, and the town also runs a "Friend Bus" (フレんどバス).23
  • Car:
    • National Route 40 runs through town. National Route 275 also passes through, crossing Bifuka Pass (美深峠, 438 m).23
    • The Nayoro–Bifuka Road (名寄美深道路) has two interchanges in town, Bifuka IC and Bifuka-Kita IC.23
    • From Sapporo it is 240 km, about 3 h 30 min using the Dō-Ō Expressway. From Asahikawa it is 100 km, about 1 h 12 min.73 The tourism association allows about 2 h from Asahikawa and about 2 h from Wakkanai.72
  • Air: Fly to Asahikawa Airport (1 h 35 min from Tokyo) or Wakkanai Airport (1 h 50 min), then rent a car or take JR.72
  • Getting around: Sights are spread out, and Niupu lies well away from the town center. The tourism association publishes a guide, in Japanese and English, to transport from the station to the main sights.72 A car is the practical choice.

Practical tips

  • Best seasons:
    • June to October is best for the highlands. The Matsuyama Wetland gate opens on 1 June13 and the Hakodake gates in mid-June, closing by mid-October.14
    • The Trolley Kingdom runs from late April to mid-October.11
    • In winter, plan around the snow-lantern festival in February48 and the national aerial championships in late January.47
  • Visitor information: The Bifuka Tourism Association (tel. 01656-9-2470) is in the Bifuka Transport Terminal, the station building.72 The terminal also has the "B's" (びーす) tourist information corner, opened in 2010.24
  • Brown bears: Hike in groups and carry a bear bell and bear spray. Check recent sightings with the town's Environment and Living section (環境生活係, tel. 01656-2-1615).13 Bears are seen around Hakodake every year.14
  • Mountain roads: The Hakodake road is narrow gravel, can wash out in rain, and has spots with no mobile signal.14 Check road closures, such as the one to Shinryoku Falls, before heading to Niupu.58
  • Winter: Bifuka is a special heavy-snow area,23 with 888 cm of snowfall in an average year.19 Night lows below −30 °C occur in some years.6 Use winter tires and allow extra time.
  • Mondays: The Sturgeon Hall is closed61 and the Bifuka Onsen day bath opens only from 17:00.60 If you plan to drive a trolley at Trolley Kingdom, bring your driver's license.62

More about Bifuka

At a glance
Field Details
Type Town (町)
Subprefecture Kamikawa (上川総合振興局)
District Nakagawa District (中川郡)
Population 4,145 in 1,912 households at the 2020 Census.1 The preliminary 2025 Census count was 3,635, a fall of 12.3%.2 The town's resident register showed 3,556 people in 2,040 households at the end of August 2026.3 The Hokkaido Government's register figure for 1 January 2026 was 3,567, including 50 foreign residents.4
Area 672.09 km².5 Forest (山林) covers 558.86 km², about 83% of the town (land-use figures as of January 2023).6
Density About 5.3 people/km² (3,556 residents). It was 6.2/km² at the 2020 Census.
Municipal history The town dates its founding (開基) to 1899, when Taira Kisaburō (平喜三郎) first broke ground. Shimo-Nayoro Village (下名寄村) was set up under Hokkaido's second-class village system in 1915. In 1920 Chiebun Village (智恵文村, now part of Nayoro) split off and the rest was renamed Bifuka Village. It became a town in 1923.7 Bifuka joined merger talks in 2003–2004, but the councils were dissolved and it has never merged.7
Neighboring municipalities Otoineppu (north), Nayoro (south), Omu and Esashi (east), and Horokanai and Nakagawa (west).6 Omu is in Okhotsk Subprefecture and Esashi in Soya Subprefecture.
Symbols Tree: Yezo spruce (エゾマツ). Flower: azalea (ツツジ).6 Both were chosen in 1978.7 No town bird was found. Emblem (adopted 1 April 1948): a stylized ぴ, from the old name Piuka. Its thick outer line stands for men and the thin inner line for women, together symbolizing a united town.6
Mascot Bifuka-kun (美深くん, read びふかくん) and Mimi-chan (美深ちゃん, read みみちゃん) are twins. Both wear white-birch hats. Bifuka-kun has a sturgeon necktie and potato shoes, and Mimi-chan carries a sturgeon bag.8 They debuted in February 2013.7
Official website https://www.town.bifuka.hokkaido.jp/

Name origin
  • The name comes from Ainu piwka (ピウカ), "stony place." It first referred to the gravelly bed of the Teshio River near today's Bifuka Station.2223 The Hokkaido Government's Ainu place-name list glosses piwka as "stony plain" (石原). It follows place-name scholar Yamada Hidezō and rates the derivation at confidence level B.22 The town gives the meaning as "a place with many stones" (石の多い場所).6
  • The kanji 美深 ("beautiful and deep") were chosen for their sound. When the station opened on 3 November 1911, it stood in Aza Piuka (字ピウカ) of Shimo-Nayoro Village and was read "Piuka."24 The village took the name Bifuka in 1920.7 The station's reading changed from ぴうか to びふか on 14 July 1951.23
  • The town emblem still stylizes the syllable ぴ of Piuka.6 No competing derivation was found in the sources consulted. Other Ainu names in the town are under Ainu heritage below.

History
  • Ainu era and archaeology: People have lived here since the Jōmon period,23 and English Wikipedia notes that an Ainu kotan (village) stood in the area.25 The Tomioka (富岡), Monponai (モンポナイ) and Kusunoki (楠) sites are town cultural properties.23 Tomioka was excavated in 1967, and digs in the Kusunoki area began in 1980.7
  • Exploration (1857–1891): In 1857 Matsuura Takeshirō went up the Teshio River and explored the Kamikawa and Nakagawa districts of Teshio Province. Surveyors looking for colonization land came in 1888. An 1891 government report on colony sites was the first to describe the "Piuka plain" and "Onnenai plain."7 The sources consulted record no Edo-period trading post in the town.
  • Settlement (1895–1910): Tamai Sutesaburō (玉井捨三郎) arrived around 1895 to trade furs and fish for salmon. Taira Kisaburō broke ground in 1899, the year counted as the town's founding.7 Settlers came in groups. In 1900 Miyahara Daitarō of Nagano Prefecture brought the Takenobu-gumi (武信組). In 1901 Kasahara Shinkichi of Tokushima Prefecture settled at Onnenai. In 1907 Takeuchi Zenbei led a group from Fukushima to Niupu. By 1907 Shimo-Nayoro Village had 1,125 households and 5,252 people.7 No tondenhei (farmer-soldier) settlement is recorded.
  • Railway and early industry: The Soya Line reached Onnenai through Bifuka on 3 November 1911.24 Mint growing began along the Teshio in 1912. A Hokkaido Mokuzai (北海道木材) timber mill brought the town's first electricity in 1913, and a Nihon Seima hemp mill opened in 1914.7
  • Village to town (1915–1923): Shimo-Nayoro Village was set up in 1915. It was renamed Bifuka Village in 1920, the year the first national census counted 10,991 people, and became a town in 1923.7
  • Hardship and growth (1928–1968): In 1928 a fire that started near the station burned the whole downtown. The town recorded −41.5 °C in 1931. Cold summers ruined the harvest in 1934, the year mercury was found at Onnenai. The Kokuruma (小車) mercury mine closed in 1945.7 The population peaked at 14,046 in the 1960 Census, and the rice harvest reached a record 93,082 bales in 1968.7
  • The Bikō Line (1964–1985): The line was meant to link Bifuka with Esashi on the Okhotsk coast, but it only ever reached Niupu. In 1975 it drew national attention as the most unprofitable line in Japan. It closed in 1985 after 21 years.7 Its long race with the Soeda Line in Fukuoka for that title led to Bifuka's sister-town tie with Soeda.23
  • Tourism era (1980–1998): Bifuka Onsen opened in 1980, and sturgeon were first released in the forest park in 1983. The Futagoza-kan product hall opened in 1992 and became a Michi-no-Eki in 1993. Fuji Heavy Industries (now SUBARU) began building a test site in 1995. The Sturgeon Hall opened in 1997, and the Trolley Kingdom opened in 1998, the town's centennial year.7
  • No merger (2003–2004): In 2003 Bifuka joined talks on merging five, then six, northern Kamikawa municipalities. In 2004 it joined talks on a Nakagawa District merger. Both councils were dissolved. In 2003 the farm co-ops of Bifuka, Shimokawa and Nakagawa merged into JA Kita-Haruka (北はるか農協).7
  • Roads and weather (2010–2014): The Nayoro–Bifuka Road reached Bifuka IC in 2010 and Bifuka-Kita IC in 2013.23 In 2014 a record 151.5 mm of rain in 17 hours flooded rivers. The same year the SAF Onnenai sturgeon farm was completed.7
  • Recent: Minami-Bifuka, Hatsuno, Momponai, Onnenai and Toyoshimizu stations closed between 2021 and 2024, leaving Bifuka Station as the only station in town.2325 On 1 April 2026 the town registered as a mont-bell Friend Town to attract outdoor visitors.26

Geography & climate
  • Bifuka lies in a basin between the Teshio Mountains to the west and the Kitami Mountains to the east. Hakodake is the main peak of the Kitami range here. The town sits roughly halfway between Asahikawa and Wakkanai on the JR Soya Main Line and National Route 40.6
  • The Teshio River flows north through the town. At 256 km it is Hokkaido's second-longest river, and the river and its basin towns are a Hokkaido Heritage (北海道遺産) site. It is known for canoeing and fishing.27 Few of Japan's major rivers flow north.15
  • The town gives Hakodake's height as 1,129 m.14 Japanese Wikipedia gives 1,124 m.23
  • Matsuyama Wetland is a 25 ha high moor at 797 m in the Niupu district. It is a Hokkaido Nature Environment Conservation Area (北海道自然環境保全地域) and one of Japan's 500 Important Wetlands. Dwarf Sakhalin spruce and Siberian dwarf pine grow near the top.13 In early summer cotton grass (ワタスゲ) covers the moor, and in autumn the trail turns orange.28
  • Niupu no Hiyamizu and the Sixteen Falls (仁宇布の冷水と十六滝) are 16 waterfalls scattered around Niupu.29 They were named one of the Ministry of the Environment's "Heisei 100 Selected Waters" in June 2008.30
  • No national, quasi-national or prefectural natural park was found in the town.
  • Land use (January 2023): forest 558.86 km², fields 38.77 km², rice paddies 8.58 km², residential land 3.08 km².6 Of 57,703 ha of forest, 51,662 ha is Hokkaido-owned forest (道有林).30
  • Climate: Normals for 1991–2020 at the Bifuka AMeDAS station are listed below.19
    • Annual mean temperature: 5.8 °C. January averages −8.6 °C, and February has the lowest mean daily low, −15.0 °C. August averages 20.1 °C, with a mean daily high of 25.8 °C.
    • Precipitation: 1,158.5 mm a year.
    • Snow: 888 cm of snowfall a year, with an average maximum depth of 137 cm.
  • Records: The station's highest temperature is 36.6 °C (28 July 2021) and its lowest −37.0 °C (17 February 1978). Its deepest snow was 186 cm (12 March 1999).31 The town also lists an older record of −41.5 °C on 27 January 1931.6 Bifuka is a designated special heavy-snow area (特別豪雪地帯).23 In the winter of 1965–66, total snowfall reached 19.4 m at Niupu Station and 13.7 m at Bifuka Station.7

Economy & industry
  • Farming: In FY2022, 3,984.4 ha were planted, according to JA Kita-Haruka.30
    • Forage crops: 2,607.3 ha, mostly grassland plus 299.5 ha of dent corn.
    • Pumpkin: 372.4 ha, 4,549 t.
    • Wheat: 321.8 ha, 1,040 t.
    • Buckwheat: 318.0 ha.
    • Rice: 219.0 ha, 1,431 t.
    • Sugar beet: 53.9 ha, 3,160 t.
    • Potatoes: 22.9 ha, 718 t.
  • Livestock: On 1 February 2022 the town had 6,544 beef cattle, 2,709 dairy cattle, 397 sheep and 89 horses.30 The dairy herd passed 2,000 head in 1965 and 3,000 in 1974.7
  • Forestry and manufacturing: Forest covers 57,703 ha.30 The 2021 Economic Census counted 58 wholesale and retail businesses with 241 workers, and 8 factories with 67 employees and shipments of about ¥1.02 billion.30
  • SUBARU: The company's Hokkaido Bifuka proving ground is on the northern slope of Mount Niupu.23 Construction began in 1995, and a high-speed track was completed in 2003.7
  • Sturgeon: Bifuka hatched sturgeon in 1997, only the sixth success in Japan. It completed the SAF Onnenai farm in 2014 and signed a partnership with Hokkaido University's fisheries faculty that year.7 Caviar from the 2023 harvest has gone on sale.10
  • Tourism: Bifuka had 348.7 thousand visitors in FY2025, up 1.2%.32
    • Day-trippers made up 339.2 thousand, overnight guests 9.5 thousand, and visitors from outside Hokkaido 73.6 thousand.
    • August was the busiest month, with 66.2 thousand.
    • Hakodake and the Michi-no-Eki drew more visitors, while Bifuka Onsen, the Sturgeon Hall and the campground drew fewer.
  • Population: The population fell from 14,046 in 1960 to 7,889 in 1985.7 It was 4,145 in 20201 and 3,635 in the preliminary 2025 count.2 Bifuka was designated a depopulated area in 1971. Since 1991 the small Niupu school has taken in children from outside the town through a rural study program (山村留学).7
  • Furusato nozei and revitalization:
    • Donors can direct their money to the Niupu study program or to the sturgeon industry.33
    • From October 2008 to FY2025, 42,170 donors gave a total of ¥795.6 million.34
    • In FY2025 the town received 2,223 donations worth ¥50.8 million, including ¥4.43 million for sturgeon projects.35
    • Twenty local businesses are mont-bell Friend Shops.26

Local specialties
Specialty Category Details & where to get it
Bifuka caviar (美深キャビア) Farmed fish roe Roe from sturgeon raised in town, jarred at 3% salt and frozen. A 10 g jar is ¥6,500 and a 20 g jar ¥12,000. Sold at Bifuka Onsen and the Michi-no-Eki, in limited quantities.10 The fish are raised in cool river water with large temperature swings.9
Sturgeon meat (チョウザメ) Fish A mild white fish, likened to sea bream for sweetness and to pufferfish for texture. Sold whole-dressed (¥2,750/kg) and as fillets (¥3,400/kg).9
Kurijaga (くりじゃが) Crop Potatoes as sweet as chestnuts, thanks to the big day–night temperature swings. In season from mid-September to the end of the year.36
Kuri-kabocha (くりかぼちゃ) Crop Sweet, fluffy local pumpkins, sold from mid-September to the end of October.37
Bifuka croquettes (美深コロッケ) Local dish Made with kurijaga and kuri-kabocha, crisp outside and fluffy inside. The Michi-no-Eki's signature item, sold at its Bussankan Auru shop.38
Bifuka beef (美深牛) Meat Raised in town from calf to market on antibiotic-free feed by Hatano No. 2 Ranch (羽田野第二牧場). Sold at Niku no Hatano (肉のはたの), Higashi 3-jō Minami 2-chōme.39 The Michi-no-Eki's Bifuka beef buns (美深牛肉まん, ¥250) use dough made only from Bifuka-grown Haruyutaka wheat.12
Bifuka lamb (美深羊肉) Meat Hogget (sheep 12–24 months old) from Matsuyama Farm in Niupu. It is milder than mutton but richer than lamb. Sold through the farm's online shop.21
Sheep-milk products (羊乳製品) Dairy Made from 100% milk of sheep raised in Bifuka, by Matsuyama Farm.40
Natural cheese (チーズ) Dairy Handmade, additive-free cheese by Kita-gyūsha (きた牛舎) in Kawanishi. Also sold at the Michi-no-Eki.41
Mori no Shizuku (森の雫) Drink White-birch sap, 100%, made by Matsuyama Farm.16 A box of ten 190 ml bottles costs ¥3,600.42
Taiyō no Mizu (太陽の水) Drink Tomato juice made on one farm from its own tomatoes, which are pollinated by bumblebees. A box of ten 160 ml bottles costs ¥2,300.42
Bifuka honey (美深産はちみつ) Honey From a family of migratory beekeepers with about 40 years' experience. A 600 g jar of wildflower honey costs ¥3,780.42 Nishitarumizu Apiary (西垂水養蜂園, based in Kagoshima) supplies five Bifuka honeys for the Michi-no-Eki's honey soft-serve: buckwheat, Amur cork tree (シコロ), linden (シナ), dandelion and wildflower.43
Craft beer Beer Brewed by Bifuka Shirakaba Brewery (美深白樺ブルワリー) in a 90-year-old red-brick warehouse, billed as Japan's northernmost craft brewery. Drink it at the Restaurant BSB taproom.44 Furusato nozei gifts include White Lines (IPA), Wild Sheep Chase (hoppy cream ale) and Toita Piuka (トイタピウカ, farmhouse ale).45
Shirakabo (シラカボ) Sweets Leaf-shaped pie sablés made with birch sap, Haruyutaka wheat and Kuriyutaka pumpkin. ¥1,050 for seven, from Kashitsukasa Kagetsudō (菓子司花月堂) on Ekimae-dōri.46
Piuka Boccha (ピウカ・ボッチャ) Sweets A stick tart of Hokkaido wheat and pumpkin with a touch of blueberry.37 Like the pumpkin pie (かぼちゃパイ), it is also a furusato nozei gift.45
Wool-felt goods Crafts / furusato nozei Felt basket bags trimmed with birch and felt room shoes, made in Bifuka and offered as furusato nozei gifts.45

Culture & festivals
Event When Highlights
All-Japan and Hokkaido Ski Championships, aerials (全日本・北海道スキー選手権 エアリアル) Late January (30–31 January in 2026) National and Hokkaido freestyle aerial titles decided at Bifuka Ski Area.47
Bifuka Winter Festa "Snow Lantern Festival" (美深ウィンターフェスタ「雪灯篭まつり」) Mid-February (11–15 February in 2026) Shops, schools and neighborhood groups build 31 snow lanterns at 22 spots around town. Photograph five or more and you can enter a prize draw.48
Bifuka Birch Sap Spring Festival (美深白樺樹液春まつり) April (12 April in 2026, the 28th) Held around Farm Inn Tonto in Niupu. The program includes an Ainu kamuinomi prayer, birch-sap tapping, snowshoe walks and kite flying. A paid shuttle bus runs from Bifuka Station.17
Nozomi-no-Mori Cherry Blossom Festival (望の森さくらまつり) May (10 May in 2026) Jingisukan barbecue sets, a walk rally, a mini-concert, and a raffle for Bifuka beer and other local products.49
Matsuyama Wetland and Niupu nature walk (松山湿原とニウプ自然探勝) Late June (27 June in 2026) A group hike in Niupu.50
Bifuka Furusato Summer Festival (美深ふるさと夏まつり) Late July (24–25 July in 2026, the 40th) Day 1 is a lantern (andon) parade through downtown. Day 2 brings stage shows, including Bifuka Hokuto Taiko's youth group, then a beer party and fireworks at the COM100 cultural hall.51
Children's Bon Dance (美深ふるさと子供盆踊り) 13 August Held evenings in front of the town gymnasium.50
Bifuka Farmers' Market (美深ファーマーズマーケット) August (22 August in 2026, the 7th) Held next to the Hot Plaza Smile community center.50
Bifuka Furusato Autumn Festival (美深ふるさと秋まつり) Early September (5 September in 2026, the 40th) A harvest fair. Farmers sell the season's first potatoes and pumpkins, and there is charcoal-grilled Bifuka black beef and a mochi-scattering finale.52
#Hakodake Photo Contest (函岳フォトコンテスト) September–October (1 September–13 October in 2026) An Instagram contest for photos of Hakodake.50
  • Performing arts: Bifuka Hokuto Taiko (びふか北斗太鼓芸能保存会) has a youth section that plays at the summer festival.51 The town's YOSAKOI Soran team formed in 1995 and took the name "Bifuka Ranbu" (びふか乱舞) in 1996.7
  • Temples: Tenshio-zan Kōbō-ji (天塩山弘法寺) is Temple 28 on the Hokkaido 33 Kannon pilgrimage.23
  • Railway heritage: A Bikō Line archive room is on the second floor of the Bifuka Transport Terminal, the station building. The rooftop "Bikō no Kane" (美幸の鐘) bell rings when the Wakkanai-bound limited express Sōya arrives and at 15:00, and it is lit green at night.24
  • Arts: Art Village Onnenai (アートヴィレッジ恩根内) is a former elementary school, renovated by its owners and opened in 2012. It holds a café, atelier, gallery and guest rooms. On the café wall is a map of Onnenai village around 1950, drawn from local elders' memories.53 The COM100 cultural hall opened in 1998.7

Ainu heritage
  • Place names: Many local names come from Ainu, as recorded in the Hokkaido Government's place-name list. The town's own name, from piwka, is covered above.22
    • Onnenai (恩根内): onne-nay, "old (big) river," probably from a small stream across the Teshio. Yamada Hidezō called it a hard name to translate, since the streams called onne-nay are not always big.54
    • Monponai (紋穂内): mo-nup-o-nay, "river in the small field."55
    • Oterekoppe: o-terkot-pe, "the place where one always jumped across." The banks close in and rocks make it easy to leap to the other side.56
    • Okikin (雄木禽): o-kikinni-us-nay, "river with many Ezo bird cherry trees at its mouth." The tree's strong smell was used to ward off evil.56
    • Ogurumanai (オグルマナイ): o-kurmat-oma-nay, "river where Wajin (Japanese) women live at the mouth."56
    • Niupu (仁宇布): from niup, "forest" or "river with trees," according to Japanese Wikipedia.23
    • Teshio (天塩): from tes, "fish weir." The name refers to rock ledges that cross the riverbed like a weir. Matsuura Takeshirō recorded a tradition that a god built such a ledge of stone upstream.57
  • Sites: A "Teshio River name-origin site" (天塩川名由来の地) is a town cultural property.23 A monument inscribed with a poem by Matsuura Takeshirō, marking the lands he surveyed (踏査之地詩碑), was erected in 1998.7
  • Living traditions: The Birch Sap Spring Festival includes a kamuinomi, an Ainu prayer ceremony, and has a stall selling Ainu crafts.17
  • Beyond these, little is documented. No Ainu museum or cultural center in the town was found in the sources consulted.

Sister & friendship cities
  • Soeda (添田町), Fukuoka Prefecture: Sister town since 1981.7 The tie grew out of the Bikō Line and Soeda Line, which were always fighting for last place as the most unprofitable lines on the national railways.23
  • Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada: International friendship city. The agreement was signed in 1994, and exchange visits have continued since.725

Notable people
  • Minoru Chiaki (千秋実, 1917–1999), actor, born in Onnenai. He appeared in eleven Kurosawa films, including Rashomon and Seven Samurai.74
  • Masahisa Fukase (深瀬昌久, 1934–2012), photographer best known for Ravens (鴉). He was born in Bifuka, where his family ran a photo studio.75
  • Takayuki Ishizaki (石崎隆之), jockey at Funabashi Racecourse.23 In 2003, after passing 5,000 wins in regional racing, he received the town's first hometown honor award.7
  • Shūtarō Matsuura (松浦周太郎), politician,23 and an honorary townsman of Bifuka.7

Sources

Numbers in the text link to these sources. Figures as of 23 September 2026

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