Eniwa

When planning a trip to Eniwa, it’s worth exploring the various destinations in the city of Eniwa-shi: nature trails and waterfalls sit alongside gardens, regional food offerings and cultural history. These different highlights can help you shape your stay around the topics that interest you.

Nature Trails, Gardens and Waterfalls

Midorino Furusato Forest Park covers 37.8 hectares. It has the “Forest Trim Adventure” obstacle course and walking trails on a nature observation path. This gives you a choice of two different activities in the same park: a course and a path used for observing nature.

The garden area at Hanafuru consists of seven gardens, each with its own concept. Visitors interested in landscaped gardens will find not one uniform garden, but several areas shaped by different ideas.

The waterfalls each have their own distinctive features, too. Sandan Waterfall plunges down in three white tiers through Eniwa Gorge. Hakusen Waterfall is 15 metres high and 18 metres wide; its appearance resembles a graceful white fan. The two waterfalls described here differ both in their form and in how they connect with the surrounding landscape.

Getting to Eniwa Gorge

From the city of Eniwa, you can reach Eniwa Gorge via Prefectural Route 117, about 18 kilometres away, or around 25 minutes by car. There are no buses or other public transport services to the gorge. If you’re travelling by car, also take note of the parking situation: there is no parking lot near the first waterfall you see, Sandan Waterfall. Continue to the parking lot at Rarumanai Waterfall or the one at Hakusen Waterfall. As access information may change, check the parking situation before setting out.

Activities and Seasonal Offerings

At Murakami Farm, milking and butter-making are part of the dairy experience. The farm operates seasonally, so check its operating period and latest information before your visit. The drive from New Chitose Airport takes about 30 minutes, though travel time may vary.

Forest Adventure・Eniwa offers children and adults an adventure experience in the treetops. The Adventure Course has 35 activities at five stations, while the Canopy Course has 23 activities at three stations. You can distinguish between the two courses by the number of activities and stations they offer. Check the latest operating details before planning your visit.

The Eniwa Ekidouri Summer Festival, near Eniwa Station, features Bon dancing, Suzuran dancing, a children’s event with market stalls and a lottery during Obon week. If you’d like to take the festival into account when choosing your travel dates, check the dates for the relevant year’s event.

Food and Getting Your Bearings

Hana Road Eniwa has a digital tourist information display that can be switched to one of five languages. It shows information about sightseeing spots and dining establishments. The location is at the intersection of National Route 36 and the Izari River, where salmon swim upstream.

Hana Road Eniwa offers soft-serve ice cream, drinks, bread made with local ingredients and curry made with Konayuki-Tonton pork. The pigs are raised on pastures in Eniwa-shi. Kanona, a direct-sales stand, offers another connection to local produce: it reopened in April 2020 and sells fresh vegetables, wild vegetables and flowers from about 70 growers, mainly from Eniwa-shi.

Cultural History at the Museum

The Eniwa City Historical Museum was established in 1990. It preserves numerous archaeological finds from ruins and displays household items donated by residents as well as agricultural tools from the Meiji period. Among the objects on display is a lacquered comb from the late Jōmon period, made about 3,000 years ago and excavated at the Karinba Ruins. This individual find connects the collection to a specific object and its origin.

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