In this municipality, you’ll encounter three very different things: Trappist products, the sweeping view from the Kijihiki Highlands (きじひき高原) Panorama Observatory, and a Melody Road (メロディーロード) featuring a song associated with Hokuto City. These don’t represent just one type of visit. Instead, they offer concrete points of interest for travelers deciding between local food products, scenery and a distinctive musical detail.

Trappist Products and Souvenirs

The Trappist Monastery shop sells Trappist butter, cookies and soft-serve ice cream made with butter. The butter and cookies are also popular souvenirs. Butter appears in two forms: as a product on its own and incorporated into the soft-serve ice cream. Butter and cookies are good choices for souvenirs; the soft-serve ice cream is another option available for purchase. If a particular product is important to your trip, check its availability in advance, as the selection may change.

Panoramic Views in the Kijihiki Highlands

From the Kijihiki Highlands Panorama Observatory, you can see the Tsugaru Strait, Mount Hakodate, Ōnuma and Komagatake. The view also includes the R3000 viaduct of the Hokkaidō Shinkansen high-speed line, which curves in a wide arc across the Ōno Plain. The panorama brings together several named geographic landmarks and a striking railway line. Travelers who like to identify a viewpoint by its specific sights will find more than a single notable landmark here: the strait, mountains and Ōnuma are joined by a high-speed rail structure. The R3000’s sweeping curve gives the viaduct a distinctive shape in the landscape. The named sights and the high-speed line can therefore be viewed as different elements of the same panorama.

Melody Road and Seasonal Access

A Melody Road runs between the campground and the Kijihiki Highlands Panorama Observatory. Along it, you can hear a song associated with Hokuto City. Unlike the panorama, which encompasses several visible sights, the road focuses on a single sound. Access to the road is seasonal. If you’re considering the Melody Road for this musical experience, check your travel dates against its seasonal access period.

The differences between these experiences can help you decide: the monastery shop offers a specific choice of products, the observatory combines named sights with the R3000 viaduct, and the Melody Road adds a musical highlight with seasonal access. The planning considerations also differ: product availability may change, while seasonal access is the key consideration for the road. If one of these details is important to your trip, plan around the relevant condition.

Discover more destinations: Shinhidaka, Higashikagura, Hamatonbetsu, Eniwa, Rebun District, Kamishihoro, Nayoro, Kitahiroshima

For the main travel overview: Hokkaido.