Hokkaido · TomamuNo.1145★★Open in map →
Unkai Terrace
— A cloud-viewing deck above Tomamu
A viewing deck at the top of a gondola on Mount Tomamu, open in the early morning through the warm months and built for the days when cloud fills the valley beneath it. The cloud is a maybe rather than a fixture, which is the point of going early.
- FromSapporo Station
- ~1 hr 40 minJR limited express, 10 a day
- Get off atTomamu Station (JR Sekisho Line)
- From there
- Unkai Terrace
The sweet spot
This is one of the best-known views in Hokkaido, so nothing about it is hidden. What limits it is the clock and the sky: the terrace opens for the early hours only, and the cloud is not there every morning. Going means getting up in the dark and taking the odds as they come — which is also why the people who are up there wanted to be.
Where it is
102 more notes in Hokkaido · open the map →What to look for — in walking order
- The summit station deckthe roof terrace at the top of the gondola, the first point where the basin opens out
- The cafe by the summit stationan indoor room at the same level, where the wait for the light passes over something hot
- Cloud Walka cloud-shaped platform curving out from the slope, with the drop beneath it
- Contour Bencha long bench following the contour of the ridge, seating turned toward the basin
- Cloud Poola net hammock slung above the slope near the far end of the ridge path
How to actually get there
- Sapporo Station → Tomamu Station (JR limited express Ozora or Tokachi, about 1 hr 40 min, reserved seats only).
- Tomamu Station → the resort (free shuttle, about 5 minutes; a phone on the platform calls one if none is waiting).
- Check the gondola status and the next morning's cloud forecast the evening before, then again on waking.
- Ride up in the early morning and walk the ridge decks outward from the summit station.
- JR limited express from Sapporo to Tomamu
- Sapporo Station →(JR limited express Ozora or Tokachi, about 1 hr 40 min)→ Tomamu Station. The JR Hokkaido timetable shows ten southbound departures a day calling there. Every seat on these trains is reserved, so the ticket has to be bought before boarding rather than on board.
- Return from Tomamu Station
- Northbound limited expresses run back toward Sapporo on the same line through the day. Because seats are reserved and Tomamu is a small stop, the return is worth holding before you go up the mountain. The terrace finishes in the morning, which leaves the whole afternoon for the journey back.
About the place
The terrace stands at 1,088 metres on the shoulder of Mount Tomamu, at the upper station of a gondola that carries skiers in winter. Cloud collects in the basin below it in more than one way — sea fog drifting in off the Pacific and over the Hidaka range, or cold air settling locally on a still night. Both are morning events, and both come apart once the sun is properly up. A cafe and a run of viewing decks are strung along the ridge from the station, so the waiting is part of what you came for. On a morning with no cloud at all, the mountains stand in for it.
How to enjoy it
The terrace works in the early morning only, and the first gondola leaves before sunrise, so the alarm is set the night before rather than on the day. Whether the cloud is there gets decided overnight, and the resort puts out a forecast for the next morning alongside the lift's running status — that pair is what to read before committing to the early start. It is cold at the top even at the height of summer, so carry the layer you would not think of needing at the bottom.
Background & history
The gondola on this mountain was built for the ski field below it. What turned it into a summer fixture was a deck at the upper station and an early-morning run, so that the cloud in the basin could be looked down on instead of driven through; the terrace opened in 2006. A rebuild in 2021 added platforms that reach out past the edge of the slope, and further viewing spots have been set along the ridge since then. The lift still does its winter work in between.
Before you go
- Cash
- Getting up the mountain means a gondola ticket, bought at the base station; the resort publishes the day's fares and running hours on its site rather than fixing them all season. The train needs a basic fare ticket and a limited-express ticket together. Once you are at the top, the decks and the ridge path cost nothing further.
- Before you go
- This is a seasonal operation, running from early summer into autumn and closed outside that stretch. Wind, rain and poor visibility stop the gondola, and the call is made on the morning itself. The resort posts the status of the lift and its own forecast for the next morning, so check both before setting an alarm.
- Another way
- Arriving at New Chitose Airport, join the same limited express at Minami-Chitose rather than backtracking into Sapporo — Tomamu is a little over an hour further down the line. Winter travellers should note that the terrace itself is a warm-season operation, whatever the ski runs are doing.
- After you get off
- A free resort shuttle meets trains at Tomamu Station and reaches the resort in about five minutes; if none is waiting, a phone on the platform will call one. From the resort the gondola base station is signposted, and the ride up starts there.