Furano Carbon Days
Astute visitors may have noticed from high up on the ski resort that the farm fields in Furano are suddenly not pure white.
This is not a real festival or anything, but early March marks the time the farmers in Hokkaido start spreading charcoal dust on their fields to aid in the spring melt. The sooner the snow melts, the sooner the fields can dry out enough to get the tractor onto it. Every day is important here.
But, charcoal dust? How does this work? The black dust absorbs the sun's heat, and the snow just melts away, much much faster than adjacent snow without a sprinkling of the magic dust. It's ingenious, simple, very effective, and adds a touch of carbon to the soil. Brilliant! After all is said and done, at its heart, Furano is a farm town that happens to have a world-class skiing in the winter, and beautiful lavender fields in the summer.
See you in Furano.