Arte-Piazza Bibai
In the days when Bibai flourished as a coal-miming town, the mountains were dotted with large villages and children's voices could always be heard echoing throughout. The more than 1,200 children who owned those voices attended a school whose gymnasium and surroundings were reborn as the Arte-Piazza Bibai, an art space that houses about 40 pieces of sculpture by Kan Yasuda, Bibai's world-famous sculptor. >> Further information
Miyajima Marsh
The Miyajima marsh was registered under the Ramsar Convention Treaty in 2002. The marsh, at the west end of Bibai city, is a wetland of 41 hectares surrounded by bounteous countryside. This is a place for relaxation and refreshment for the many people who visit every spring and fall to see the Greater White-fronted Goose, a Japanese natural monument. The Miyajima marsh and the Greater White-fronted Goose are supported by the residents of Bibai. Allow us to introduce the charms of the Miyajima marsh, the largest migration area of the Greater White-fronted Goose in Japan. >> Further information
The Yuurin-kan Hot Spring Lodging and Accommodation
After sightseeing in Bibai one might want to stay in the "Yuurin-kan". The "Yuurin-kan" is famed for its hot spring, yet the lodgings are perfection itself. There are 21 Japanese-style rooms, 2 Western-style twin rooms, and 3 Japanese-style rooms with hot-spring baths. The spaciousness of the rooms is one attraction, so spacious that one exclaims, "How big!" the moment one opens the door. The popular banquet and overnight stay "Yasuragi Course" plan is 4,500 yen per person. >> Further information
The Traditional Food of Bibai - Yakitori
Bibai yakitori is "motsu-kushi", pieces of chicken skin or offal on a skewer. Bibai's "negima" is made with Hokkaido onions and a simple seasoning of salt and pepper. Yakitori reigns as Bibai's "Soul Food", juicy for being cooked over charcoal, an absolute condition for Bibai yakitori. In Bibai, yakitori is not only eaten in yakitori shops, it is also a custom to take out yakitori to private gatherings or important family ceremonies as well. >> Further information
Hokkaido's Bibai City is located at the northernmost tip of Japan. It is a city with a population of some 30,000 people, about 90 minutes from the Shin Chitose Airport by express train or 40 minutes by express train from Sapporo. Bibai is a place with lots of snow even for Hokkaido, and its people are unassuming. One can see a true lifestyle here, unlike sightseeing with the tourist industry. Please come and visit Bibai, a city surrounded by bountiful nature.
One famous site is the Miyajima marsh, a wetland registered under the Ramsar Convention Treaty, and each year many tourists visit in spring and fall for it is a migration area of the Greater White-fronted Goose. The One-Million Kite Festival in Bibai is held each year at Bibai's farm-road airport, the Sky Port Bibai. A great number of kites large and small fill the sky in a contest of the townspeople's handmade kites, plus examples of performances by traditional kite-lovers, etc.
