Half day trip to Hill of The Buddha

#favouriteitinerary Travelling from Sapporo station to the Hill of the Buddha. We took the train Namboku Line from Sapporo station to the last station, Makomanai station. Once exit from Makomanai station we headed to the bus station on the left of the exit to take bus 106/ 108. Bus 106 will alight at 滝野峠 which is the outside of the Hill of the Buddha, you will need to walk pass the stonehenge before entry to Hill of the Buddha. If taking bus 108 it will alight at 管理事务所前, which is the inner part of the Hill of the Buddha. Do take note of the bus timing on Google map as the bus frequency is hourly. We just missed the bus when we reached the train station thus we took a taxi which cost about $3500 Yen about 9-10 km. As we visiting during the winter there is all snow but it is very nice as well. As per the official website July will have lavender field. The Hill of the Buddha (Buddha Hill) is a stunning architectural and spiritual site. The stone statue of the Great Buddha is a beloved symbol of Makomanai Takino Cemetery. Looking from outside we are able to see the Buddha head in the middle of the snow dome as per picture No 2. In order to go in we have to pay an entrance ticket that costs $300 Yen/pax. Once we entered our left there was a washroom for visitors and Rotunda Cafe which served some coffee, tea and dessert. We tried their Croffles, it was very delicious. After our tea break we walked through a 40m tunnel to reach the Buddha statue. The Buddha statue was encircled by a concrete dome which makes it different from other Buddha statues. The body of Buddha was covered by some snow as these few days Hokkaido snows a lot. There are some wooden votive tablets if you would like to make a wish which cost $800 Yen and there are some votive lanterns if you would like to write a wish and light the lantern which cost $500 Yen. Hill of the Buddha is a very nice place to visit as you will be able to feel the sense of zen over here. It will be great to come in July as there supposed to be a Water Garden but due to winter it was frozen and there isn't any lavender field. But viewing it in the winter was a great experience too. #hokkaido #sapporo #hillofthebuddha #stonehenge