The hills around Biei in central Hokkaido are so regularly patterned that visitors compare them to a quilt, and that is the origin of the name. Fields of wheat, potatoes, beans, sunflowers and flowers run over low rounded slopes in strips of green, gold, yellow, brown and purple, bounded by rows of larch and poplar and separated by narrow farm roads. The Tokachidake range, a line of volcanic peaks that smoke gently from time to time, rises on the horizon, and the whole scene shifts with the season, from the pale green of early summer to the gold of harvest and the white sheet of winter.
The Patchwork Road is a loose network of country lanes, rather than a single route, and the pleasure is in wandering. The roads are smooth, wide and well maintained, with gentle rises and falls that show off the fields to best effect, and the traffic is mostly tour cars and farm machinery. The speed limit is low and cameras and patrols are not unusual, but nobody here is in a hurry. Several lone trees on the hills have become minor celebrities because they appeared in advertisements, and people stop to photograph them. One, a poplar known as the tree of Ken and Mary, appeared in a car commercial in the 1970s and has drawn visitors ever since.
The farms are real and working, so it is important to stay on the road and keep out of the fields, since trampled crops and parked vehicles are a long-standing grievance among the farmers. Pull in only where there is space, and never block a farm track. Summer is the main season, from July to September, when the colours are strongest and the days are long. In late summer the harvest brings trucks and combines onto the roads. In winter, the road is covered in snow and ice, and riding is not advised.
Practical matters are easy. Asahikawa, about nineteen kilometres away, is Hokkaido's second city and has fuel, supermarkets and shops, and Biei itself has stations, cafes and bakeries. Local produce includes potatoes, sweetcorn, melons and dairy, and the soft ice cream flavoured with local milk is a ritual stop. Roadside stands often sell vegetables on an honour system.
Hokkaido has an excellent reputation among riders, with wide empty roads, cool summers and a friendly attitude to touring motorcyclists. Watch for deer and foxes at dusk and dawn, and keep a good gap on blind crests. The early morning light on the fields is the best.