Unkai Terrace

My wife and I would like to visit Unkai Terrace as a day trip sometime between 7-13 June 2014, ie. not intending to stay at the resorts located up in the mountain. Some queries :

(1) from the English website on Unkai Terrace, it is stated that the gondola operates 4.30am-7am. Okay, I get it that we have to be there uber early to catch the clouds in the best formation, but since we also intend to walk around the terrace vicinity for a while, is there any way down since the gondola stops operation at 7.30am?;

(2) where is the location of the gondola (we'll be driving a car, not taking public transport)? Is there a carpark?;

(3) Besides Asahikawa and Furano, is there any other place we can stay so that we can be near enough (and therefore needn't have to wake up too early :-) ) to catch the 4.30am gondola?

Grateful for any advice from the experts in this forum.

Thank you very much!!

The last gondola going up to Unkai Terrace during your time of visit is at 7.00 whereas the last gondola coming down is at 8.00.
http://www.snowtomamu.jp/summer/unkai/detail.php#secret

The Unkai Terrace is inside the large Hoshino Resorts Tomanu and there is a large car park beside the gondola station. For the GPS you can enter the mapcode 608 511 304.

We stayed the night before near the Ikutura rail station and drove to Unkai Terrace early the next morning. The drive was about 30 min. We arrived before 5.30 and yet the clouds were already dispersing, so indeed it is best to go as early as possible.

Thanks, William5, for the speedy reply and advice, especially the mapcode and the accommodation.

Hmmm, so since the last gondola down is 8am, everyone will have to come down from the Terrace by then? No other transport down to the base of the gondola after 8am?

Grateful for a reply!

I am not aware of any other means of transport.

I see, guess we'll just go up and have breakfast above the clouds and make our way down thereafter. Initial idea was to leisurely stroll around the environs of the Terrace till lunch time. We'll see how it goes when we're there.

You mentioned earlier you stayed near the Ikutora Station and drove 30mins to the gondola station. 2 questions:

(1) we googled but couldn't find any hotel near Ikutora Station. Could you be so kind to tell us which one you stayed in?;

(2) the drive to the gondola station - which route did you take? Was it (a) Route 38 to Route 1117 to Route 136(towards Tomamu) or (b) Route 1030 to Route 136(towards Tomamu). (Note: we are renting a Honda Fit for the duration of our Hokkaido holidays).

Thanks, William5, for taking time to respond to our questions.

Reference question (1) above, managed to find the info: Hotel Nanputei, beside Ikutora Stn.

Unkai Terrace is pretty small and can be walked around in a couple of minute. Besides the terrace and the small cafe counter there isn't much more to see and do. By the gondola station is a post box from where you can send a postcard home.

Yes, Hatagoya Restaurant Nanputei was where we stayed a night. It is small but clear and the rooms are spacious. Food is good and service excellent. Although we opted for a traditional Japanese meal the place is popular for its curry dish and there were locals coming in for dinner while we were there. The only slight inconvenience of the place is shared bathroom and toilet facilities.
http://www.minami-furano.jp/shop/nanpu-tei/hatagoya.htm
Besides the short drive to Tomamu we stayed there because we want to take a look at the Ikutora rail station as it was used in the movie "Poppoya the railway man", a touching film that we like a lot. You can see some displays inside the un-manned station and left standing nearby are some other buildings used in the film. The visit to this film location site is free.

Another base you can consider is Larch Log Hotel near Kanayama-ko. It is more expensive but its location is great. Situated on top of a knoll its individual bungalow-type lodgings offer beautiful lake view. We could not afford the place but we drove up there for the scenery and together with the lavender fields by the Shikagoe Park it was a worthwhile site on the day before we went to Tomamu. The drive to Tomamu Resort from here takes 1 hour.
http://www.larch.jp/

I couldn't remember which exact route we took to go to Tomamu Resort during our visit in 2009. We just keyed in the mapcode and followed the direction on the GPS. A search on google map shows the following route which I think we most probably took. It is the one on your "a" option.
http://goo.gl/maps/iFMce