Twinkle Bus Furano-Asahikawa

hello, what is the timing for Twinkle Bus Furano-Asahikawa at end July 2015, weekday?
where can I get more details of the itinerary?
thank you!

I think The official name of twinkle bus going from Furano to Asahikawa is "Twinkle bus Furano・Asahikawa ".

Daily from June 27 until August 16.

【Asahikawa to Frano】
Asahikawa station departure 10:15
Patchwork Road 10:45
Shikisai Hill 11:15〜11:35
Jet-coaster Road 11:55
the Gotosumio Museum 12:15〜12:55
Furano station arrival 13:25

【Furano to Asahikawa】
Furano station departure 14:25
the Gotosumio Museum 14:55〜15:35
Jet-coaster Road 15:55
Shikisai Hill 16:15〜16:35
Patchwork Road 17:05
Asahikawa station arrival 17:20

I could not search English pages.
https://www.jrhokkaido.co.jp/press/2015/150427-2.pdf

I have a related question: Now that JR Hokkaido closed their only office in Tokyo how are we supposed to book the Twinkle buses in advance without having train tickets for JR Hokkaido trains? I plan to go in July for 3 days and I'll buy JR Hokkaido tickets or passes there, but the Twinkle buses must be booked at least 3 days in advance and only if you have a JR ticket! That's a catch 22!

I have the same question as AlexanderStankov. Even if we are allowed to book within 3 days, it's hard to guarantee a spot on the bus.

Tapping on a similar topic..

Previously for some Twinkle Bus tours, they required at least 3-day advance booking. But now, even though it's mentioned must have prior reservation, it's not stated "3-day". Or have I missed out any information? Looks like the English version of these tours aren't out, and it makes planning (re-planning) difficult... haiz.....

has there ever been a 3 day advance purchase requirement? I have the english language flyer from 2013 and there is no 3 day requirement on it for any of the twinkle bus tours; under advance reservations all it says is "Please make a reservation ㏌ advance at JR Hokkaido stations . Tickets are available at JR Ticket
Counter (Midori no Madoguchi) or Twinkle Plaza counters.(While stocks last)"

Elsewhere, the same flyer mentions "A special discount price is offered to those who purchase the ticket 3 days prior to the departure date and within the limited-offer period." but that was for the car rental option.

I also saw no 3 day advance requiremnet on the japanese language page.

Yes, I'm referring to the 2014 itineraries for "Twinkle Bus Furano Lavender Course" & "Twinkle Bus Biei Lavender Course". Both had this 'Please purchase a ticket 3 days prior to use' condition.

OK, this is what I see on the JR Hokkaido FAQ page at
http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/english/faq/faq07.html#Q1

Only persons with the JR Hokkaido boarding ticket can use the Twinkle Bus. (Excludes monthly pass, entrance ticket, Kitaca and Suica Cards).
Please purchase a ticket 3 days prior to use (Ex. July 1st if you want to use on July 4th)at all JR Ticket Counters (Midori-no-Madoguchi) and Twinkle Plazas(travel centers) located at major JR Hokkaido stations. (Twinkle buses in the Furano and Biei area may be purchased on the day of use,but be sure to purchase beforehand at JR Ticket Counters (Midori-no-Madoguchi)and Twinkle Plazas (travel centers)located at major JR Hokkaido stations.
Please show your JR ticket or purchase both JR ticket and Twinkle Bus ticket at the same time. Online reservations are not available.

Is it me or did the Twinkle bus routes got less attractive this year compared to 2014?

It seems like none of the Twinkle buses are going to stop by Farm Tomita, which we'll have to make a separate trip to, and they took out the green/blue lake stop, which cannot be accessed without a rental car. It also seems like the Biei to Biei route is a bit silly, as it only drives by the interesting spots and you only get to get off the car at one place for 15 mins.

Just wondering, it seems like the full day Furano bus tour stops at the New Furano Prince hotel for quite an extended period of time (60 mins). What is there to see?

Yes, they got less interesting indeed, and more expensive because they include a compulsory visit to the art gallery (as if people are going to Furano for that). Pity about the Blue Lake, last year's bus course was fabulous, it included so many natural spots and gardens.
Personally, I don't think Tomita Farm should be included, that one is best explored separately, riding the torokko train.

I guess I'll have to call JR Hokkaido and ask about the reservation in advance.

@AlexanderStankov Please let us know if you do call and get an answer from JR Hokkaido.

I fully agree with kooritsuki and AlexanderStankov .. looks like i am not fated to see the Aoi pond.. haiz...... the tours are so much more expensive but not as interesting as previous..

Isn't there Twinkle Bus Biei Lavender course, which start from Furano St (12.45) -- Farm Tomita -- Farm Kanno -- Aoi Ike Lake -- Hill of Zerubu -- The Sun Kuroudo -- Asahikawa St (18.45)
I read this in 2014 JR Sightseeing trains/ [Furano-Biei Twinkle Bus] Brochure.

@jimny That's the 2014 itinerary. It's no longer on the 2015 one. See OP's link. :)

Aoiike Blue Pond is on the bus line between Asahikawa and Shirogane Onsen.
time.ajnet.ne.jp/busstop.hpml… (weekdays)
time.ajnet.ne.jp/busstop.hpml… (weekends and holidays)

There is also 1 daily additional bus to and from Biei.
time.ajnet.ne.jp/busstop.hpml… (weekdays)
time.ajnet.ne.jp/busstop.hpml… (weekends and holidays)

Let’s hope the following links work better than those on my earlier post.
Aoiike Blue Pond is on the bus line between Asahikawa and Shirogane Onsen.
http://time.ajnet.ne.jp/busstop.hpml?rno=39&comp=1&si=10&bno=1748&bnoa... (weekdays)
http://time.ajnet.ne.jp/busstop.hpml?rno=39&comp=1&si=11&bno=1748&bnoa... (weekends and holidays)

There is one daily additional bus to and from Biei.
http://time.ajnet.ne.jp/busstop.hpml?rno=42&comp=1&si=10&bno=1748&bnoa... (weekdays)
http://time.ajnet.ne.jp/busstop.hpml?rno=42&comp=1&si=11&bno=1748&bnoa... (weekends and holidays)

Thank you for the links! I think I'll take the public bus to he lake then.

BTW, per the bus stop schedule, it says that it'll stop at the entrance. Anyone knows how long does it take to get from the entrance to the lake?

Ok, so I finally called JR Hokkaido to ask about reservations and the only way to book Twinkle buses from Tokyo is if you pay by credit card or bank transfer. Of course, you still need to have a JR Hokkaido ticket or pass, so you should also buy some of their package deals, like the "1-day Furano-Biei travel plan" or just a round-trip Sapporo-Asahikawa ticket. They send you all the tickets by post (for which you pay postage too). Generally it's a great pity that they closed their Tokyo office. On their English website there's now a Twinkle Bus reservation form to download and fill in yourself, but it wouldn't help if you arrive less than 3 days before the desired trip. So I think foreign tourists coming with a JR Rail pass and wanting to buy just the Twinkle Bus tickets have to rely on a friend in Japan to help them pay in advance.

Thank you for the update...

I may end up not taking any of the bus tours since majority of them (in Biei) are just views on board.

The Biei buses visit mostly iconic trees popular from Japanese TV commercials. Unless you're familiar with those commercials they have little value to the foreign visitor.
I recommend the Furano-Asahikawa bus, it visits Shikisai no Oka, which is far better than Tomita Farm, in my opinion.