Unkai Terrace

Unkai Terrace

Unkai Terrace
4
5:00 AM - 7:00 AM
Monday
5:00 AM - 7:00 AM
Tuesday
5:00 AM - 7:00 AM
Wednesday
5:00 AM - 7:00 AM
Thursday
5:00 AM - 7:00 AM
Friday
5:00 AM - 7:00 AM
Saturday
5:00 AM - 7:00 AM
Sunday
5:00 AM - 7:00 AM
About
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles355 reviews
Excellent
160
Very good
110
Average
64
Poor
16
Terrible
5

ichikawa2016
Puerto Escondido, Mexico179 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2022 • Solo
I was thinking how to take gondola for snowbord to down hill. For beginner. But this gondola and Powder Express are not walk distance that I understood. Terace is nice and Cafe provide better drink. Nice to rest there. Unfortunately there isn't any restaurant opened.
Written 17 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Frances G
Singapore, Singapore58 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2014 • Friends
This place is also called the Seas of Clouds. We had to get up at 3 am and we had arranged with the Furano Tourist Organisation to get a car to fetch us there. The journey in the early morning took more than an hour. There were many people when we reached and had to take turns to go up to the terrace by gondola. Half way up we can see the clouds like a blanket below us. It was a very beautiful spectacular sight. It was very worth going inspite of having to wake up so early. Highly recommended.
Written 30 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Boon-Kiat
Singapore, Singapore92 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2019 • Family
Unkai is a phenomenal of Tomamu summer, there is no guaranteed daily occurrence and you can only experience it during the early of the morning, 5am to 7am.

We arrived at the gondola station at around 4:30am, queue had already been forming but we were among the first 5 in the queue. But to our dismay, when the gate opened at 5am, we found that there are other priority queues for guests of Hoshino Resorts already queuing up for the gondola ride. We ended up have to wait for around 20min before we board the gondola.

The ride up lasted about 10min, smooth with great view of the surroundings. Higher up the ride we were in the clouds, and when the gondola break through the clouds into the clear blue sky, that moment was just breathtaking.

There are usually a lot of visitors up at the terrace, but not excessively jam packed. During our visit, the lower part of the terrace was closed for some maintenance work, hence did not get nearer to the clouds, but the view at the higher deck is equally breathtaking. There are also rest area and cafe at the terrace, hence if there are space available, one can just sit there and enjoy a cup of coffee and view.

Besides staying at the terrace near the gondola peak station, one can walk out to other features like the Cloud Walk (pathway that protrude out from the side that allows one to get closer to the cloud, though not that close), Cloud Bed (big rubber-like white balls lining along the path), Contour Bench (benches at a high point with unblocked view, great rest area), and Cloud Pool (big cloud-like hammock). A new feature called Cloud Bar was up, but not open yet, it is high placed seats for you to have a better view.

Further up after the Cloud Pool is a hiking trail to the top of Tomamu Mountain. A simple registration form is located at the beginning of the trail for those embarking on this trail. We did not go on the trail as it requires about 60 minutes for a round trip.

We finished the walkabout in about an hour and half (without taking the hike to the mountain top), with plenty of photo stops. The trip down was swift, partly because it is not the peak timing for returning down yet.

To have the Unkai experience, it is recommended to stay at nearby Hoshino resort or Club Med Tomamu. Hoshino guests get free unlimited visits to the Unkai terrace, as well as the priority queue too. Other visitors will need to pay for the gondola tickets available at the Resort Center (gondola station) or at the Club Med Tomamu’s reception, and of course, this is subject to normal queuing where you get to count the number of priority visitors walking past you while in the queue. Hoshino Resort provides free shuttle for their guest to the Resort center. For Club Med Tomamu guests, the Resort Center is located just 5-10min walk away. Before you make your way to the resort centre, it is recommended that you check the web for Unkai Terrace for their daily forecast, the forecast for the day is normally updated at around 4:15am. If it is happening, it will indicate “Unkai Occurring”, that is when you should get to the gondola station as soon as possible (assuming the gondola is operating that day) as the queue will start forming as early as 4:30am in the morning.

The experience will just leave you in awe, and totally worth the sacrifice of sleep and queue at the gondola station.
Written 16 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LIMLAYCHOO
Singapore, Singapore30 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2018 • Friends
Very similar to Sapa where you feel like you are in the clouds. Very beautiful and a must do in Tomamu. The line is formed way before the gondola takes its first passengers. If you are living in the hotels in the vacinity, do buy the tickets from the vending machine the day before in order to save queue time. 1900 yen per pax is the price and it is worth it.
Written 22 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ongwl82016
Singapore, Singapore801 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2018 • Family
We stayed in Hoshino Resort for a night just to be sure that we can get into the gondola at 5am and head up to Unkai Terrace to see the Unkai-Sea of Clouds. On the evening before, we were anxiously monitoring the forecast provided on the resort website. It showed past 7 days conditions, such as cloudy, rain, suspended or Unkai, which means Sea of Clouds happens, as well as possibility of Unkai occurring the next morning. On that evening till we got into bed around 9+, it showed a 50% chance. This made us a bit nervous. When we got up the next morning, we were delighted to see that Unkai was happening on the website. Although we wake up early and got onto the first shuttle leaving for the Gondola station, we still ended behind a long queue which lasted 40min before we actually got into gondola. When the gondola started ascending, we were like entering a layer of clouds before surfacing on the top and what appeared in front of us was the magnificent sea of clouds which was beyond our imagination. We spent as long as we could at the terrace, and enjoyed this awesome phenomena until the sun got higher, and the clouds started moving away or dispersed. This was totally amazing, and worth our effort to pull ourselves out of the bed at 4am, stood at the line for 40min.
Written 10 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

eeky888
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia189 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2016 • Friends
You only have about 40-50% chance of catching the Unkai at any one time during summer. When we arrived the night before, the prediction was 30%. However, luckily for us , by 4 am , it was 100% !! Viewing for the unkai that day, was from 4 am- 9 am. All of us jumped out of bed and were at the cable car station by 5.30 am. The sun was already out and the view on top was breathtaking and surreal. Everyone thought our unkai photos were from a postcard ! Speaking of which , you can post a free postcard right at the top of the cable car station to anywhere in the world. If you stay at the Hoshino Resort or Village Alpha, there is a TV monitor to inform visitors of the unkai status. We were very pleased we managed to catch the unkai - definitely a wonderful experience. Good luck !
Written 3 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Andrew G
Singapore, Singapore64 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2016 • Couples
Splendid scenery worth waking up at 3am for! We were told to leave for Unkai Terrace at 430am from the place we stayed (7 mins drive), but by the time we arrived, there were so many people in the queue for gondola up the mountain.

we waited for about an hour before we got to the top, and it was really worth it, however we missed the sunrise.

a place to take beautiful photos! and a free postcard to send to anywhere in the world!

*Please note that this is a natural phenomenon therefore the chances of seeing it is 50%. Also, they are only open in the summer hence please plan accordingly. You may visit their website to check the opening hours.*
Written 20 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TerryTeo
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia173 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2015 • Friends
Despite the postcard views and some visitors' reviews, I would not recommend overseas visitors to spend time with this place. I was there in July 2015 and I didn't see anything that is spectacular. I wished I could have skipped this place and spend the morning and the time else where which is more worthy. The surrounding has limited selection of accommodation and it can be pricey for your information as there wasn't many choice available, not even convenient store.

I got up at 345am and spent 2,000Yen for the gondola ride but well, I missed the so-called "sea cloud" on this particular day.
Written 17 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

elenort505
Hong Kong, China62 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019
This is one of the reason we visited Hoshino Tamamu, unfortunately there was no unkai (Sea of Clouds) in 1st morning while in 2nd morning , the cable car service services was suspsended due to bad weather.

The hotel web site updates the possiblity of seeing unkai by 3 pm the day before, and the first shuttle to the cable car startion is at 4:25 am, suggest to take the 1st one or the queue will go longer and longer. you might also want to return a bit early to catch up the hot balloon ride (from 5-7am) which is only first come first serves for first 100 customers.

Even no unkai was seen, there are vew nice photo shooting views that worth a visit. They also have warm clothing for rental in case you need that.
Written 13 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SingaporeMummy
Singapore, Singapore146 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Friends
We visited unkai terrace to experience the beautiful sea of clouds... we were staying in furano and drove about 2 hours to get here... the website said that first cable car up is at 5am but when we got there at 440am there was at least 100 people already in the queue and the cable looked like it had been operating for some time. Took us at least 45 before we got on the cable car
Timing is very impt and I think we shud have been there earlier
By the time we got there the clouds had sunk quite a bit so it was not spectacular .... but still nice
My recommendation is not to trust the website but call in ahead.... August the sun is up by 4ish so maybe that’s when the cable car started
Written 2 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 76
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Unkai Terrace - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2025)

All Shimukappu-mura HotelsShimukappu-mura Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Shimukappu-mura
All things to do in Shimukappu-mura
RestaurantsFlightsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars