{
  "id": "saika-no-sato",
  "name": "Saika no Sato",
  "area": "Nakafurano",
  "status": "not-recommended",
  "priority": "optional",
  "tags": [
    "Flowers",
    "Scenery",
    "Walking"
  ],
  "summary": "Keep under Avoid/unconfirmed, not the go-list. Secondary sources report closure in March 2020 and continued closure in July 2021; no primary-source reopening confirmation was located. [S1][S2]",
  "why_go": "Historically, hillside lavender offered views across Nakafurano toward the mountains. A visitor documented free admission and paid lavender picking in 2019; neither is a verified current offering. [S2]",
  "season": {
    "late_june": "Regional lavender can still be developing; present planting and public access here are unverified. [S4]",
    "july": "Historically the strongest candidate for flowers, but regional bloom records do not establish this site's condition or opening. [S2][S4]",
    "early_august": "Some regional late varieties flower into August; do not assume surviving lavender or picking here. [S4]",
    "best_window": "Only reconsider after reopening confirmation. July would be a provisional flower-viewing preference, never a guaranteed 2027 peak."
  },
  "visit_duration": "No visit recommended currently; provisionally 30-60 minutes for viewing if legitimate public reopening is confirmed.",
  "drive_from_furano": "Approximately 15-25 minutes from central Furano to the former address, 6-1 Okamachi: a planning estimate, not live routing or access confirmation. Allow additional July congestion time. [S3][S5]",
  "best_time_of_day": "If reopened, choose a weekday morning within confirmed opening hours. [S5]",
  "visit_plan": [
    "Check for a dated operator or tourism-authority reopening announcement.",
    "Confirm the entrance, visitor parking and permitted activities before driving.",
    "If confirmation remains absent, omit the stop; do not enter to investigate."
  ],
  "practicalities": [
    {
      "label": "Hours and season",
      "text": "An undated legacy listing gives June-September, 08:00-17:00. These are not verified operating hours or a 2027 schedule. [S3]"
    },
    {
      "label": "Costs",
      "text": "Free admission and paid picking were documented for 2019 only. Current charges are unknown. [S2]"
    },
    {
      "label": "Parking and access",
      "text": "A parking area existed in 2021; present availability, capacity and permission to enter are unverified. [S2]"
    },
    {
      "label": "Facilities and accessibility",
      "text": "Current toilets, food service and accessible routes are unconfirmed. Historical visits involved hillside walking. [S2]"
    },
    {
      "label": "Reservations",
      "text": "No current bookable activity or reservation requirement was verified."
    }
  ],
  "recommendations": [
    "Do not rely on old directional signs or evergreen attraction listings.",
    "Require explicit public-access confirmation, not merely visible flowers.",
    "If reopened, check recent photographs and harvesting dates.",
    "Verify picking permission, fees and equipment separately."
  ],
  "weather_plan": "Do not use poor-weather downtime to investigate closed grounds. If reopened, postpone exposed hillside viewing during heavy rain.",
  "safety_and_etiquette": [
    "Respect gates, closure notices and private farmland; never pick without permission.",
    "Avoid roadside stopping or obstructing agricultural access."
  ],
  "pair_with": [],
  "skip_if": "Skip by default unless reliable, dated reopening information changes this assessment.",
  "recheck_for_2027": [
    "Current owner/operator and explicit public reopening.",
    "Opening dates, hours, fees and designated parking.",
    "Flower maintenance, harvest timing, activities and facilities."
  ],
  "confidence_notes": [
    "Closure is supported by secondary reporting, not independently confirmed through an official closure notice.",
    "As of 2026-10-26, no primary-source reopening confirmation or verified ownership change was located.",
    "Municipal sources below establish regional flowering and traffic patterns, not Saika no Sato's operating status."
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "S1",
      "title": "Saika no Sato (closed)",
      "publisher": "Hanamap",
      "url": "https://hanamap.com/flower/area/hokkaido/entry-546.html",
      "accessed": "2026-10-26",
      "supports": "Secondary closure listing reporting March 2020 closure."
    },
    {
      "id": "S2",
      "title": "Nakafurano: Saika no Sato after closure",
      "publisher": "Hokkaido Mitemiru Ittemiru, personal travel account",
      "url": "https://s-panda.hateblo.jp/entry/2021/08/05/005800",
      "accessed": "2026-10-26",
      "supports": "2019 scenery, admission and picking; July 2021 closure observations and parking."
    },
    {
      "id": "S3",
      "title": "Saika no Sato Sasaki Farm",
      "publisher": "Asoview",
      "url": "https://www.asoview.com/spot/01461ae3312074313/",
      "accessed": "2026-10-26",
      "supports": "Former address and undated legacy hours; not current-operation evidence."
    },
    {
      "id": "S4",
      "title": "2025 lavender flowering information",
      "publisher": "Nakafurano Town",
      "url": "https://www.town.nakafurano.lg.jp/hotnews/detail/00003425.html",
      "accessed": "2026-10-26",
      "supports": "Regional seasonal variation and differing lavender varieties; not site-specific."
    },
    {
      "id": "S5",
      "title": "Tourist-season traffic information",
      "publisher": "Nakafurano Town",
      "url": "https://www.town.nakafurano.lg.jp/hotnews/detail/00000185.html",
      "accessed": "2026-10-26",
      "supports": "July congestion, particularly weekends and holidays; weekday timing advice."
    }
  ]
}