ASAHIKAWA
Home of Asahiyama Zoo’s “Behavioral Exhibits”
Gateway City to the Riches of Mt. Daisetsuzan
From the world-famous Asahiyama Zoo to Asahikawa ramen and the majestic wilderness of Daisetsuzan National Park. Discover the charm of Asahikawa, Hokkaido’s second-largest city and a gateway to its grandest natural landscapes.
Asahikawa sits near the center of Hokkaido, in the region known as Dohoku, and is the island’s second-most populous city. It offers the convenience of a real city while staying close to grand natural landscapes like the Daisetsuzan mountain range, making it a functional base for sightseeing trips further afield. Winters here are known for their severe cold, sometimes dropping below minus 20°C, but the city embraces that chill with events like its winter festival, offering something to enjoy in every season.
Asahiyama Zoo
ClassicA zoo famous nationwide for its “behavioral exhibits,” designed to showcase animals’ natural instincts and abilities. Highlights include the “Penguin Walk,” where penguins stroll right past visitors, and “Feeding Time,” where you can watch polar bears swim powerfully underwater up close. It’s often the single biggest draw for visitors to Asahikawa.
📍 About a 40-minute bus ride from JR Asahikawa Station
Asahikawa Ramen Village
Gourmet“Asahikawa ramen” is known for its soy-sauce-based broth built from a double stock of animal and seafood bases. At “Asahikawa Ramen Village,” where the city’s most popular shops gather in one place, it’s easy to try several bowls side by side. It’s the perfect warm-you-to-the-core dish for a city known for its harsh cold.
📍 About a 15-minute bus ride from JR Asahikawa Station
Daisetsuzan National Park & Sounkyo
Scenic ViewHome to the Daisetsuzan mountain range, often called “the roof of Hokkaido,” this is one of Japan’s largest national parks. In summer, it’s known for alpine flowers and hiking; in autumn, it’s one of the first spots in Hokkaido to see fall colors. You can also enjoy Sounkyo Onsen and the dramatic columnar-jointed gorge scenery nearby. In winter, an “Ice Waterfall Festival” takes the place of drift ice as the season’s signature spectacle.
📍 About 1 hour 20 minutes by car from central Asahikawa to Sounkyo Onsen
Asahikawa Sculpture Museum
Culture & HistoryHoused in a stone building that once served as the residence of a former Imperial Army division commander, this museum displays works by sculptor Teijiro Nakahara and others. The stately architecture itself is a highlight, offering a cultural glimpse into the city’s history dating back to its pioneer days.
📍 About a 15-minute bus ride from JR Asahikawa Station
Asahikawa Winter Festival
EventHeld every February, this major winter event turns Asahikawa’s brutal cold into a celebration. Large-scale snow sculptures built with the help of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, along with ice stages and slides, fill the banks of the Ishikari River with dynamic displays made entirely of snow and ice.
📍 Central Asahikawa, along the Ishikari River banks and other sites (typically held every February)
A Private Charter Taxi Is the Easy Way to See Asahikawa
Asahiyama Zoo sits a bit outside the city center, and if you want to venture further to Sounkyo or Daisetsuzan, bus service becomes limited.
With a private charter taxi, you can travel from New Chitose Airport or Sapporo to Asahikawa and on to Sounkyo with no transfers, making it easy to explore the Dohoku region efficiently.