Destinations

Asahikawa

"The wide open streets have plenty life during the day and night. The food and sake taste fantastic. Mountains and volcanoes sit on the city door-step. Asahikawa has an almost endless array of options all year round"

James Mundy - PR Manager

Asahikawa is Hokkaido’s second largest city and sits in the middle of Japan’s main northern island. Home to 350 thousand people, this is a very pleasant little city with the mountains and forests of Daisetsu-zan national park (Japan’s largest national park) providing a stunning back drop.

Asahikawa is famous for its crafts and especially renowned for its wood craft and Yukara-ori traditional dyeing and weaving, examples of which can be seen in galleries and museums around the city. The city itself also has a lively entertainment area with plenty of noodle shops and Izakaya and is home to Otokoyama sake which is one of Japan’s most famous and delicious brands of the Japanese alcoholic beverage. You may like to sample a drop in one of the local Izakaya or visit the distillery itself and sample the various sake products for free!

The town is famed throughout Asia for its zoo which attracts hundreds of thousands visitors each year to witness their more “western” style approach with a more animal friendly environment than is usually found in Asian zoos. It is actually well worth a visit.

Asahikawa has the coldest recorded temperature in Japanese history at -41 C which gives you some clue as the quality of the winter sports available in the area. As well as the famous nearby resort of Furano the city has its own smaller resort of Kamui. In the spring and summer the surrounding countryside is beautiful with the nearby rolling hills of Biei complimenting the surrounding mountains and volcano. Asahikawa has something for everyone all year through. The city airport makes Ashikawa a great start or finish point for your adventures into Hokkaido.