Asahikawa and Daytrips
Hokkaido’s second largest city and host to the well-known Winter Ice Sculpture Festival, Asahikawa is a great base to explore the region. Asahikawa city has a zoo, where you can see Japanese animals up close, including Hokkaido native wildlife. Japanese Black Bear, Japanese Serow (A native goat-antelope species and a national symbol), Japanese Macaque, (snow monkey), the beautiful Red-Crowned Crane revered in Japanese culture and the Ezo Deer, a subspecies of the sika deer, commonly found in Hokkaido and many more. Open 10.30am – 3.30pm. Visit www.city.asahikawa.hokkaido.jp/asahiyamazoo for details.
Food and Drink Scene
Asahikawa has a rich historical food and drink culture, including the iconic Pari Road.
Otokoyama Sake Park Otokoyama is a local sake brewed with spring water in Asahikawa. It won a Monde Selection award back in 1977 and has since garnered numerous gold medals in both domestic and international liquor competitions.
Daytrips Asahikawa is located in Hokkaido’s Powder’ Belt and a great place to daytrip to a variety of snow resorts that are an easy drive from the city. Kamui Ski Links is just a 25 minute drive from the city and the closest major resort. Furano and Tomamu are a 1.5-hour drive away, while Kokusetsu Horotachi, Shibetsu, and Wasan are only 1 hour from Asahikawa. The Asahi Dake ropeway, which reaches the highest elevation in Hokkaido, is also nearby. For backcountry and touring you can drive to Kurodake and Ashidake. For night skiing, head to Santa Present Park, located just 10 minutes from the city centre. Pip Ski Resort is 40 minutes away, and Kanmore Ski Resort is a mere 30 minute drive.
JR Asahikawa station It’s easy to get to Asahikawa by rail. Take the Hokkaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, which takes four hours. Transfer to the Limited Express Train from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, called the ‘Super Kamui. You’ll arrive in Asahikawa in 3-3.5 hours.
By Air To get to Asahikawa from New Chitose Airport, you can take the Rapid Airport train from New Chitose Airport to Sapporo Station. This journey takes about 40 minutes.
From Sapporo Station, transfer to the Limited Express Kamui or Super Kamui train bound for Asahikawa. The train ride from Sapporo to Asahikawa takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. You can take a long-distance bus directly from New Chitose Airport to Asahikawa and typically takes around 2.5 to 3 hours. A car or taxi from the airport takes about 2 to 2.5 hours, depending on conditions.
Asahikawa Airport Travelers from Australia can fly into Tokyo (Narita or Haneda) or Osaka (Kansai), and then take a domestic flight to Asahikawa Airport. After arriving at a major city in Japan, you can book a connecting flight with airlines like ANA or Japan Airlines that operate domestic flights to Asahikawa.Court Hotel This clean hotel is conveniently located a couple of minutes walk from Asahikawa Train station. Rooms are modern and comfortable with breakfast available and coffee free in the lobby. The Court Hotel is very mindful of snow travellers and has a ski waxing area, ski storage. The hotel offers complimentary shuttle bus to Kamui Ski Links daily from 8am, departing 4pm from Kamui Ski Links and Fast Pass (priority gondola) lift access. You can book Kamui International Ski School and Rookie Academy Advanced Camps from the hotel.
