Asahikawa
Discover Asahikawa
Asahikawa (旭川) is the second-largest city on the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan. It is located at the confluence of four rivers and is surrounded by hills. It is near the centre of Hokkaido, and is a good base for visiting the nearby Daisetsuzan mountain range and the picturesque Biei-Furano area. The place has few foreign visitors, though Asahiyama Zoo attracts many Japanese tourists. With 130 rivers and streams, and over 740 bridges in the city, Asahikawa is a pleasant city to walk or cycle around, especially during the warm season. It is a middle-sized city with a rural feel and direct access to the mountain and outdoor areas.
What to Experience in Asahikawa
Taste of Asahikawa...
Asahikawa is known as one of Japan's gourmet towns, and despite its small size, contains many restaurants of nearly every description. Many restaurants are clustered in the Kaimono Koen (Shopping District Park) area, in front of the JR station. This makes touring a number of restaurants on foot a viable option for a day trip. Asahikawa's ramen noodles are nationally famous, with shoyu (soy sauce) being the flavor of choice. There are also a large number of ethnic restaurants. Hokkaido is generally known for having good dairy products, and Asahikawa is no exception. Asahikawa is famous for its sake, especially Otokoyama (男山, lit. "man mountain"), which is probably Hokkaido's best-known label. Other local sakes include Takasago (高砂) and Taisetsu no Kura (大雪の蔵). Beer fans will wish to look for the local Taisetsu microbrew. There is a hotel booking service at the railway station. If you plan to climb Mount Asahidake in the morning, there is a convenient camp for tents at the foot of the mountain, reachable by bus. Being in the center of Hokkaido, Asahikawa is a good base to explore other parts of the island.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple Options43.76282142.3584942 Asahikawa station (旭川駅). (updated Sep 2025) is the terminus of the JR Hakodate Main Line to Sapporo, Otaru and Hakodate. The spacious station hosts a tourist information centre and lounge with free wifi; helpful English speakers are usually available. The limited express Lilac and Kamui run from Sapporo frequently: every 30 min in the morning and evening, and hourly at other times. Additionally the limited express Soya runs one daily trip from Sapporo and the Ohtotsk runs two daily trips. Journey time 1h 30min. Local trains do not run directly from Sapporo, requiring one or two changes along the way. Total journey time can easily exceed 3h. Unless you have a Seishun 18 Ticket a bus may be the better option. Asahikawa is the terminus of the Furano line. Service is infrequent: approximately once an hour in the morning and evenings and every two hours at other times. Journey time from Biei is 30min, from Furano it’s 1h....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
The city has an extensive bus network. All attractions are easily reached by bus from the main train station. Most of the sites are easily accessible by foot from the main train station, though others like the zoo, Otokoyama brewery, and the ski resorts need a bus or taxi. Most of the town is in flat land and cycling is easy in summer. Cycling is allowed in the pedestrian lane of all streets, and some streets have special bicycle lanes. There are also dedicated lanes along the embankments of most of the rivers (and there are many). Some hotels offer free bicycle rental. The Tourist Information Center (in the train station) lends bicycles. The region is covered in thick snow in winter. Asahikawa is the coldest city in Japan, holding Japan's temperature record of -41°C (in 1902). It's not that bad most of the time though, and the good side to cold and snow is that there's some great skiing nearby.
Where to Stay
There is a hotel booking service at the railway station. If you plan to climb Mount Asahidake in the morning, there is a convenient camp for tents at the foot of the mountain, reachable by bus. Being in the center of Hokkaido, Asahikawa is a good base to explore other parts of the island.
Money & Budget
Asahikawa's main shopping area is next to the train station, in what is called the Kaimono Koen ("shopping park"). When it was built in 1972 it became the first pedestrian-only outdoor shopping mall in Japan. The street is lined with department stores, shops, cafes, and restaurants. A more remote area is the Arashiyama pottery village. Located on a hill overlooking Asahikawa to the north, this neighbourhood has several crafts workshops including pottery, glass craft, wood work, and textile. Some of these offer courses and many of them have a display area where visitors can see and buy their products. Asahikawa is known as one of Japan's gourmet towns, and despite its small size, contains many restaurants of nearly every description.
Safety Information
Glimpses of Asahikawa
A snowy morning in Asahikawa.
IT WORK !!!!!
a city street covered in snow next to a tall building
Japanese restaurant entrance with lanterns at night
Metal cart with blue crates in snow outside building
White taxi parked on a snowy street
Winter village nestled among snow-covered hills under cloudy sky
Train station platform with snow and tracks.
Snowy landscape with distant mountains seen through window
Snow covered train station platform and tracks
A snowy morning in Asahikawa.
IT WORK !!!!!
a city street covered in snow next to a tall building