Asahiyama Zoo pioneered Japan's behavioral exhibits, letting penguins parade and polar bears swim overhead. Asahikawa ramen is soy-based with a lard cap to keep it hot in the cold. The city is a gateway to Daisetsuzan, Hokkaido's largest national park.
What Asahikawa is known for
Top-rated in Asahikawa
Mt. Kurodake
4.7nature
1,984-meter peak on the eastern rim of the Daisetsuzan caldera, the standard one-hour hike from the top of the Sounkyo ropeway-and-chairlift system.
Asahiyama Zoo
4.5zoo
Contemporary zoo with reptiles, marine mammals and daily penguin parade through the grounds.
Unkai Terrace Tomamu
4.4viewpoint
1,100-meter viewing platform at Tomamu where visitors stand above the clouds watching them flow through valleys below.
Daisetsuzan Asahidake Ropeway
4.4landmark
All-season cable lift to Mt. Asahidake's hiking trails through flower meadows & birch forests.
Bifuka Trolley Kingdom
4.5nature
Drive your own engine-powered trolley on an abandoned rail line.
Nakadake Onsen
4.4onsen
Dig-your-own wild hot spring deep in Daisetsuzan with no facilities, pure alpine bathing.
Kurodake Ropeway
4.3nature
Aerial tramway to Mount Kurodake with Japan's earliest autumn color and backcountry skiing.
Ueno Farm
4.3shopping
An English-style 'Dramatic Garden' adapted for Hokkaido's climate.
