Sounkyo Onsen area

Sounkyo ("gorge of layered clouds") sits at 670 meters in the Ishikari River canyon, on the road that climbs from Asahikawa over Daisetsuzan to the eastern Hokkaido lowlands. The onsen town concentrates on a single pedestrian street built across about 600 stone steps, with simple-thermal and sulfur springs feeding the ryokan baths. Three kilometers east, the 100-meter Ginga and Ryusei waterfalls drop side by side off the canyon wall. The Kurodake Ropeway from the back of the village climbs into Daisetsuzan National Park for summer hiking and autumn foliage. The Ice Waterfall Festival runs from late January through mid-March each winter.