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Core city in Hokkaido, Japan

Asahikawa

Asahikawa is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.

Asahikawa
Asahikawa · スミス1919 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The place

Asahikawa is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido after Sapporo. It has been a core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well known for the Asahiyama Zoo, Asahikawa ramen, and its ski resort. On July 31, 2011, the city had an estimated population of 321,906, with 173,961 households, and a population density of 431 persons per km2. The total area is 747.66 km2 (288.67 sq mi).

Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What is there

Worth seeing in and around Asahikawa

10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

  1. 01
    Asahiyama Zoo

    The Asahiyama Zoo is a municipal zoo that opened in July 1967 in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan, and is the northernmost zoo in the country. In August 2004, over 320,000 people had visited the zoo, the second-highest number of visitors among all the zoos in Japan.

    9.1 km · zoo in Asahikawa, Japan · Wikipedia
  2. 02
    Asahikawa Medical University

    Asahikawa Medical University, Kyokui, or AMU, is a national university and medical school in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Established in 1973, the university has one faculty, Faculty of Medicine, consisting of Department of Medicine and Department of Nursing.

    4.5 km · national university in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan · Wikipedia
  3. 03
    Mount Asahi

    Mount Asahi is a mountain in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is part of the Ishikari Mountains.

    9.8 km · mountain in Hokkaido, Japan · Wikipedia
  4. 04
    Yasushi Inoue Memorial Hall

    The Yasushi Inoue Memorial Hall opened in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan in 1993. Dedicated to author Yasushi Inoue, born in Asahikawa in 1907, the museum displays some five hundred items from its collection of a thousand objects, mostly books.

    4.3 km · museum in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan · Wikipedia
  5. 05
    Hokuchin Memorial Museum

    Hokuchin Memorial Museum is a history museum located in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. The museum is a JGSDF Public Relations facility displaying as many as 2,500 items concerning the history of the Tondenhei Army, which developed Hokkaido, the 7th Division of the old Imperial Japanese Army, and the activities of the 2nd Division of today's JGSDF. Admission is free.

    2.4 km · history museum in Hokkaido,Japan · Wikipedia
  6. 06
    Asahikawa Museum of Sculpture

    Asahikawa Museum of Sculpture in Honor of Teijiro Nakahara is a sculpture museum in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan. The building was called the Asahikawa Kaikōsha and used as the officer's social club by the 7th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1902 until 1945.

    4.3 km · sculpture museum in Hokkaidō, Japan · Wikipedia
  7. 07
    Asahikawa City University

    Asahikawa City University is a public university in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Established in 1898, it was chartered as a university in 1968.

    8.5 km · public university in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan · Wikipedia
  8. 08
    Kamikawa Shrine

    Kamikawa Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. Established in 1883, it is dedicated to the kami Amaterasu, Ōkuninushi, Sukunabikona no Ōkami, Toyoukebime, Ōmononushi, Ame-no-Kaguyama-no-Mikoto, Takeminakata, Emperor Ōjin as Hondawake no Mikoto, and others.

    1.6 km · Shinto shrine in Hokkaido, Japan · Wikipedia
  9. 09
    Asahikawa University

    Asahikawa City University is a public university in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Established in 1898, it was chartered as a university in 1968.

    8.5 km · a private university in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan · Wikipedia
  10. 10
    Asahikawa University Junior College

    Asahikawa University Junior College is a private junior college attached to Asahikawa University in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan. It was established in 1964 as a women's college, and became coeducational in 2011.

    8.5 km · private junior college in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

See

What Wikivoyage says to see

  1. 01
    Hokkaido Traditional Art Craft Village
  2. 02
    Otokoyama Sake Brewing Museum
  3. 03
    Asahibashi Bridge
  4. 04
    Asahiyama Zoo
  5. 05
    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.

From Wikivoyage: Asahikawa, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Do

Things to do

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. Kamui Ski Links (カムイスキーリンクス) (just west of town). The local favorite. You can also do cross-country skiing in some of its parks, including the Tomizawa skiing course at Kamui no Mori Park.

  1. 01
    Cycling path to Kamuikotan

    This unpaved cycle trail follows an old rail line and tunnels downstream along the right hand side of the Ishikarigawa river as it cuts through the hills.

  2. 02
    Cycling path to Higashikagura

From Wikivoyage: Asahikawa, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Eat

Where to eat

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.

  1. 01
    Ramen Village
  2. 02
    Santōka

From Wikivoyage: Asahikawa, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Go there

Getting to Asahikawa

Airports
New Chitose (CTS), 123 km · Hakodate (HKD), 255 km
Stations
Asahikawa Station, 700 m · Shin-Asahikawa Station, 2.1 km · Chikabumi Station, 4.2 km · Higashi-Asahikawa Station, 6.1 km · Kaguraoka Station, 2.5 km
  • Sapporo → Asahikawa
    113 km · quickest by road, 2h 46m · ¥1,440–1,970
  • Hakodate → Asahikawa
    259 km · quickest by road, 6h 20m · ¥4,270–5,800
  • Aomori → Asahikawa
    355 km · quickest by road, 10h 46m · ¥6,250–8,500
  • From anywhere
    The planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
    Plan a trip

Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

Not yet researched

No local-transport research exists yet for Asahikawa

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Asahikawa. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

The nearest places where the work is done
  1. 01
    SakhalinRU

    9 ways of moving, 15 sources

    366 km
  2. 02
    Muuido and the Incheon islandsKR

    9 ways of moving, 20 sources

    1,519 km
  3. 03
    Zamami and the Kerama IslandsJP

    12 ways of moving, 19 sources

    2,376 km
  4. 04
    Taketomi and the Yaeyama islandsJP

    12 ways of moving, 17 sources

    2,727 km
  5. 05
    Matsu IslandsTW

    9 ways of moving, 34 sources

    2,809 km

If you know how people move in Asahikawa – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.

Around it

Next door to Asahikawa

  • Takasutown in Kamikawa district, Hokkaido, Japan8.6 km