National Parks · Hokkaido

Daisetsuzan National Park

大雪山国立公園だいせつざんこくりつこうえんDaisetsuzan Kokuritsu Kōen

The playground of the gods at the roof of Hokkaido

Daisetsuzan is a vast mountain wilderness in the centre of Hokkaido, a volcanic highland crowned by Asahi-dake, the island's highest peak at 2,291 m. Designated in 1934, it was Japan's largest national park until 2024 and holds some of the country's most extensive alpine meadows, lingering snowfields and wild brown-bear country.

Elevation: 2,291 mArea: 2,267.64 km²National park · 1934Special natural monument · 1971

Overview

Daisetsuzan occupies the mountainous heart of Hokkaido, between Asahikawa in the west and the Tokachi plain in the south-east. It is not a single mountain but a group of volcanic ranges: the Daisetsu massif around Asahi-dake and Kuro-dake, the Tokachi range with the active Tokachi-dake to the south-west, the Ishikari mountains to the east and the remote Tomuraushi-yama in between. With 2,267 km², it was the country's largest national park until the Hidaka mountains park was designated in 2024.

The park's high ground is a rolling plateau at 1,700 to 2,200 m, above the treeline, where snow patches last through the summer and some of Japan's largest alpine flower meadows bloom in July. Below, dense forests of fir and spruce cover the valleys, cut by the gorges of Sōunkyō and Tenninkyō. Hot springs at Asahi-dake, Sōunkyō, Tenninkyō and Shirogane serve as bases.

The Ainu called the plateau Kamui Mintara, the playground of the gods. The entire core area was designated a Special Natural Monument in 1971, underlining its importance as one of Japan's largest untouched mountain wildernesses.

Landscape and formation

The Daisetsu massif is a cluster of stratovolcanoes and lava domes around a central caldera, the Ohachi-daira, about 2 km across. Asahi-dake, the youngest cone, still steams from fumaroles in the Jigokudani crater on its western flank. To the south-west, the Tokachi range is a line of volcanoes of which Tokachi-dake is one of Hokkaido's most active; its 1926 eruption triggered a mudflow that killed 144 people in the valleys below. To the east, the Ishikari mountains are older, non-volcanic uplands.

Large eruptions around 30,000 years ago covered the region with welded tuff, which the Ishikari and Chūbetsu rivers have since cut into gorges lined with columnar joints: Sōunkyō's cliffs rise up to 150 m, and Tenninkyō shows similar walls. Frost action on the summit plateau produces patterned ground, and small patches of permafrost exist near the summits, among the few in Japan.

Highlights

Asahi-dake
旭岳Asahi-dake
Hokkaido's highest peak (2,291 m), a volcano with active fumaroles, reached from the Asahi-dake Ropeway station at Sugatami.
Sōunkyō Gorge
層雲峡Sōunkyō
A gorge of columnar-jointed cliffs along the upper Ishikari River, with the Ginga and Ryūsei waterfalls and a hot-spring village.
Kuro-dake
黒岳Kuro-dake
The 1,984 m peak above Sōunkyō, reached by ropeway and chairlift, gateway to the central plateau.
Tokachi-dake
十勝岳Tokachi-dake
An active volcano (2,077 m) in the southern Tokachi range, climbed from Bōgakudai above Shirogane Onsen.
Tomuraushi-yama
トムラウシ山Tomuraushi-yama
A remote 2,141 m peak with rock gardens and ponds, reached only by long approach or multi-day traverse.
Lake Shikaribetsu
然別湖Shikaribetsu-ko
Hokkaido's highest-lying natural lake, at about 800 m in the southern forests, home of an endemic char.
Takanegahara and Numanodaira
高原温泉沼めぐりKōgen Onsen numa-meguri
A circuit of alpine ponds above Daisetsu Kōgen Onsen, famous for autumn colours and brown bears.

Nature

MountainsAsahi-dakeAsahi-dakeThe roof of Hokkaido, a steaming volcano above Asahidake Onsen.

Ecology

Daisetsuzan's alpine zone is the most extensive in Japan and closer in character to Arctic tundra than to the alpine zone of Honshu. Its flora includes many species found also in Siberia, Sakhalin and Alaska, and several endemics. Snowbed communities, dwarf pine thickets and windswept fell-fields form a mosaic that changes with the pattern of snow melt.

The fauna includes relict species from the Ice Age: the northern pika, which lives in boulder fields, and alpine butterflies such as the Daisetsu Arctic and Asahi fritillary, found nowhere else in Japan. Brown bears roam the entire park, including the summit plateaus, and sika deer have spread into higher ground.

Flora

Alpine flower meadows
Aleutian avens (chinguruma), Ezo-kozakura primrose and many others carpet the snowbeds and slopes in July.
Hosoba-no-urupusō
ホソバウルップソウHosoba-no-urupusō
A blue alpine plant found in Japan only in the Daisetsu mountains.
Kumoi-rindō
クモイリンドウKumoi-rindō
An endemic gentian of the high plateau, flowering in late summer.
Subarctic conifer forest
Sakhalin fir and Yezo spruce cover the valleys, with Erman's birch near the treeline.

Fauna

Northern pika
エゾナキウサギEzo-naki-usagi
A small hare relative living in rock fields, considered a living fossil from the last Ice Age.
Daisetsu Arctic butterfly
ダイセツタカネヒカゲDaisetsu-takane-hikage
An alpine butterfly found in Japan only in the high mountains of central Hokkaido; a protected species.
Asahi fritillary
アサヒヒョウモンAsahi-hyōmon
A small fritillary restricted to the Daisetsu plateau.
Brown bear
ヒグマhiguma
Common throughout the park; often seen on the summit plateau in summer feeding on plants and insects.
Spotted nutcracker
ホシガラスhoshigarasu
A bird of the dwarf-pine belt that stores pine seeds, helping the pines spread.

Culture

For the Ainu of the Ishikari and Tokachi basins, the mountains were Nutapukaushipe, 'the mountain above the river's bend', and the high plateau the home of the kamuy. Japanese exploration came late: survey expeditions crossed the massif in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the writer Ōmachi Keigetsu popularised Daisetsuzan with his accounts of a 1921 trip, including the naming of Sōunkyō.

The mountains have shaped the culture of central Hokkaido. The hot-spring villages grew as bases for climbers, the Ishikari River flowing out of the park supplies the rice lands of the Kamikawa basin, and the landscapes of Biei and Furano at the foot of the Tokachi range became famous through photography and television.

Asahi-dake Visitor Center
旭岳ビジターセンターAsahi-dake Bijitā Sentā
Visitor centre at Asahi-dake Onsen with trail, weather and bear information.
Sōunkyō Visitor Center
層雲峡ビジターセンターSōunkyō Bijitā Sentā
Exhibits on the geology and wildlife of the northern park, at the Sōunkyō hot-spring village.
Shirogane Blue Pond
白金青い池Shirogane Aoi-ike
A blue pond created by an erosion-control dam below Tokachi-dake, just outside the park near Biei.

History

c. 30,000 years ago
A large eruption forms the welded tuff later cut into the Sōunkyō gorge.
1921
Ōmachi Keigetsu travels in the massif and writes the accounts that make Daisetsuzan known nationwide.
1926
An eruption of Tokachi-dake melts snow and sends a mudflow down the valleys, killing 144 people.
1934
Daisetsuzan National Park is designated on 4 December.
1971
The core of the massif is designated a Special Natural Monument.
1988–89
A series of eruptions at Tokachi-dake's Ground Crater.
2009
Eight hikers die of hypothermia on Tomuraushi-yama in a summer storm, leading to stricter guidance for guided treks.
2024
The new Hidaka-sanmyaku-Erimo-Tokachi National Park surpasses Daisetsuzan as Japan's largest.

Through the seasons

Spring

The mountains stay deep in snow until June; spring skiing on Asahi-dake and Kuro-dake continues into May.

Summer

The short alpine summer from July to August brings flower meadows and the main traverse season; snowfields persist on the plateau.

Autumn

Japan's first autumn colours appear on the plateau in late August and early September, reaching Sōunkyō in early October. The first snow often falls in late September.

Winter

Long and severe, with deep powder snow; Asahi-dake is a destination for backcountry skiing, and Sōunkyō holds an ice-sculpture festival.

Routes and trails

Asahi-dake from Sugatami
From the ropeway top station past the Sugatami pond and fumaroles to the summit; about 4 to 5 hours return.
Kuro-dake to Asahi-dake traverse
A full-day crossing of the central plateau via the Ohachi-daira caldera rim, linking Sōunkyō and Asahi-dake Onsen.
Daisetsu grand traverse
A multi-day route from Asahi-dake south via Tomuraushi to Tokachi-dake, one of Japan's great wilderness treks, with basic huts only.
Kōgen Onsen pond circuit
A loop of alpine ponds from Daisetsu Kōgen Onsen, open only in summer and autumn, with bear-check procedures.
Tokachi-dake from Bōgakudai
A climb over barren volcanic slopes from the Bōgakudai car park above Shirogane Onsen; subject to volcanic alert levels.

Practical notes

Asahikawa airport and Asahikawa station are the main gateways; buses run to Asahi-dake Onsen and Sōunkyō. The southern part is reached from Obihiro and Furano.
Weather on the plateau can turn wintry at any time of the summer; carry warm, waterproof clothing and turn back in storms.
Brown bears are common even above the treeline; carry spray, stay on trails and follow closures posted at visitor centres.
Tokachi-dake is a monitored active volcano; check the Japan Meteorological Agency alert level before climbing.
Huts on the traverses are basic and unstaffed or seasonally staffed; campers must use designated sites and carry out all waste, including toilet waste on some routes.

Frequently asked questions

Is it Daisetsuzan or Taisetsuzan?

Both readings of 大雪山 are used. The Ministry of the Environment names the park Daisetsuzan; Taisetsuzan is common locally and in older English sources.

When do the leaves change in Daisetsuzan?

Earlier than anywhere else in Japan. The high plateaus around Asahi-dake and Kuro-dake colour from late August or early September, and the first snow often falls on the summits in late September.

How do you get up the mountains easily?

Two ropeways lift visitors into the alpine zone: the Asahi-dake Ropeway from Asahi-dake Onsen and the Kuro-dake Ropeway and chairlift from Sōunkyō. From both, walking trails lead onto the summit plateau.

Is Daisetsuzan dangerous?

The high plateau is exposed and weather can turn to cold rain, wind and fog even in summer; hypothermia has caused fatal accidents. There are few huts and no services on the long traverses, and brown bears are common.

What does 'Kamui Mintara' mean?

It is the Ainu name for the high plateau, usually translated as 'playground of the gods', where the Ainu believed bears and other kamuy gathered.

Sources

1.大雪山国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省
2.国立公園の概要 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省
3.Daisetsuzan National Park (opens in a new tab) — Ministry of the Environment, Japan
4.日本活火山総覧：十勝岳 (opens in a new tab) — 気象庁