Hokkaido · Core city
Asahikawa
旭川市あさひかわしAsahikawa-shiRiver city of the Kamikawa Basin and gateway to Daisetsuzan
Asahikawa is Hokkaido's second-largest city, the centre of the Kamikawa Basin where the Ishikari River meets its upper tributaries, and the main gateway to Daisetsuzan National Park. It is known for Asahiyama Zoo, soy-sauce ramen, furniture making and Japan's lowest officially recorded temperature.
Overview
Asahikawa lies in the Kamikawa Basin in central Hokkaido, where the Ishikari River is joined by the Chūbetsu, Biei and Ushishubetsu rivers; more than a hundred rivers and streams cross the municipal area, and bridges are a defining feature of the townscape. To the east rise the volcanoes of the Daisetsuzan range, including Asahi-dake, Hokkaido's highest peak. The basin's continental climate brings hot summers and some of Japan's coldest winters.
The city was founded in 1890 as part of the Meiji government's plan to settle the interior, and grew quickly after the railway arrived in 1898 and the army's 7th Division moved its headquarters here in 1901. Today it is the commercial and medical centre of northern Hokkaido and a transport hub, with rail lines radiating north to Wakkanai, east to Abashiri and south to Furano.
Asahikawa has a long tradition of woodworking, and its furniture industry is one of the largest in Japan. The Ainu community of Chikabumi on the city's western edge has maintained its heritage throughout the modern period, and the city is home to one of the oldest Ainu museums in Japan.
Landmarks
Asahiyama Zoo
旭山動物園Asahiyama DōbutsuenZoo on a hillside east of the city, known nationally for enclosures that let visitors watch polar bears, seals and penguins from unusual angles, and for the winter penguin walk.
Asahibashi
旭橋AsahibashiSteel arch bridge of 1932 over the Ishikari River, a symbol of the city and one of the best-known historic bridges in Hokkaido.
Kawamura Kaneto Ainu Memorial Museum
川村カ子トアイヌ記念館Kawamura Kaneto Ainu KinenkanFounded in 1916 by an Ainu family of Chikabumi, one of the oldest Ainu museums in Japan, with clothing, tools and a traditional chise house.
Asahikawa City Museum
旭川市博物館Asahikawa-shi HakubutsukanRegional museum focusing on the nature of the Kamikawa Basin and Ainu culture.
Miura Ayako Memorial Literature Museum
三浦綾子記念文学館Miura Ayako Kinen BungakukanMuseum in the Gaikokujumoku forest, the setting of the novelist's best-known work Hyōten (Freezing Point).
Heiwa-dōri Kaimono Kōen
平和通買物公園Heiwa-dōri Kaimono KōenPedestrian shopping street running north from Asahikawa Station, the venue of city festivals.
Kamuikotan
神居古潭KamuikotanRocky gorge of the Ishikari River on the western edge of the city; its Ainu name means 'place of the gods', and it features in Ainu legends.
Districts
Station and Kaimono Kōen area
The city centre around Asahikawa Station, with the riverside park behind the station and the pedestrian mall.
Sanroku-gai
さんろく街Sanroku-gaiThe nightlife quarter around 3-jō and 6-chōme, with izakaya, ramen shops and bars.
Chikabumi
近文ChikabumiWestern district associated with the Ainu community and the former 7th Division garrison.
Higashi-Asahikawa
Eastern district towards the zoo, originally a tondenhei settlement.
History
The Kamikawa Basin was home to Ainu communities along the Ishikari River before the Meiji government chose it as a site for inland settlement. Asahikawa village was established in 1890, tondenhei (farmer-soldier) colonies were planted at Nagayama and Higashi-Asahikawa, and the relocation of the 7th Division made the town a garrison centre whose influence lasted until 1945.
After the war, Asahikawa developed as the regional capital of northern Hokkaido, with woodworking, sake brewing, paper and food industries. It pioneered Japan's first permanent pedestrian shopping street in 1972 and became a core city in 2000.
1890
Asahikawa, Nagayama and Kamikawa villages are established in the Kamikawa Basin.
1898
The railway from Sorachibuto reaches Asahikawa.
1901
The headquarters of the Imperial Army's 7th Division moves from Sapporo to Asahikawa.
1902
A temperature of −41.0 °C is recorded on 25 January, Japan's official record low.
1922
Asahikawa is incorporated as a city.
1932
The steel arch bridge Asahibashi is completed over the Ishikari River.
1967
Asahiyama Zoo opens.
1972
Heiwa-dōri Kaimono Kōen opens as Japan's first permanent pedestrian shopping mall.
2000
Asahikawa becomes a core city.
Culture
Asahikawa furniture, made from Hokkaido hardwoods such as oak, walnut and alder, is the city's best-known craft, backed by design fairs and a woodworking school tradition. The novelist Miura Ayako, whose Hyōten became a national bestseller in the 1960s, lived and wrote here, and the city awards a sculpture prize in the name of the sculptor Nakahara Teijirō. Ainu cultural activity is centred on Chikabumi and the Kamuikotan area.
Festivals
Asahikawa Winter Festival
旭川冬まつりAsahikawa Fuyu MatsuriHeld in early February on the Ishikari riverbank near Asahibashi, with one of the largest snow sculpture stages in Japan.
Asahikawa Summer Festival
旭川夏まつりAsahikawa Natsu MatsuriEarly August, with dance parades along the pedestrian mall and fireworks.
Kotan Festival
こたんまつりKotan MatsuriAinu ceremony held at Kamuikotan in September, with prayers to the gods of the river and traditional dance.
Food
Asahikawa ramen
旭川ラーメンAsahikawa rāmenSoy-sauce ramen with a double stock of pork or chicken and seafood, wavy thin noodles and a film of lard.
Shinkoyaki
新子焼きshinkoyakiHalf a young chicken grilled on the bone and seasoned with salt or a soy glaze, a local izakaya dish.
Salt-grilled offal
塩ホルモンshio horumonPork offal grilled over charcoal with salt seasoning, popular in the city's grill restaurants.
Sake
地酒jizakeSnowmelt from Daisetsuzan and cold winters support several sake breweries, among them Otokoyama and Takasago.
Getting around
- Asahikawa Airport lies south-east of the city, about 30–40 minutes by bus from the centre, with flights to Tokyo and other cities.
- Limited express trains run to Sapporo in about 85 minutes; the Sōya Line runs north to Wakkanai, the Sekihoku Line east to Abashiri and the Furano Line south to Biei and Furano.
- City buses link the station with Asahiyama Zoo, and regional buses serve Asahidake Onsen and Sōunkyō.
- The Dō-Ō Expressway connects the city with Sapporo and Nayoro.
Day trips
Japan's largest national park, with volcanic plateaus, alpine flowers and early autumn colours.
Hokkaido's highest peak, 2,291 m, reached by ropeway from Asahidake Onsen.
Biei
Rolling farmland with flower fields and the Blue Pond, about half an hour south by train.
Furano
Lavender fields in July and a ski resort in winter, about an hour south by train.
Sōunkyō
Gorge of columnar basalt cliffs and waterfalls on the Ishikari River, with a hot-spring village and a ropeway up Kurodake.
Other cities in the prefecture
Frequently asked questions
How cold does Asahikawa get?
On 25 January 1902 the Asahikawa weather station recorded −41.0 °C, still the lowest official temperature measured in Japan. Winter temperatures well below −20 °C occur in most years.
What makes Asahiyama Zoo well known?
Since the 1990s the zoo has pioneered 'behavioural exhibits' that show animals such as polar bears, penguins and seals moving naturally, and its winter penguin walk draws visitors from across Japan.
How do I get to Asahikawa from Sapporo?
Limited express trains take about 85 minutes; highway buses and the Dō-Ō Expressway also link the two cities.
Is Asahikawa a good base for Daisetsuzan, Biei and Furano?
Yes. Buses run to Asahidake Onsen at the foot of Asahi-dake, trains reach Biei in about half an hour and Furano in just over an hour, and Sōunkyō lies on the route east.
What is Asahikawa ramen?
A soy-sauce ramen with a 'double soup' of pork or chicken bones and seafood stock, sealed with a layer of lard to keep it hot in the cold climate.
Related
Sources
- 1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
- 2.旭川市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 旭川市
- 3.気象庁 (opens in a new tab) — Japan Meteorological Agency
- 4.大雪山国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省