Asahikawa
Asahikawa in
Hokkaido Japan is a great city to visit for a holiday. The main drawcard during winter is the nearby ski resorts, and Asahikawa makes a great base to visit the various ski areas.
The city not only provides access to great skiing and snowboarding, but Asahikawa also lets visitors experience Japanese culture that hasn’t been “resortified”. Outside your hotel don’t expect many people to speak English beyond a couple of basic greetings, and don’t expect to see other Westerners. Some may view this as a bit of a travel inconvenience, but for adventurous travellers, the huge advantage is that you’ll find the genuine Japan in Asahikawa.
Ski Areas Near Asahikawa
Kamui Links ski area is only 20 minutes from Asahikawa and is easily accessible via shuttle bus or car. Kamui Links is a no-frills ski area with super cheap lift tickets. The main drawcard for powderhounds is that off-piste and tree skiing is permitted, and there are good out-of-bounds areas that are easily accessed from the lifts.
Asahidake is another no-frills ski area with inexpensive lift tickets. It’s about a one hour drive from Asahikawa. Asahidake is for advanced riders only as it is one big off-piste playground for powderhounds.
Furano ski resort is a mainstream resort with a wide range of on-piste terrain for all ability levels. Lift infrastructure is good, and as such the lift tickets are a little more expensive than Kamui Links. For powderhounds, a major downside for the resort is the prohibition of tree skiing and out-of-bounds skiing, which is policed very strictly. Furano is an hour away from Asahikawa.
Kitataisetsu ski area is a hidden gem, but it’s a secret so don’t tell anyone! The facilities are as basic as they get with lift ticket prices to match. If you’re patient enough to sit on a really slow lift, you’ll be rewarded with great powder and absolutely no crowds.
Other ski resorts close to Asahikawa include Pippu, Kuro-dake, and Tokachi-dake.
The advantage of staying in Asahikawa is that each morning you can check out the conditions at each resort and decide which one takes your fancy. However whichever one you choose, there’s a high likelihood of finding the great powder that Hokkaido is infamous for.
Where is Asahikawa?
The city of Asahikawa is located in the middle of
Hokkaido, the north island of Japan. Asahikawa is northeast of
Sapporo, approximately 1.5 hours by train.
Hiring a car provides the most flexibility to sample multiple ski resorts, but as an alternative there are shuttle buses or public transport options to get to the ski areas.
Asahikawa Hotels
Asahikawa accommodation consists primarily of hotels. There are various
Asahikawa hotels that are located conveniently near the train station and the main shops. There is no accommodation for those travelling on a shoe-string, but a couple of the hotels are reasonably priced.
Things to Do in Asahikawa
The city population is about 360,000 so the downtown area is small enough to access on foot, yet the city is big enough to be vibrant and exciting. Asahikawa is full of restaurants, bars, and department stores that will delight any shopping-loving female (who’s less than a size 12). There’s plenty to do in and around Asahikawa for those who don’t want to play on the snow.
Asahikawa Weather
Asahikawa holds the record for the coldest temperature in Japan with a chilling -41degrees C in 1902. Thankfully it’s not always that cold in winter! Average low temps are about -14 degrees Celsius however when we visited, it was really cold at night time with temperatures around minus 25. We needed to wear thermals under our jeans, and even though we’ve seen it many times before in Japan, we were continually amazed and entertained by the local girls walking around in their short skirts with bare legs! The stilettos accompanying the outfits also amazed us, considering the slippery roads and footpaths on which our Sorrel (Caribous) boots were struggling to keep grip.
Why Stay in Asahikawa on a Ski or Snowboard Holiday?
Asahikawa provides a great base to sample multiple ski resorts, some of which have fantastically cheap lift tickets. And at night time you can hang out in a great city where you’ll find plenty of authentic Japanese culture, and an abundance of dining and drinking options.