Where is Asahikawa Hokkaido?

Asahikawa is located in the middle of Hokkaido, so we often refer to it as Central Hokkaido, even though it’s classified as Northern Hokkaido (Dohoku). Asahikawa Hokkaido is 137km northeast of Sapporo and 57km north of Furano. 

Flights to Asahikawa

The Asahikawa Airport is 16km southeast of the city of Asahikawa. Whilst there aren’t as many flights into Asahikawa compared to the New Chitose Airport, there are various flights that originate from Tokyo Haneda or Tokyo Narita. You can look at flight options here. If you’re transitting from an international flight into Tokyo, try to fly in and out of the same Tokyo airport to avoid the messy and time consuming transfer between the Tokyo airports.

Other flights to Asahikawa Airport originate from Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai, Cheongju and Taipei.

Flights into Asahikawa sometimes suffer from weather diversions.

Taxis (30 minutes) or inexpensive buses (45 minutes) connect the airport and the city.

Train from Sapporo to Asahikawa

The other option is to fly into Sapporo/New Chitose Airport. From there you can get a train to Sapporo City then to Asahikawa Hokkaido. From Sapporo City, JR trains for Asahikawa depart every 30 minutes. The trip takes about 80 minutes. From the New Chitose Airport to Asahikawa it’s approximately 2.5 hours by train. Check Japan Travel Navitime for schedules and rates.

Driving

Whilst there are some buses to travel to some of the ski areas near Asahikawa, having a car provides the most flexibility to sample multiple ski resorts. There are lots of rental cars at Asahikawa Airport, a smorgasbord of rental options at New Chitose Airport, and also outlets near the Asahikawa train station.

Rental cars in Hokkaido come standard as 4WD/AWD, and with an English GPS or google maps, it’s very easy to get around. See our Japan driving tips for more information. The roads around northern Hokkaido are usually snow/ice covered in winter and in the city the roads can be very slick, so take it easy.

If you can’t find the right option for car rentals here, this is another option for renting a car.

Leave an “onsen bag” in the car with a towel and change of clothes, because there are some amazing onsen opportunities for an après ski soak at or near the ski areas.

Guided Tours

Alternatively you can join a guided multi-resort tour and let someone else do all the driving for you. A tour comes with lots of benefits, with a main one being that a guide can safely show you the best powder stashes. Whilst a few of the ski areas around Asahikawa can be easily navigated if you have plenty of powder chasing experience, there are some ski areas such as Asahidake and Kurodake where having a guide is incredibly helpful and others such as Kamui and Furano where a guide is likely to open up powder options that you may not otherwise find. Some are group tours where you can join as a solo or small group, whilst others are customisable private tours where you pull together your own group.

Travel to Nearby Ski Areas

If you’re not on a tour, here are some other options for getting to the ski areas near Asahikawa.

If you’ve found this information helpful and would like to thank us, you could consider booking your Asahikawa accommodation via us.

Kamui Ski Links

Kamui is 21km southwest of Asahikawa, a drive that takes about 30 minutes.

If you’re staying at the OMO7 Hotel, there are shuttles to Kamui. The shuttle to Kamui Ski Links stops at Santa Present Park Ski Resort on the way. There are a few schedules per day and the first bus gets you to Kamui at 8:40am in time for first lifts.

There is a bus from Asahikawa station to Kamui which is handy if you’re staying in a hotel near the train station, or other hotels on the shuttle bus route include Hotel Crescent Asahikawa, Art Hotel Asahikawa, and Toyo Hotel.

Asahidake

Asahidake is 45km southeast of Asahikawa, a drive that takes about one hour.

There are inexpensive public buses that run three times a day from Asahikawa Station (bus stop #4) and the Asahikawa Airport to the Asahidake Onsen Village called the "Ideyu-go" (#66). The bus from Asahikawa City to Asahidake takes just under 1.5 hours.

For guests of the OMO7 Hotel, there are a few daily shuttles to Asahidake, with the first morning shuttle arriving at approximately 9am. 

Pippu

Pippu is 27km northeast of Asahikawa, a drive that takes about 30 to 40 minutes.

To get to Pippu Ski Resort, there are about 5 Dohoku buses per day from the Asahikawa station. Or the ski area runs shuttles between the Pippu JR train station and the ski area.

Guests of OMO7 Hotel can get a shuttle to Pippu. There are a few daily shuttles between OMO7 and Pippu Ski Resort. The first morning shuttle gets to Pippu at about 10am (lifts open at 9am).

Furano

Furano Ski Resort is 62km south, a drive that takes about one hour.

You can get the train from Asahikawa to Furano train station and then get a taxi, or there are buses from Asahikawa train station to Furano but these arrive well after the lifts open.

See the Asahikawa ski areas overview for road distances from Asahikawa to the other nearby ski areas. You’ll want to be on a tour or have a car to access these.

Getting Around Asahikawa

The main part of the city is accessible on foot, and it’s easy to navigate as the streets are on a numbered grid system. Take care with the slippery roads and footpaths and wear sensible shoes, even if you’re tempted to dress like one of the local girls with stilettos that go with the short skirt. Brrrrrr…

There are also lots of taxis available and the bus system is very inexpensive.