Where is Asahidake Japan?

Asahidake (Mt-Asahi) is situated within the Daisetsuzan National Park, just across the mountain from Kurodake. Asahidake Onsen is a little village at the foot of Mount Asahi located on route 1160 near the town of Higashikawa in the Kamikawa District of Central Hokkaido Japan.

For most powder hunters, Asahi-dake is usually not the sole destination; just one of multiple ski areas on a road trip of Central Hokkaido. You could choose to stay at one of the Asahidake hotels for a few nights, or base yourself in the city of Asahikawa (45km northwest of Asahidake – 60 minutes drive) or Furano (70km southwest of Asahidake). 

Flying

The closest airport to Asahi-dake is the Asahikawa Airport, which is 39km west of Asahidake Onsen.

Or you could use the New Chitose Airport (Sapporo Airport) as a gateway, which is about 200km to the southwest. From there, you could drive, catch trains to Asahikawa and then get a bus. Or if you have a very healthy budget, you could get a private transfer between the New Chitose Airport and Asahidake.

See the travel to Hokkaido page for information on flights.

Driving to Asahidake

If you’re not on a multi-resort guided tour, having a car is ideal so that you can visit other Central Hokkaido ski areas, which is particularly key if high winds shut down the Asahidake Ropeway.

From Asahikawa, Asahidake can be easily accessed by car with an approximate travel time of 60 minutes. There are various car rental outlets in Asahikawa near the train station, and many cars are fitted with English GPS and you just have to enter the phone number. The telephone number for the Asahi-dake Ropeway for GPS navigation is 0166-68-9111.

Or if you’re staying in Furano, there are car rentals available near the Furano train station.

There is free parking at the Asahidake Ropeway and you’ll probably only have to walk about 20 metres to get to the lift ticket office!

Bus To Asahidake

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.

Guided Tour to Asahidake

A guided tour to Asahidake can be just for the day from Furano, or Asahidake can be incorporated on a multi-day guided tour of Central Hokkaido. Your guide will drive you to Asahidake, but more importantly they’ll show you how to get to the best powder stashes safely without getting gullied out to the max.
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Getting Around Asahidake

The Asahidake Onsen village is quite small so it’s possible to navigate on foot. The walk from the bottom of the village up the road to the ropeway station is about 10 minutes. The lodgings that are located in the lower part of the village provide shuttle services between the hotel and the ropeway.

Ski Areas Near Asahidake

It’s highly recommended that you sample other ski areas in Central Hokkaido, and this may become a necessity on days when bad weather closes the Asahidake Ropeway.

Road distances from Asahidake:

• Pippu – 56km northwest (good if you’re based in Asahikawa)
• Furano – 75km southwest
• Canmore Ski Village – 36km west – a small ski area with night skiing
• Kamui Ski Links – 65km west (near Asahikawa).
• Tokachidake (backcountry skiing) is 67km southwest.

If you base yourself in Furano, there are a few other options for nearby ski resorts to the south.

Kurodake is really close to Asahidake as the crow flies, but it’s a decent distance by road.