Asahikawa

With 130 rivers and streams, and over 740 bridges in the city, Asahikawa is a pleasant city to walk or cycle around, especially during the warm season. It is a middle-sized city with a rural feel and direct access to the mountain and outdoor areas.

1 Tourist Information Center, 8 Chome-3-1 Miyashitadōri (in Asahikawa Station), ☏ +61-166-24-2552. This center is a good place for information on transit and lodging. You can also buy local merchandise.

2 Higashikawa Information Center (東川町インフォメーションセンター 道草館), Higashimachi 1-1-15, Higashikawa, Kamikawa (on Highway 1150, a few kilometres SE of central Asahikawa), ☏ +81 166 68-4777. This rest area and information center ("michinoeki") has maps and information on the area. It also has extensive free indoor and outdoor seating, a gift shop, and a small deli selling fried food and ice cream. In the evening, the parking lot is quiet, and there is little road traffic.

Tourist information site:

The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site with integrated Google Translate.

The city government's site has a Japanese-only section on tourism.

By plane:

1 Asahikawa Airport (AKJ IATA, 旭川空港), 2 Sen-16-98 Higashi, Higashikagura, ☏ +81 166-83-3939. Serves flights to Tokyo Haneda. There are also seasonal flights to Taipei on every Tuesday. The airport is a 30-minute bus ride from Asahikawa station.

By train:

2 Asahikawa station (旭川駅). (updated Sep 2025) is the terminus of the JR Hakodate Main Line to Sapporo, Otaru and Hakodate. The spacious station hosts a tourist information centre and lounge with free wifi; helpful English speakers are usually available.

From Sapporo:

The limited express Lilac and Kamui run from Sapporo frequently: every 30 min in the morning and evening, and hourly at other times. Additionally the limited express Soya runs one daily trip from Sapporo and the Okhotsk runs two daily trips. Journey time 1h 30min.

Local trains do not run directly from Sapporo, requiring one or two changes along the way. Total journey time can easily exceed 3h. Unless you have a Seishun 18 Ticket a bus may be the better option.

From Biei, Furano:

Asahikawa is the terminus of the Furano line. Service is infrequent: approximately once an hour in the morning and evenings and every two hours at other times. Journey time from Biei is 30min, from Furano it’s 1h. Until 2026 the Furano-Biei Norokko Train runs three times daily (in summer) from Furano and Biei; reservations are mandatory.

From Wakkanai:

Two limited express trains run from Wakkanai. The once daily Soya and the twice daily Sarobetsu (3h 40min).

The sparse local trains do not run directly from Wakkanai, requiring a change of trains at Nayoro. (From 5h 30min). As of 2025, two such connections are possible, departing Wakkanai 10:29 or 18:11 and arriving at Asahikawa 15:55 or 23:42.

From Abashiri:

The limited express Okhotsk runs twice daily from Abashiri (3h 45min). This is supplemented by the twice daily rapid express Taisetsu (3h 45min) and the once daily rapid Kitami (4h 7min).