Last Updated: Feb 15, 2025

Visit Asahikawa City

An Under Appreciated Part of Hokkaido

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium.

Today, we’ll be taking a look at Hokkaido’s city of Asahikawa. Located in the middle of this massive prefecture, Asahikawa is officially Hokkaido’s second-largest city. Though not as well known as Sapporo, the capital city of Hokkaido, Asahikawa still boasts a ton of things to see and do. Just recently, I had the chance to visit during winter to learn about some sake breweries in the region, as well as an epic museum that chronicles the heritage of Hokkaido’s indigenous Ainu people. During my three-day stint in the region, I was quite impressed by what I saw and felt that I just had to introduce Asahikawa to all of you.

Truth be told, I’ve been pretty close to Asahikawa City before when I visited Furano and Biei just to the south. These twin areas are some of the most iconic destinations in Hokkaido and are definitely worth visiting during summer if you’re a fan of flower fields. Of course, they are also equally enchanting during winter, but accommodations are pretty sparse in both Furano and Biei, and there is no urban atmosphere to speak of. Thus, using Asahikawa as a base to explore these spots during the day is a great way to experience this section of Hokkaido.