Daisetsuzan & Sounkyo

Japan's largest national park, with the steaming vents and Sugatami Pond of volcanic Asahidake, the columnar-jointed Sounkyo Gorge and its hot springs, and Japan's earliest autumn foliage from mid-September.

Daisetsuzan National Park lies in central Hokkaido and is Japan's largest national park; the Ainu called it 'Kamui Mintara' (playground of the gods). Centred on Asahidake (2,291 m), Hokkaido's highest peak, the park's twenty-odd volcanoes of around 2,000 m form the Daisetsuzan range, with extensive alpine plant communities and Japan's earliest autumn colours; brown bears and pikas live deep in the mountains. The area divides into two sides. On the northeast, Sounkyo Onsen sits in a columnar-jointed gorge carved by the Ishikari River, where you can see the Ginga and Ryusei waterfalls and Obako, ride the Kurodake Ropeway up the mountain, view autumn leaves at Ginsendai and the Daisetsu Kogen ponds, and visit the Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival in winter. On the west is Asahidake Onsen, where the Asahidake Ropeway takes you up to Sugatami Pond to see the volcanic vents; at the foot of the mountain, Higashikawa is a 'photography town' full of cafés, and further south is Hagoromo Falls in Tenninkyo. The two sides are separated by mountains, about a 1.5-hour drive around. The best times are July for alpine flowers, mid-to-late September for autumn colours, and January–March for the ice festival and Asahidake powder snow; some roads and ropeways close in winter, and private cars are restricted at Ginsendai and elsewhere at peak foliage. Buses from Asahikawa Station take about 2 hours to Sounkyo and about 1.5 hours to Asahidake Onsen, though driving is more convenient. Allow 2–3 days, with a night each in Sounkyo and Asahidake. Hikers should prepare for cold and carry bear protection.

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