10 Things to Do in Asahikawa City

10 Things to Do in Asahikawa City

Asahikawa City (旭川市) is the second largest city in Hokkaido Prefecture. Its name came from the misinterpretation of the Ainu name for the Asahi River. The Ainu called it Chiu Pet, which means "River of Waves," but it was misinterpreted as Chup Pet, which means "Sun River," and therefore became known as Asahi River in Japanese.


For those planning to visit Asahikawa City to check what it has to offer, here are the 10 Things to Do in Asahikawa City:

Asahikawa Manhole Cover

1. Take a picture of Asahikawa’s unique manhole covers. So far, I have seen 1 unique manhole design not counting the special Asahikawa Pokemon Manhole Cover.

Asahikawa Roadside Station

2. Visit Asahikawa Roadside Station. You can buy souvenirs, eat authentic Asahikawa ramen, and also get the Asahikawa Roadside Station stamp for your stamp collection. As a bonus, you will also find the Asahikawa Pokemon Manhole Cover featuring the Alolan Vulpix, Cubchoo, and a pair of Eiscue outside the roadside station building.

Asahikawa Station

3. Explore Asahikawa Station. Don’t forget to visit the Asahikawa Tourist Information Center and ask for an itinerary or travel brochure before exploring the city (It’s free). There are also several stamps here like the Asahikawa Station stamp and the Asahikawa City stamp.

Asahikawa Heiwa Shopping Street

4. Walk along Asahikawa Heiwa Shopping Street. Check out the different shops and restaurants along the way. There are also numerous sculptures installed along the street which you could appreciate.

Kitasaito Garden

5. Go to Kitasaito Garden in spring and enjoy the scenery. You can also follow the walking path around the manmade lake until the Asahikawa Station. If you’re in the mood, you can order coffee and sit outside the Starbucks branch overlooking the manmade lake.

Asahikawa City Museum

6. Visit the Asahikawa City Museum and learn about the rich history of the city. The entrance fee is 350 yen per adult and 230 yen for students.

Tokiwa Park

7. Go for a stroll around Tokiwa Park. If you visit in summer, you can go boating at Chidorigaike Pond.

Asahikawa Shrine

8. Visit Asahikawa Shrine which is the main shrine of the city. You can offer prayers and also get a goshuin for your goshuin collection.

Asahikawa Winter Festival

9. Attend the Asahikawa Winter Festival and enjoy Hokkaido’s 2nd largest winter festival.

Asahiyama Zoo

10. Spend one whole day in the Asahiyama Zoo and admire and appreciate the unique beauty of each animal. Check out the lesser panda. In my opinion, it's the cutest animal in the zoo.


I hope my list of the 10 Things to Do in Asahikawa City gave you an idea and inspiration to visit one of the largest cities of Hokkaido Prefecture.

#Asahikawa

#AsahikawaCity

#AsahikawaHokkaido

Read more: 

Japan Diaries 4: Summary