Experience the splendors of Daisetsuzan! ～Hiking Kogen-numa and Asahidake～

Meet at JR Asahikawa Station at 1:00PM, or  Asahikawa Airport at 1:45PM.

Transport to Sounkyo. Briefing at Sounkyo Visitor Center to learn about Daisetsuzan’s ecosystem, terrain and culture via exhibitions and a video presentation.

Stay at Hotel Taisetsu.

Kogen-numa, a natural pond filled with snow-melt water, is the most diverse place for plants and animals in the Daisetsuzan Mountain Range. Learn about Daisetsuzan’s ecosystem at the Brown Bear Information Center.

• Hiking around Kogen-numa at the height of the autumn foliage season. Colored Chinguruma, a native alpine plant of Asahidake, highlights truly superb views.

【Time】6 hours（including lunch break）

【Elevation Change】278ｍ【Distance】8㎞

Circling around Kogen-numa via Midorinuma, Yezonuma, Daigakunuma

Stroll through Higashikawa Town, located at the foot of Daisetsuzan. ～ Feel the real blessing of the mountain.

Snowfalls on Mount Daisetsu soak into the ground, travel through deep rock and soil for years, and then reappear at the foot of the mountain to become the domestic water for Higashikawa Town. The water supply from Daisetsuzan is so abundant that there is no waterworks system in the town! The water is used for farm irrigation and tofu making, and more.

• Stroll on Mount Kitoushi 【Time】1 hour　【Elevation Change】100ｍ【Distance】2㎞

At Mount Kitoushi (elevation 457m, located at the north side of Higashikawa Town), learn about the physical composition of the town, its environment, and its relation to Daisetsuzan  while enjoying panoramic views.

• Higashikawa Town Walking Tour【Time】2 hours　（including lunch break）【Elevation Change】None

【Distance】2㎞

During your walk, taste soft-serve ice cream made of local soy beans and underground water, and enjoy a coffee brewed with snowmelt water and specially prepared coffee beans.

Purchase Chiffon Cake and other sweets made from local rice flour for snacks during your activities on the following day.

• Visit Otokoyama Sake Brewery

Learn more about groundwater gushing from the eternal snow of Daisetsuzan and local sake brewery culture, one of Japan’s most traditional industries.

Mr. Kamada, a certified Hokkaido Sommelier Guide, will give a lecture in English about the history, environment, and characteristics of sake brewing in Hokkaido.

• Taisetsu (Daisetsu) Asahidake Gensui Park

Snowmelt water from the Daisetsuzan Mountain range is naturally filtered for years.  The water is medium-hard and stores well. Put some in your bottle for your drinking water for the following day’s activities.

• Climbing Mount Asahidake

【Time】6 hours（including lunch break）

【Elevation Change】691ｍ【Distance】5.31㎞

Enjoy trekking among colored leaves around the summit at the height of the autumn foliage season.

Originating from spring water gushing from the foot of Mount Furanodake (a part of the Daisetsu Mountain range), the Furebetsu Rive is a natural mountain stream preserved in an ideal state. Free from river-wall construction, its natural ecosystem is well established all along the river. Enjoy fishing and BBQ on the riverside among deep forest air.

• Fishing at the Furebetsu River

【Time】2.5 hours　（including lunch break）

Catching rainbow trout nurtured by Daisetsu water and a rich natural environment.

Arrive at Asahikawa Airport

【Time】1 hour,  transport by private car

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