Mount Asahidake & Daisetsuzan National Park

Category: Highest Alpine Volcano & Primeval National Park | Location: Yukomanbetsu, Higashikawa-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido 071-1472

Soaring 2,291 meters above sea level, Mount Asahidake is the highest peak in Hokkaido and the majestic centerpiece of Daisetsuzan National Park—the largest terrestrial national park in Japan, encompassing over 2,267 square kilometers of pristine wilderness. Indigenous Ainu lore reveres this vast volcanic plateau as *Kamuy-mintar*, translating to "The Playground of the Gods." Here, violent subterranean forces exist in striking harmony with delicate alpine meadows of endemic arctic-alpine flora. Access to the alpine plateau is made effortless by the Asahidake Ropeway, which whisks travelers from Sanroku Station at 1,100 meters up to Sugatami Station at 1,600 meters in a scenic ten-minute aerial journey. From the upper station, the 1.7-kilometer Sugatami Loop Trail meanders past crystalline crater tarns including Sugatami Pond, Suribachi Pond, and Meoto Pond. Hikers are treated to front-row vistas of thundering volcanic fumaroles discharging billowing plumes of white sulfur steam, framed in early summer (late June to July) by blooming carpets of Chinguruma (Aleutian avens) and vibrant pink alpine heaths. Mount Asahidake boasts the distinction of welcoming Japan’s earliest autumn foliage (*koyo*). Commencing in late August near the crater rim and blanketing the Sugatami plateau by mid-September, the mountain slopes erupt into a blazing mosaic of crimson mountain rowan (*Nanakamado*) and golden Erman’s birch (*Dakekanba*). Throughout the long winter (December through May), Asahidake is a revered Mecca for expert backcountry skiers drawn by untracked, featherweight subarctic powder. Round-trip ropeway tickets are approximately ¥3,200 during peak season, located about a one-hour drive or scenic bus ride on the Ideyu-go bus from JR Asahikawa Station.