Enjoy nature Sounkyo and Kurodake in winter
After enjoying the finest powder snow in Daisetsuzan National Park in winter, take a day trip to a dynamic valley where you can feel the vitality of the earth and enjoy local gourmet food.
Spots to visit on this course
- Sounkyo Visitor Center
- Daisetsuzan Sounkyo / Kurodake Ropeway Lift
- Kurodake Ski Resort
- Beer Grill Canyon
- Sounkyo Onsen
1 Day
-
-
9:15 Asahikawa Station
◇Hokkaido Bus 2,140 yen
-
-
11:10 Sounkyo bus stop
-
Sounkyo Tourist Information Center
The information center in front of the bus stop.
Check out information on day trip hot springs here. -
Sounkyo Visitor Center
General information and exchange facilities of the vast Daisetsuzan National Park
The Sounkyo Visitor Center is a core facility that promotes the conservation of the natural environment by promoting nature learning and experiencing nature under the theme of interacting with nature and people in Daisetsuzan National Park. Inside the museum, you can see the four seasons of Daisetsuzan with real-time information on nature and highlights, high-definition images, and dioramas. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we are also considering the natural environment by incorporating outside light through natural lighting and switching to LED lighting.
Recommended by local guides!
Climbing guides for four representative nature observation courses in Daisetsuzan National Park are on display. There is also a diorama on display that expresses the Daisetsuzan Mountains with the remaining snowy valleys in early July as a topographic model, so you can understand it intuitively. You can also search for scenic spots such as major mountains, mountain trails, evacuation huts, campsites, hot springs, etc. Exhibition guides are available for free in multiple languages (English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Thai) for commentary on the exhibitions in the museum.
-
Daisetsuzan Sounkyo / Kurodake Ropeway Lift
Aerial walk on Hokkaido’s large roof “Daisetsuzan”
To climb the beautiful peak of Daisetsuzan Mountain, “Kurodake”, you can easily visit from Sounkyo at an altitude of 670m using the Sounkyo-Kurodake Ropeway and Kurodake Pair Lift. In spring and summer, you can enjoy nature observation and mountain climbing such as alpine plants and Ezo chipmunks, beautiful autumn leaves in autumn, and skiing and snowshoe hiking in winter.
If you take the gondola and lift, you can go to the 7th station of Mt. Kurodake, which is 1984 meters above sea level. From Sounkyo Sanroku Station, where the ropeway departs and arrives, take the 101-seater gondola to the 5th station. Below, the Ishikari River flows through a sea of trees, creating a dynamic landscape with the Grand Canyon continuing. And when I looked up, the summit of Mt. Kurodake was close at hand. It takes 15 minutes by lift to the 7th station. From July ~ August, you can enjoy a dream-like scenery filled with alpine plants, and from the top, you can see the panoramic view of the Daisetsuzan mountain range with residual snow even in midsummer. It is also attractive that you can enjoy skiing for a long time from early November to May.Kurodake Ski Resort
Good snow quality and a sacred place
for Haruyama skiing Daisetsuzan Sounkyo Kurodake Ski Resort is a mountain ski resort representing Hokkaido, located on the northeastern slope of Mt. Kurodake at an altitude of 1,984 meters above sea level, with a sharp peak above Sounkyo Onsen high in the sky. It has a reputation for its large scenery and high-quality snow, and is said to be equivalent to the 3000m class in Honshu. The season is long, from early November to mid-May, and you can ski for about half of the year. In particular, the beginning of the season from November to December and the spring mountain skiing from March to May are appreciated by enthusiasts. Sounkyo, which is the base of skiers, is one of the best hot spring resorts in Hokkaido, where you can enjoy luxurious après-skiing.
Recommended by local guides!
It is a loose ridge with a steep start, but overall the slope is relatively gentle. The course diverges into a course under the line, a forest course, and a snow shelter course from the middle. Also, in the summer, you can ski out of the place that is used as an observation deck, so it is an open course that gives you the illusion of flying out into the sky. The snow quality on the high-altitude ski course is excellent powder snow. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Daisetsuzan Mountain and comfortable skiing. Furthermore, speaking of Mt. Kurodake, spring skiing! In the bright and cheerful weather, you can enjoy spring skiing in short sleeves. You can enjoy plenty of snow until the Golden Week holiday in May, making it perfect for skiing during the season.
Columbia Field Store／BLACK MOUNTAIN COFFEE by Columbia
Field shop
of the outdoor brand ColumbiaA fold shop located on the 3rd floor of the Kamikawa Town Sounkyo Onsen Kurodake Ropeway Station Building. Inside the store, there is the “Columbia Field Store”, the first outdoor brand Columbia, and the café “BLACK MOUNTAIN COFFEE by Columbia”. At the shop, right next to the outdoor field, we change the products from time to time while conducting marketing research to see what kind of items users are looking for. The café also offers specialty coffees with smooth flavors and aromas, as well as Portland’s SMITH teas and beers, as well as baked goods made with Hokkaido ingredients.
Recommended by local guides!
The interior of the store, where you can feel the warmth of wood, is equipped with Wi-Fi, making it ideal for remote work. The panoramic view from the large windows is also recommended!
Detailed information
〒078-1701
Sounkyo Onsen Kurodake Ropeway Station Building 3F
, Kamikawa-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido TEL: 090-9438-1720
Business hours: June ~ September (8:00 ~ 17:30), October ~ mid-month (8:00 ~ 16:30), November ~ late (9:00 ~ 16:00), December ~ May (9:00~15:30)
Closed on Tuesdays -
Lunch at Beer Grill Canyon
Enjoy
the rich nature of SounkyoA mountain restaurant nestled in Sounkyo hot spring town. Pasta, pizza, rainbow trout dishes, Ezo deer dishes, spicy curries, and valley hamburgers are popular. It is a restaurant with an open space at the foot of Daisetsuzan Mountain and a casual and calm atmosphere.
Recommended by local guides!
It’s not just the usual thing for tourists, but you can enjoy authentic Italian dishes such as mountain woman’s escabeche-style, chilled Ezo venison thigh roast, grilled pork loin and vegetables, and Hokkaido Wagyu beef rib roast steak. Another nice point is that there are multiple course menus for lunch and dinner!
-
Sounkyo
A Grand Valley
where you can feel the vitality of the earthSounkyo, known as one of the best scenic spots in Hokkaido, is a valley that stretches for about 24 km along the upper reaches of the Ishikari River. The cliffs are over 600 meters high, the magnificent columnar joints, and the famous waterfalls represented by “Galaxy Falls” and “Meteor Falls”, as the name of the place in the Ainu language means “Sounbetsu” (river with many waterfalls), and the natural beauty that overwhelms visitors. The scenery is especially impressive in autumn, when the rock walls are dyed with bright red autumn leaves, and in the harsh winter, when the waterfall freezes and becomes a huge icicle. It is said that the literati Omachi Keigetsu, who visited this place during the Taisho era, applied the character “stratum” to the ancient Ainu place name.
-
Sounkyo Onsen
A hot spring town
embraced by the Great Snow Mountains In Daisetsuzan National Park, along the Sounkyo at the foot of Mt. Kurodake, a large hot spring town with nearly 20 hotels and inns. In spring, you can feel the breath of life in the sprouting greenery, and in summer, you can raft and climb mountains in rivers and mountains. In autumn, the contrast of autumn leaves makes memories even more colorful, and in winter, you can soothe the cold and fatigue in the open-air bath in the snow. The highlight of winter sightseeing is the Sounkyo Onsen Icefall Festival, one of the three major winter festivals in Hokkaido. The 12,000-square-meter venue is a must-see with about 30 ice sculptures of various sizes made to take advantage of the harsh cold of nature.
Recommended by local guides!
Sounkyo Onsen, which has many inns that mainly focus on lodging, is “Kurodake no Yu” where you can easily enjoy a day trip bath. It is a hypotonic weakly alkaline hot spring with two large public baths, an open-air bath on the third floor, a sauna, a cold bath, etc., and you can take a bath while looking at the canyon of Sounkyo, which changes with the seasons.
-
15:40 Sounkyo bus stop
◇Hokkaido Bus 2,140 yen
-
17:35 Asahikawa Station
-
