Daisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaido
Asahidake, only as it is today.
Season, weather and light change this mountain every day. Your local guide reads them and takes you where Asahidake is at its best that day.
From Asahikawa Station · No car needed · One day · From ¥33,000 per person
ABOUT DAISETSUZAN
DAISETSUZAN“Roof of Hokkaido”
One of Japan's largest national parks
Long cherished by the Ainu as a place close to the gods, Daisetsuzan is one of Japan's largest national parks and a mountain range crowned by Hokkaido's highest peak, rich in vegetation and wildlife.
Eight distinct environments
Daisetsuzan is far more than a place to admire scenery. Eight distinct environments converge in a single mountain region, giving rise to a diversity of ecosystems found nowhere else in Japan.
Volcanic Landscape
Alpine Meadows
Sakhalin Spruce Forest
Wetland
Mixed Conifer–Broadleaf Forest
Mountain Streams
Riparian Forest
Rice Field Scenery
EXPERIENCES
Experiences
A Daisetsuzan you can meet only in this season.
May–June
New growth and gentle sunlight
After a long winter, the season when you feel the energy of life. Plants burst into bud and songbirds return. Nearly a metre of snow still lingers, and you can play in it comfortably under warm sun.
Sample activities
- Snowshoe exploration
- Birdwatching
- Campfire and toasted marshmallows
- Snow play (sledding, building snow tables)
July–August
The best season for trekking
Long daylight and clear skies make summer ideal for traverses across the volcanic plateau. Alpine flowers peak in July, and the high trails are free of snow.
Sample activities
- Ridge traverse trekking
- Mt. Asahidake summit (2,291m)
- Camping
- Wildlife watching
Late Sept–early Oct
The earliest autumn colours in Japan
From early September, the leaves turn earlier here than anywhere in Japan. Slopes of red and gold, alpine fruits, and animals busy preparing for winter make this a season not to be missed.
Sample activities
- Autumn foliage hiking
- Observing alpine autumn fruits
- Drawing spring water
- Campfire and toasted marshmallows
November–April
A pure white world and powder snow
An untouched world of blue and white. With everything under snow, you are free to walk anywhere. Enjoy superb powder and learn how plants and animals survive the deep cold.
Sample activities
- Snowshoe exploration
- Birdwatching
- Campfire and toasted marshmallows
- Snow play (sledding, building snow tables)
PLAN 01 — STANDARD · Asahidake & Foothills Day Tour
How a day unfolds
From pick-up at Asahikawa Station or Airport in the morning to drop-off in the evening — we take you where the mountain wears its best face that day.
Pick-up at Asahikawa Station or Airport
We pick you up at the station or the airport. No rental car needed.
Up to the alpine zone at 1,600m
The ropeway lifts you above the treeline in minutes. We walk for about two hours among steaming fumaroles and alpine plants.
Lunch at the base
Back down to the ropeway base for a rest before the afternoon.
Boardwalk across the high moor
Following the boardwalk down through the wetland, watching the vegetation change as we lose elevation.
Into the Sakhalin spruce forest
A pure forest of Sakhalin spruce, a conifer of Japan's far north. We look at how moss and fallen trees keep the forest cycling.
Drawing spring water
Snow that fell on Daisetsuzan, returning to the surface after a long journey underground. We draw some and drink it.
Back to Asahikawa Station or Airport
A stop at the roadside station, then on to the station or the airport.
Pick-up at Asahikawa Station or Airport
We pick you up at the station or the airport. No rental car needed.
Up to the winter alpine zone
The ropeway carries you over snow-laden forest to 1,600m in minutes.
Snowshoeing on feather snow
Light, airy "feather snow" that you can meet only in November and December. We put on snowshoes and walk across it.
Lunch in the snow
Depending on the weather, we eat out on the snow or at a rest stop.
Into the silent forest
A Sakhalin spruce forest where falling snow absorbs every sound. We stand inside complete silence.
Boardwalk and visitor centre
We walk the high-moor boardwalk, then explore the visitor centre at your own pace.
Higashikawa roadside station
Time to browse local sake and crafts at the roadside station in Higashikawa.
Back to Asahikawa Station or Airport
We drop you at the station or the airport.
From ¥33,000 per person
Book NowThis is one example, on a clear day. The day changes with the season, and we choose the best place on the day according to the weather.
Availability, full pricing and cancellation terms are on the booking page.
PLAN 02 — PRIVATE
For private guests and travel agents
A second plan.Built around you.
Interests, fitness and length of stay differ with everyone. Waiting for the light that makes the photograph. Reaching the finest of Daisetsuzan with barely any walking. Following the mountain as it changes over several days. All of these are itineraries we have run. Tell us what you have in mind, and we will propose the day to match.
We welcome enquiries from families and small groups travelling privately, as well as from travel agents arranging for their clients.
GUIDES
Guides
Kazuhiro Arai
荒井 一洋
Born in Sapporo, he moved to Higashikawa in 2000. He blends community-rooted tourism with an on-the-ground sensibility to create journeys that connect nature, people, and place.
The beauty that harsh nature reveals in a fleeting moment — we prepare ourselves to meet it. Curiosity in hand, let's wait together for the miracle of nature turning to face us.
- Founder, NPO Daisetsuzan Nature School
- Founder, DAISETSUZAN EXPERIENCE
- Hokkaido Governor-certified Outdoor Guide / Adventure Travel Guide
- Global Sustainable Tourism Council certified trainer
- Board member, Asian Ecotourism Network
Tomoka Hanamoto
花本 朋加
Born in Asahikawa. A graduate of a vocational school specialising in outdoor skills, she grew up at the foot of Daisetsuzan and became a guide under the motto "turn what you love into your work."
CREDENTIALS
Certifications
- Global Sustainable Tourism Council certified trainer
- Board member, Asian Ecotourism Network
- Hokkaido Governor-certified Outdoor Guide / Adventure Travel Guide
PHILOSOPHY
Our promise: the best we can offer — now, here, together.
Daisetsuzan is a place where life is distilled, from the vigour of summer to the silence of snowfields. Returning guests read the volcanic phenomena and the wisdom of plants and animals, and travel as part of nature's cycle.
The nature of Daisetsuzan is in constant flux. We cannot control the rain or the wind — but we can choose the best route and the right timing for this moment, this place, and the people who are here together.
Sharing Daisetsuzan as it truly is, we turn the uncertainty of nature into encounters worth anticipating. Syncing with the unpredictable is part of the pleasure of this tour.
SUSTAINABILITY
A low-impact programme
The more people visit Daisetsuzan, the greater the strain on it. We choose where we walk and how many walk together, taking routes that spare the vegetation. We leave nothing behind and keep our distance from wildlife. Small daily decisions, so that this place remains for those who come after us.
GALLERY
Gallery
CONTACT
Contact
For enquiries about our tours, please get in touch by email. We usually reply within one to two business days.
It helps us if you can include
- When you would like to visit (an approximate time is fine)
- Number of guests
- What interests you most (photography, wildlife, how far you walk)
- For travel agents: your company and your client's requirements
For the standard tour, you can book directly on the booking page.
Go to booking page