What other travelers are saying about Daisetsuzan Asahidake Ropeway
Visited on 23 October, it was snowing. Advised to come in thick layers! There are boots and walking sticks for rental after the ropeway. It was breathtaking though the lakes were already frozen! We were only advised to hike the initial portion of the trail as the snow was knee-deep afterwards.
Incredible hiking from here!! There’s a short (~1 hour circuit) to see the lakes and views of the peak. But climbing to the top of the mountain is worth it if you’re in shape! It’s a rocky/gravelly steep path, so I’d recommend hiking shoes and poles (trail runners worked fine for me). Also, it was much hotter than I expected in the summer.. be prepared with water and sun protection. There’s a little souvenir shop that sells drinks and snacks at the top of the ropeway. You can turn around when you get to the top, or you can continue on the loop. The loop takes a little longer (I finished in a little under 5 hours but hike fairly quickly), but you’re rewarded with incredible views of the crater and a foot bath towards the end.
In honour of Mountain Day, we decided to go up Mount Asahidake. A cable car took us up and we did the loop walk around which took approximately an hour and a half. Unfortunately, it was foggy and the views were obscured, but we enjoyed the short hike nonetheless. There are hikes up to the top which take around 3 hours. If you do, wear proper hiking boots as it can get slippery and muddy. For the short loop walk, sneakers are OK. It was also quite chilly at the top. In August, it was 18°C. Cost of the ride up is rather pricey, and there's a parking fee, too.
A must visit if you're in Furano.
The visit here was one of the great highlights of my day. Arrived at the Asahidake Ropeway Station at 3.15pm and took the 3.30pm ropeway up to the mountain. The ride up was breathtaking, and the view from the base of the mountain was even more amazing.
The ropeway station is at 1000m, and the top of the ropeway is 1600m.
I only had time to go part of the trail round the base of the mountain and spent a lot of time taking beautiful pictures. The squishy ice at the start of the trail was wet and slippery, but there was a rope to help. There were still many patches of snow all around the mountain.
We arrived with the first bus from Asahikawa, just before 9am. We borrowed snowshoes from the Visitor’s center for 1000¥ each and then headed up with the ropeway. On top, you can borrow snow/rainboots for free - be aware that some might be a bit wet inside, but hey, it’s free.
The walk is fairly easy and can be adapted according to your knowledge and experience with snowshoeing on volcanoes. After the hike, we headed to Asahidake Yumoto Yukomansou for the daily onsen (open from 12-6pm) for a soak. We came back to the Ropeway station to grab some late lunch and then waited another 30min for the bus to arrive.
Amazing day trip, the only thing we’d do different is get a car next time instead of taking the bus. It only passes 3 times a day, 9.40am, 11.40am and 3.55pm.
The Daisetsuzan Asahidake Ropeway is a cable car that connects the mountain base station at approximately 1,100 meters elevation to Sugatami Station at about 1,600 meters on Mount Asahidake, Hokkaido's highest peak at 2,291 meters. Founded in 1968 and refurbished in 2000, the ropeway takes 10 minutes to complete a one-way trip, offering spectacular views of the Daisetsuzan mountain range and access to alpine hiking trails and ski terrain.
The ropeway operates year-round and offers different experiences each season. In mid-June, the Chishimazakura cherry trees bloom in the parking lot area, known as the latest blooming cherry blossoms in Japan. Summer brings blooming alpine plants around the upper station. Autumn arrives early, with mountainsides covered in red foliage from late August, turning yellow by late September. Winter attracts skiers and photographers hoping to witness diamond dust and sun pillar phenomena.
For beginners, there's an attractive 30-60 minute circular trail around the upper station that passes ponds and sulfurous vents. The popular loop trail around Sugatami Pond takes about one hour. More advanced hikers can ascend to the summit of Mount Asahidake, which takes about two hours from the upper station. The area features a treeless alpine tundra landscape with stunning views of the surrounding peaks.
The ropeway is accessible by shuttle bus from Asahikawa Station (approximately 90 minutes, 1,800 yen one way) or from Asahikawa Airport (about 60 minutes by car or 1,270 yen by bus). By car, it's roughly 60 minutes from Asahikawa Airport or 70 minutes from JR Asahikawa Station. The ropeway base station is located in Asahidake Onsen, a small hot spring resort area in Higashikawa.
