■Daisetsuzan National Park
 At over 1,400 square miles (2,267 square kilometers) Daisetsuzan is Japan’s largest national park, encompassing 3 volcano groups that offer some of the best opportunities for hiking in the country. The highest mountain in the Hokkaido, Asahi-dake, also looms above the park at 7,500 feet (2,290 meters).
The park’s name means “Great Snowy Mountains,” and as one might expect from such a name the area offers skiing in winter, with the town of Furano in the park’s southern reaches becoming increasingly popular with Australian skiers escaping the summer heat back home.
Two excellent onsen choices in the park include Asahi-dake onsen and Sounkyo onsen. Many people consider the first of these to be the best base from which to explore the park. From Asahi-dake onsen, numerous trails lead into the surrounding mountains, and a ropeway can carry you most of the way to the summit, with a one to two hour hike remaining from the ropeway's upper station, set high in the alpine tundra.
Sounkyo onsen is more developed for tourism, and features a similar ropeway leading visitors to the final approach to Mt. Kurodake. Hiking trails lead, ultimately, to many of the park’s other peaks, including Asahi-dake, and travelers who are inclined to outdoor pursuits could easily plan a wonderful backpacking trip through the park. For people who like to relax and take in the view from relative comfort, the town also offers a number of excellent onsen, some of them quite well known throughout Japan. A good compromise is to take the twenty-minute hike up Sounkyo Gorge to view the beautiful twin waterfalls that grace its upper end, then return to town for a leisurely lunch and a soak in the hot water.
However you decide to divide your time between creature comfort and high adventure, you’ll not soon forget the rugged natural beauty of this wonderful park set in the very heart of Hokkaido.
>>Access
Asahikawa====(70 min. by car)====Sounkyo (Daisetsuzan)
>>Fee
●Sounkyo-Kurodate Ropeway
Adult: 950 yen, Child: 480 yen (One way)
Adult: 1,750 yen, Child 900 yen (Round trip)
●Kurodake Pair Lift
Adult: 400 yen, Child 280 yen (One way)
Adult: 600 yen, Child 400 yen (Round trip)
>>Website
Sounkyo.net (English)
-Matt Mangham
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