Higashikawa
東川43°42′ N 142°31′ ETownPop. 8,695Furano
Higashikawa is a small, growing town of cafés and photographers that leads up the valley to the Asahidake ropeway.
Photo user:ほくなん · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay in Higashikawa or up at Asahidake Onsen for ropeway touring on Hokkaido's highest volcano. It suits backcountry riders who want quiet nights and good coffee.
The name
cup-pet / cupka-pet
チュㇷ゚ペッ／チュㇷ゚カペッSun river, or east river
ainu
Higashikawa ('east river') is a Japanese translation. The town's Ainu policy plan gives cup-pet, 'sun river', explained as a river whose source lies to the east where the sun and moon rise; the Hokkaido Development Bureau also gives cupka-pet, 'east river'. The same Ainu word, written 忠別, names the Chubetsu River along the town's southern edge, and the city of Asahikawa got its name from the same river. Scholars dispute the original sound (see Asahikawa).
SourceEat · 食べる
Bunasoba¥
Soba and butadon in the middle of town. Lunch and dinner; closed Mondays.
Pizza Teicafe¥
A town pizzeria open for lunch and dinner until the dough runs out. Closed Tuesdays.
Higashikawa Pelicanfine¥¥¥
This bistro in the farmland west of town opens every day for lunch and dinner.
KINGBEARcurry¥
This Minamimachi shop serves soup curry, with dinner on Friday to Sunday.
Kita no Sumai Sekkei Sha Cafébakery¥
A bakery and café run by a local house builder in a timber building out in the fields. Closed Wednesdays.
Chamisecafe¥
Chamise serves onigiri and breakfast from 7:30, which is handy before an early ropeway. Closed Mondays.
Sugatami Shokudo姿見食堂shokudo¥
The canteen on the second floor of the Asahidake Ropeway base station opens 11:00–16:00.
Drink · 飲む
yoshinori coffeecoffee
A coffee stand in Kitamachi, 10:00–18:00; closed Wednesdays and Thursdays.
ON THE TABLEbar
A second-floor kissa that turns into a bar on Friday to Sunday evenings. Closed Wednesdays.
Do · 遊ぶ
Calistemon / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Asahidake Ropewayactivity
The ropeway climbs from Asahidake Onsen to Sugatami station at about 1,600 m, where fumaroles steam beside the open slopes. Off-piste here is serious alpine terrain; go with a guide in poor visibility.
user:ほくなん / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Asahidake Onsenactivity
Several hotels in this small onsen village at the ropeway base offer day bathing, including Yumoto Yukomanso.
Higashikawa is the rare Hokkaido town that is growing. It calls itself the town of photography and every house draws its water from Daisetsuzan groundwater, since the town has no mains water supply. Young families and makers have moved in, and the main street now has more good cafés and bakeries than you would expect in a town of nine thousand. Snow lies deep and quiet across the rice paddies, and the road east climbs steadily into the forest toward Asahidake.
Riders use it as the base for Asahidake. On Hokkaido's highest peak the ropeway lifts you onto an open volcanic slope above the treeline, with fumaroles steaming beside the runs. Asahidake Onsen at the ropeway base has a handful of hotels and good baths. Down in town, Buna does soba and butadon, and Higashikawa Pelican cooks bistro food out in the fields. Take onigiri from Chamise in the morning before the drive up.
Quick answers about Higashikawaよくある質問
What does the name Higashikawa mean?
Higashikawa comes from the local name cup-pet / cupka-pet, meaning sun river, or east river. Higashikawa ('east river') is a Japanese translation. The town's Ainu policy plan gives cup-pet, 'sun river', explained as a river whose source lies to the east where the sun and moon rise; the Hokkaido Development Bureau also gives cupka-pet, 'east river'. The same Ainu word, written 忠別, names the Chubetsu River along the town's southern edge, and the city of Asahikawa got its name from the same river. Scholars dispute the original sound (see Asahikawa).
Is Higashikawa a good place to stay?
Stay in Higashikawa or up at Asahidake Onsen for ropeway touring on Hokkaido's highest volcano. It suits backcountry riders who want quiet nights and good coffee.
How do you get to Higashikawa?
The Ideyu-go bus runs from Asahikawa Station via Asahikawa Airport and Higashikawa to Asahidake Onsen. By car the airport is about 15 minutes from town and Asahidake Onsen about 40 minutes further up the valley.
Ride from Higashikawa近くの山
Stay in Higashikawa宿
Hot springs nearby温泉
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