Sounkyo
層雲峡43°44′ N 142°57′ EOnsen townPop. 3,013Furano
Sounkyo's onsen village sits inside a basalt gorge at the foot of Kurodake, where a ropeway climbs into the Daisetsuzan.
Photo AsPJT · Wikimedia Commons · CC0 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay in Sounkyo for Kurodake's steep backcountry and a big onsen hotel at the end of the day. It suits experienced riders who travel with a guide.
The name
so-un-pet
ソウンペッThe river with waterfalls; Sounkyo itself is a Japanese coinage meaning 'gorge of layered clouds'
ainu
The writer Ōmachi Keigetsu named the gorge in 1921. At its entrance flows the Sounbetsu River, so-un-pet in Ainu (waterfall, there is, river), and the Japanese name is thought to borrow that sound with new characters. The surrounding town of Kamikawa grew up at a place called Rubeshibe, from the Ainu ru-pespe, 'the path that goes down', meaning a pass. The population figure is for Kamikawa town.
SourceEat · 食べる
Tozanken登山軒ramen¥
A ramen shop founded in 1930 and now run by the fourth generation of the family.
Taisetsuzan Shokudo大雪山食堂ramen¥
Local ramen made with a broth boiled hard for sixteen hours and noodles kneaded with Daisetsuzan spring water.
Tree Birdツリーバードshokudo¥
Rice bowls, set meals, soba and udon. The butadon and the Genghis Khan set are the popular orders.
Beer Grill Canyonビアグリル・キャニオンcafe¥¥
Italian and Western dishes made with local produce, in a bright room in the onsen village. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Taisetsu Bakery Café & BarTaisetsu Bakery Café & Barbakery¥
The bakery café in Hotel Taisetsu's east wing opens from 8:00 and again in the evening as a bar.
Drink · 飲む
Black Mountain Coffee by Columbiacoffee
A café on the third floor of the Kurodake Ropeway base station.
Kamikawa Taisetsu Shuzo Ryokkyu-gurasake
This young sake brewery in Kamikawa town, half an hour down the valley, runs a café that cooks with its sake lees.
Do · 遊ぶ
Outside147 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 Sounkyo Onsen Ice Fall Festivalculture
Ice halls and tunnels built on the Ishikari riverbank and lit at night. It ran 24 January to 8 March in 2026; the 2027 dates had not been announced at the time of writing.
RJD / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 Ginga and Ryusei Fallssight
Twin waterfalls a few kilometres down the gorge that freeze into ice columns in deep winter.
Yasu (talk) / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 Kurodake Ropewayactivity
The ropeway and chairlift up Kurodake run through winter for riders and sightseers, with views into the Daisetsuzan.
Sounkyo sits in a slot of a canyon cut by the upper Ishikari River, with columnar basalt cliffs rising a hundred metres or more on both sides. In winter the waterfalls along the walls freeze into blue columns, and the onsen village crowds into the narrow floor of the gorge at the base of the Kurodake ropeway. It is cold and dark early, and the light from the hotel windows bounces off the snow on the cliffs.
Riders come for Kurodake, where a ropeway and a single chairlift put you on steep, ungroomed alpine terrain in the Daisetsuzan with some of the driest snow in Japan. It is serious ground and best ridden with a guide. Down in the village, Tozanken has served ramen since 1930 and is on its fourth generation, and Taisetsuzan Shokudo simmers its broth for sixteen hours. Beer Grill Canyon does pizza and grills for a casual dinner. From late January to early March the Ice Fall Festival builds lit ice halls and tunnels on the riverbank.
Quick answers about Sounkyoよくある質問
What does the name Sounkyo mean?
Sounkyo comes from the local name so-un-pet, meaning the river with waterfalls; Sounkyo itself is a Japanese coinage meaning 'gorge of layered clouds'. The writer Ōmachi Keigetsu named the gorge in 1921. At its entrance flows the Sounbetsu River, so-un-pet in Ainu (waterfall, there is, river), and the Japanese name is thought to borrow that sound with new characters. The surrounding town of Kamikawa grew up at a place called Rubeshibe, from the Ainu ru-pespe, 'the path that goes down', meaning a pass. The population figure is for Kamikawa town.
Is Sounkyo a good place to stay?
Stay in Sounkyo for Kurodake's steep backcountry and a big onsen hotel at the end of the day. It suits experienced riders who travel with a guide.
How do you get to Sounkyo?
Dohoku Bus runs from Asahikawa in about 110 minutes and from JR Kamikawa Station in about 35. By car it is 66 km from Asahikawa on Route 39.
Ride from Sounkyo近くの山
Stay in Sounkyo宿
Hot springs nearby温泉
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