Asahiyama Zoo
Higashi Asahikawacho Kuranuma
+81 0166 36-1104
¥800, season ticket ¥1000
Summer 9:30AM-5:15PM, winter 10:30AM-3:30PM, closed Apr 8-Apr 28, Oct 19-Nov 2
Take Asahikawa Denki Kido Bus for Asahiyama Zoo at Bus Stop No. 5 in front of Asahikawa train station; bus departs hourly and the ride takes about 40 minutes. There is another bus from the airport, also hourly, that takes about 35 minutes
The most famous zoo in Japan and the second most visited. This is a small zoo with few enclosures. The star attractions include the polar bear enclosure that allows to see the bears underwater, the seal enclosure that seems that people are in the enclosure and the seals are around them, and the penguin enclosure including a glass tunnel through the pool.
Asahikawa Winter Festival
Tokiwa Park
North of the city, near the Asahibashi bridge
Second to Sapporo's snow festival in popularity, this festival attracts ice sculpture artists worldwide and hosts the largest snow sculpture in Japan. The festival is held at the start of February.
Asahibashi Bridge
follow Route 40 to the north until it meets the Ishikari river
This is one of the three most famous bridges in Hokkaido and the only one still unchanged since it was built.