Though short, I enjoyed my jampacked trip around the ski resorts of Central Hokkaido but I still had one last mission. That was to spend time in Asahikawa. Asahikawa lies in the heart of Hokkaido and is the second largest city after Sapporo. Aside from ski resorts, it is filled with various other sights to see and forms a great base for a stay in Central Hokkaido.

After leaving Mt. Asahidake it took me an hour to reach Asahikawa by car. The scenery changed from mountainous natural surrounds to a residential area and, before I knew it, I’d arrived at a snow covered city. I’d spent the last few days driving through unfamiliar mountainous areas that the sight of a snow covered city was somehow refreshing to me.

While Asahikawa is a popular base for travels to nearby ski fields, it also has plenty of sights to see, making it a great tourist spot as well. However, because I had a midday flight to Tokyo the next day I could only enjoy the night time sights of Asahikawa.

The beautiful, quiet view of the snow covered town completely decorated in lights juxtaposed with the lively skaters in front of the train station left a lasting impression on me. Asahikawa is well known as the distribution point for seafood caught in Hokkaido as well as fruits and vegetables grown using the delicious water from Daisetsuzan. Sake is also another famous Asahikawa export. Scores of izakayas and restaurants using these fine ingredients line the streets of the entertainment district. The food at the place I dropped by that night was no exception – the food was exquisite.

Although I wasn’t able to truly experience Asahikawa’s delights in just one night, I still had a great time.

The next morning, I had two things I wanted to do before I flew out. One was to eat Asahikawa ramen. As previously mentioned, Asahikawa is renowned for producing famous and popular ramen, so there was no way I was going to leave without having some for myself. I visited an old, popular favourite – AOBA. The soy sauce flavoured ramen soup made from a pork and fish broth was very delicate and complex yet had a significant kick to it making it a highly delectable bowl of ramen. I thoroughly recommend it.

Asahikawa is also known for producing great sake, so the last place I visited was a famous sake brewery – Kokushi Muso. I wanted to make the most of this trip and since sake produced in Hokkaido has built up a good reputation in recent years, I figured that a brewery visit would be enough to satisfy my curiosity. Breweries often offer tours and generally provide tasting opportunities as well. If you’re ever in Asahikawa it is definitely worth your while to do some sightseeing of the city.

My trip to Central Hokkaido was, above all, very exciting and fulfilling. In fact, I want to go back many times over so I can discover more of what the region has to offer. My driving trip around an unfamiliar place was made possible thanks to advances in GPS technology such as those offered in car navigation systems and Google Maps. In fact, it might have been near impossible for foreign visitors to navigate the roads in the past because of their inability to read signs in Japanese. So now is the time for ski and snowboard junkies alike to pick up their navigation devices and tour the ski fields of Japan!

FURANO

Furano is a particularly well known region within Central Hokkaido. It is a popular tourist destination amongst Japanese travellers, even outside of winter, with sights such as its huge fields of lavender. The reputation of Furano has also begun to rise of late in neighbouring Asian countries because of this as well. Although it has the potential to become a bustling sightseeing hotspot for many reasons, western visitors seem to only have eyes for Furano’s ski season. And, while it boasts the calibre of holding 10 FIS World Cups, most of its popularity stems from its location which draws people in for long stays here.

Furano is only an hour and a bit away from Kamui by car on a good day. Compared to other snow towns, Furano is fairly large and while it is possible to find accommodation there, I decided to stay at the New Furano Prince Hotel at the base of the ski slope this time around. The Prince Hotel Group is a widely known hotel chain in Japan which owns a number of hotels inside of resorts all over the country. A little spell of bad weather added some time to my trip but I was able to reach the town before dinner. On my way to the hotel, I was treated to the beautiful night view of the ski slope which operates at night as well. Gazing out over the magnificent night lights in Furano whilst skiing must make for a unforgettable romantic experience.

Upon my arrival at the New Furano Prince Hotel, I immediately made plans for dinner. Of the six restaurants inside of the hotel, I decided to eat at the sushi counter, where the sushi chef made and served sushi right in front of me, inside of “Karamatsu”, a purveyor of Japanese cuisine. Hokkaido is a prominent treasure trove of gourmet delights in Japan and is said to have the most delicious seafood in the country – so I knew I wanted to have a dish filled with seafood on my first day in Hokkaido.

While I tantalised my tongue with the delicious Hokkaido sourced ingredients, I listened to what the chef had to say. He mentioned that the number of western skiers had increased substantially over the past few years and that European skiers in particular have come in droves after discovering the appeal of the powder snow in the region. Both Japan and Europe, being located in the northern hemisphere, share the same ski season. Europe has built a reputation for having numerous excellent ski resorts yet, Europeans decide to make the trip to Furano for its incomparably high quality powder snow. I continued speak to the chef with a drink in hand as I spent the night enduring my excitement over the skiing I would get to do the next day.

The next morning, I met up with Scott Tovey, a course guide working at the Prince Hotel. Scott made the move from New Zealand to Furano after being captivated by the ski area in the town. He now lives there with his Japanese wife and child and goes skiing with his child every opportunity that he has. I followed closely behind Scott as he deftly skied around the slopes and obtained a general understanding of the ski field layout.

Furano Ski Resort is huge and is separated in two areas – the Furano Zone and the Kitanomine Zone – with ropeways and gondolas operating in both of them. The Furano Zone has fresh snow slopes and many advanced courses for more experienced skiers and is also where the New Furano Prince Hotel is located. The Kitanomine Zone has hard courses in its the upper region and numerous spacious courses aimed at beginners at the bottom, mostly targeting family groups. At the bottom of the ski slope is the Furano Prince Hotel which offers, comparatively, more reasonable accommodation options. By the time I’d had a quick look around the ski resort, it was already lunchtime.

“The Furano Ski Resort is great because it has a lot of off-piste and backcountry routes which we don’t take because we’re employees but, you’re free check them out at your own risk, of course.”

Scott told me as we had lunch. He showed me, on a map, all the areas I could ski in and then left me to go back to work as soon as we finished lunch.

Scott left me with the impression that, though he could not go with me to the off-piste and backcountry trails, I was more than welcome to explore them myself if I saw fit. The backcountry trails would require registration of sorts so I’d only be exploring the off-piste trails on the outskirts of the slope.

I headed towards the Downhill Romance #3 chairlift in the Furano Zone. I could see the wonderful off-piste trails as well as skiers and snowboarders dotted around the place as I rode my way up. Though the powder snow had been disturbed in some areas, there were still some places with untouched snow, granted the right course was chosen. After hopping off the chairlift, I tried to contain my excitement as I leapt straight into an off-piste trail. I felt as if I was floating as I skied down the powder snow slopes. Being able to experience such high quality powder snow directly off the chairlift was amazing. I skied through the powder snow over and over again to my heart’s content.

Satisfied after a full day of skiing, I took a dip in an onsen and then set off for “Ningle Terrace”, a shopping district inside of a forest right next to the New Furano Prince Hotel. Inside of the area surrounded by trees, were various accessory and craft shops which were gently lit up when the sun set, bringing a romantic atmosphere to the place. There were also illuminated courses and snow tubes to shred as well as ice bars amongst the numerous attractions for people young and old to enjoy. There was plenty to do at night around the hotel to pass the time.

Afterwards, I decided to venture out to the town of Furano as well. The Prince Hotel at the bottom of the Furano ski slope is the most dominant, eye catching hotel in the area. However, there are various inns, businesses, restaurants and bars in town which line the mountain, bringing character to the area and making it popular amongst skiers with extended stays. Many people choose to base their trip in the well serviced city of Furano and take day trips to the surrounding areas during their stay.

Furano is not a big city by any means, yet it still boasts a bustling entertainment district lined with numerous bars. Of these bars, “ROBATA” is a particularly popular izakaya known for its authentic Japanese style. Seats surround the fireplace in the middle, giving off a truly traditional Japanese atmosphere. ROBATA has gained popularity in recent years amongst foreigners looking to experience Japan in the most authentic sense. Its reasonable menu options also help to feed its popularity. There’s a lot of potential to be had in the Furano nightlife.

On the other hand, getting too caught up in all things Japan can be exhausting to some, so there is also a western-styled pub for those who need a little taste of home. “AJITO” is a pub located not too far from the Furano Ski Resort which comes complete with billiard tables. On the day of my visit, it was filled with foreign tourists having a good time.

The variety of after skiing entertainment options is one of the many reasons for Furano’s popularity.