Mt. Daisetsuzan, Hokkaido

Mt. Daisetsuzan. This place is called “Kamuimintara”, which means “the garden where the gods play” for the Ainu people living in Hokkaido for a long time. There is a majestic nature, full of mysterious powers that attract gods.
Mt. Daisetsuzan is not the name of a single mountain, but a generic name for 2000-meter-class volcanic groups that run in the center of Hokkaido. It exists in the Daisetsuzan National Park, Japan’s largest national park composed of the Daisetsuzan Range and Tokachidake Range. Also called “Daisetsuzan Range” to clarify that it is not a single mountain. In that case, it generally refers to Daisetsuzan National Park including the Tokachidake mountain range.
Mt. Daisetsuzan has the largest flower garden of alpine plants in Japan. It has an elevation of 2000 meters, but because of the high latitude, you can see alpine plants blooming in the 3000 meter mountains in Honshu. The flower field that blooms as the snow melts is an impressive landscape. The most beautiful season is from mid-July to early August. The earliest autumn leaves in Japan starting in early September are also beautiful.
The protagonist “avens” of the flower garden seen here and there in Mt. Daisetsuzan. White and pretty flowers turn into fluff like a windmill at the end of the flower season. In autumn, the leaves turn red and dye the garden where the gods play.
“Daisetsuzan Asahidake Ropeway” runs from Asahidake Onsen (Mountain Foot Station) in Higashikawa-cho to Sugatami Station at an altitude of 1600 meters and arrives at the garden where the gods play in about 10 minutes.
From Sugatami Station, there is a walking path that lasts about 1 hour and 1.7 kilometers, and you can enjoy a magnificent view of the flower field in summer and the land of autumn leaves in autumn.
When climbing, climbing equipment is essential. Since mid-summer temperatures can be single digits, be sure to prepare winter clothing. The course time from Sugatami Station to the summit is about 2 hours.

The mountaineering course is being developed from the highest peak of Asahi-dake

You can see some of the most beautiful autumn colors in Hokkaido, Mt. Daisetsuzan. Asahi-dake is its highest peak. Climbers and tourists gather from all over the country. Take the ropeway from Asahidake Hot Spring and get off at Sugatami Station, you can see the crater of Asahi-dake, which will raise the plume as much as possible, in the front. From here, via the Lake Sugatami, the mountaineering course of about 2.5 hours is being developed from the highest peak of Asahi-dake.

The scenery that makes you think that you want to visit as many times as you like

Hokkaido is full of nature. Summer is shorter than Honshu (the main island of Japan), but you can meet lots of wonderful landscapes that you can not finish around in the short summer. The scenery that makes you think that you want to visit as many times as you like is a beautiful flower that blooms in the spectacular scenery or walking path with the highest peak of Ashidake of Hokkaido.

Asahi-dake ropeway will take tourists who do not climb mountains to places where Asahi-dake is close up

The Daisetsuzan system is located in the central part of Hokkaido, with mountains of 2000 meters altitude with Asahidake (altitude 2219 meters) as the lead. It is a popular place for mountaineers because they can crime in many mountains along the ridge.
Daisetsuzan Asahi-dake ropeway will take tourists who do not climb mountains to places where Asahi-dake is close up. In the vicinity of Lake Sugatami, the alpine plants spread gently, and in Honshu you can see plants that are only in mountains of 3000 meters.

The forest limit is around the altitude of 1400 meters

When you get on the Asahi-dake Ropeway from the mountain foot station, you can move to the high altitude area while watching the mountains around Daisetsuzan system in the distance. Because it is Hokkaido with a high latitude, in the Daisetsuzan system the forest limit (a limit beyond which forests are not protected) is around the altitude of 1400 meters, and only the lowest trees inhabit the mountain skin can be found well from within the ropeway.

“Lake Sugatami” superbly shows the appearance of Asahi-dake summit

The weather of the mountain changes easily, but the Lake Sugatami is one of the points you really want to see on a sunny day. “Lake Sugatami” superbly shows the appearance of Asahi-dake summit as a result of its blueness, a cloudless blue sky. You will reach Lake Sugatami in about 20 to 30 minutes from the Sugatami Station on the ropeway. If the weather is good it is definitely recommended going to nearby and seeing the water surface where Asahi-dake appears.

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