Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [471]
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ASAHIKAWA
0166 / pop 355,000
Asahikawa lies on a flat plain along the Ishikari River, and was once one of the biggest Ainu settlements. It also carries the dual honour of having the most days with snowfall in all of Japan, as well as the record for the coldest temperature (-40°C). During the Meiji era, Asahikawa became one of the island’s major industrial cities, and its principal sake-brewing centre.
Less picturesque than other Hokkaidō cities, Asahikawa is mainly used by travellers as a transit point for Wakkanai to the north, Daisetsuzan National Park to the southeast, and Biei and Furano to the south. However, you’ll probably spend the night here at some point, and there are some noteworthy museums and breweries to visit before pressing on.
Orientation & Information
JR Asahikawa station is on the south side of the city. A large pedestrian avenue extends out for a few blocks, and most of the hotels and restaurants listed here are within easy walking distance. Museums and sights, on the other hand, are spread out across the city and will often require a bus ride.
The information counter (22-6704; 8.30am-7pm Jul-Sep, 10am-5.30pm Oct-Jun) inside Asahikawa station provides English pamphlets and sightseeing brochures – be sure to ask for the very useful bus-stop map.
International ATMs are available at the Asahikawa Chūō Post Office (26-2141; 6-28-1 Rokujō).
Internet cafes cluster the station, including Compa37 (21-3249; 7-5 Sanjō; per 30min from ¥250; 24hr), which also offers night packages if you need to crash on the cheap.
Sights & Activities
HOKKAIDŌ FOLK ARTS & CRAFTS VILLAGE
This collection of three museums (www.yukaraori.co.jp, in Japanese; 3-1-1 Minamigaoka; combined ticket ¥1200), about 5km southwest of the train station, provides a wonderful overview of the island’s traditional folk arts.
The International Dyeing & Weaving Art Museum (; 61-6161; admission ¥550; 9am-5pm Apr-Nov) displays textiles from around the world, as well as Japanese specialities including embroidered Ainu wood-bark cloth and a number of spectacular silk kimonos.
The Yukara Ori Folk Craft Museum (; 62-8811; admission ¥450; 9am-5.30pm Apr-Nov, 9am-5pm Dec-Mar) focuses primarily on local weaving styles, and has a number of interesting examples of Ainu cloth.
The Snow Crystal Museum (;63-2211; admission ¥650; 9am-5.30pm Apr-Nov, 9am-5pm Dec-Mar) has the dainty appearance of a European castle, and some wickedly cold walk-in freezers with metre-long icicles.
A free shuttle runs every hour or two between the village and the Kureyon Parking, next to the Asahikawa Washington Hotel.
* * *
AINU RENAISSANCE
Although Ainu culture was once declared ‘dead’ by the Japanese government, the past few decades have seen people of Ainu descent assert their ethnicity both politically and culturally.
In 1899 the Hokkaidō Former Natives Protection Act formalised decades of Meiji-era discrimination against the Ainu, denying them land ownership and giving the governor of Hokkaidō sole discretion over the management of communal Ainu funds. Thus, the Ainu became dependent on the welfare of the Japanese state.
Although this law had been amended over the years, many Ainu people objected to it, right down to its title, which used the word kyūdo-jin (‘dirt’ or ‘earth’ people) to describe them. It was once the standard among people of Ainu descent to hide their ethnicity out of fear of discrimination in housing, schools and employment; out of an estimated 100,000 Ainu, only 25,000 acknowledged it publicly.
In the 1980s various Ainu groups called for the law’s repeal, and in 1998 the Japanese government replaced the law with one that allocated government funds for Ainu research and the promotion of Ainu language and culture, as well as better education about Ainu traditions in state schools.
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