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Only 80 kilometers overland to the Japan Sea, Asahikawa enjoys all the bounty of the sea and the shore, which explains the numerous restaurants in the town. Among local dishes, "Asahikawa ramen"has gained recent renown throughout Japan. The firm, chewy noodles are served in a pork-based broth, as befits the strong pig-farming character of the region. There are 400 or more ramen restaurants in Asahikawa, so popular that there are often queues of customers waiting.
With such freezing cold winters, Asahikawa has wonderful powdery snow, and visitors can enjoy skiing and snowboarding on the ski fields right on the city's doorstep. A fixture of the winter season is the Asahikawa International Vasa Skiing Competition, first held in 1981 and named after King Gustav Vasa, the hero who won Sweden's independence. Seven thousand people join the walk-skiing trails every year, with overseas skiers coming for the cross-country ski races.
Favored by the cold climate, The Ice Sculpture World Competition takes place in early February in a city park in Asahikawa. The competition is held over 48 hours in the freezing outdoors. Individual contestants use ten blocks of ice weighing 125 kilograms, and group entrants use twenty blocks, with everyone vying to create the most skillful works of art. The sculptures go on display the next day, and the illumination at night creates a spectacle of surreal beauty. |
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| Surrounded by forests, Asahikawa is one of Japan's well known furniture-making areas. Asahikawa furniture is distinguished by the quality of its wood and its expert design. |
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| This splendid forest—actually a "sample plantation"—is the outcome of a trial begun in 1868 to observe whether nonnative species could be grown in Hokkaido. |
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