Discover the Enchanting Winter Magic of Sounkyo and Kurodake

◇Dohoku Bus 2,140 yen

The information center in front of the bus stop.
Let’s check information on one-day hot springs here.

General information and exchange facility in the vast Daisetsuzan National Park.

Sounkyo Visitor Center is a core facility that aims to promote nature study, help people experience nature, and promote conservation of the natural environment under the theme of interaction between people and nature in Daisetsuzan National Park. Inside the center, visitors can see the four seasons of Daisetsuzan through real-time information on nature and attractions, high-definition video and dioramas. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the museum also takes the natural environment into consideration by incorporating outside light through natural lighting and using LED lighting.

Aerial view of Daisetsuzan, the big roof of Hokkaido

Kurodake,” the superior peak of Daisetsuzan, can be easily visited by using the Sounkyo-Kurodake ropeway and Kurodake pair lift from Sounkyo, which is 670 meters above sea level. You can enjoy nature observation and mountain climbing in spring and summer with alpine flora and Ezo chipmunks, beautiful autumn leaves in fall, and skiing and snowshoe hiking in winter throughout the year.
The gondola and lift take you to the seventh station of Kurodake, which is 1,984 meters above sea level. From Sounkyo Sanroku Station, where the ropeway arrives and departs, take the 101-seat gondola to the fifth station. Below you, the Ishikari River flows through a sea of trees, and a dynamic view of the grand canyon continues. Looking up, the summit of Kurodake is close at hand. From the top, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Daisetsuzan mountain range with lingering snow even in mid-summer.

Kurodake Ski Resort

A sacred place for good snow quality and spring mountain skiing

Daisetsuzan Sounkyo Kurodake Ski Resort is Hokkaido’s representative mountain ski resort, located on the northeastern slope of 1,984-meter-high Kurodake, which holds a sharp peak high in the sky above the Sounkyo Hot Springs. It has a reputation for its great views of Daisetsuzan and high quality snow, and is said to be equivalent to 3,000-meter class skiing in Honshu. The season is long, from early November to mid-May, and you can ski for more than half of the year. In particular, the early season from November to December and the spring ski season from March to May are appreciated by enthusiasts. Sounkyo, which serves as a base for skiers, is a first-class hot spring resort in Hokkaido, where you can also enjoy a luxurious après-ski experience.

Columbia Field Store / BLACK MOUNTAIN COFFEE by Columbia

Field shop of outdoor brand Columbia

Fold store located on the 3rd floor of Kurodake ropeway station building in Sounkyo Onsen, Kamikawa-cho. Inside the store is the first “Columbia Field Store” for the outdoor brand Columbia and a cafe “BLACK MOUNTAIN COFFEE by Columbia”. The store is located right next to the outdoor field and constantly changes its product lineup while conducting marketing research to find out what kind of items users are looking for. The café also offers specialty coffee with a smooth taste and aroma, Portland’s SMITH tea and beer, and baked goods made with Hokkaido ingredients.

Taste the rich nature of Sounkyo

Ita-meshi (mountain food) restaurant in Sounkyo hot spring resort. Pasta, pizza, rainbow trout dishes, Ezo sika deer dishes, spicy curry, and ravine hamburgers are popular. The restaurant has an open space at the foot of Daisetsuzan and an easy, relaxed atmosphere.

A large valley where you can feel the life force of the earth.

Sounkyo, known as one of the most scenic spots in Hokkaido, is a 24-kilometer-long valley along the upper reaches of the Ishikari River. The cliffs are more than 600 meters high, and the stunning columnar joints and famous waterfalls such as “Ginga no Taki” and “Ryusei no Taki” are just as the name “Sounbetsu (river with many waterfalls)” in Ainu language implies. The scenery is especially breathtaking in autumn, when the rock walls are stained with bright red autumn leaves, and in severe winter, when the waterfalls freeze and form giant icicles. It is said that the writer Keigetsu Omachi, who visited the area in the Taisho era (1912-1926), named the area “Soun” after the ancient Ainu word for the area.

Hot spring village nestled in the Daisetsuzan Mountains

Sounkyo at the foot of Mt. Kurodake in Daisetsuzan National Park is a large hot spring resort town with nearly 20 hotels and inns. In spring, feel the breath of life in the budding greenery; in summer, go rafting or mountain climbing on the river or in the mountains. In autumn, the contrast of autumn leaves makes your memories more colorful, and in winter, the open-air baths in the snowy weather relieve the cold and fatigue. The highlight of Sounkyo tourism in winter is the “Sounkyo Onsen Icefall Festival,” one of the three major winter festivals in Hokkaido. 12,000 square meters of the festival site is lined with about 30 ice sculptures of various sizes, made from the harsh cold of nature, and a must-see.

◇Dohoku Bus 2,140 yen