Asahikawa is the major city in the northern part of Hokkaido. It is located near the center of the island, in a basin at the confluence of the Ishikari River and a large number of tributaries, surrounded by magnificent mountains. For this reason, the temperature difference is quite extreme between day and night, and the changes of the seasons are very apparent.
The population exceeds 330,000, with a full range of public services available including medical care, welfare, education, and cultural facilities. Local industries include agriculture such as rice cultivation, food products, manufacturing such as paper and pulp production, woodcraft such as famous “Asahikawa furniture”, machinery and metal manufacturing, and so on. Moreover, Asahikawa is an important transportations and logistics hub in the northern part of Hokkaido.
After expanding the international terminal at Asahikawa airport and enhancing the flight network at New Chitose airport in 2018, the number of foreigner visitors has risen. More than 5 million people from home and abroad visited Asahikawa a year, enjoying the famous Asahiyama zoo and high-quality snow blessed ski resorts.