Welcome to Sounkyo, Hokkaido located in the heart of Japan’s Daisetsuzan national park at the foot of Kurodake ski resort. This quiet town is home to Hokkaido’s biggest mountains and possibly it’s most beautiful scenery. In winter the area, is blanketed by cold temperatures and an endless supply of powder snow – in fact Daisetsuzan translates to mean mountains of big snow. All this spells paradise for winter sport lovers of all kinds offering some of the most challenging skiing in Hokkaido and possibly the best ice climbing in the country.
Traditionally, most winter tourists visit Sounkyo to refresh themselves at any one of the town’s numerous onsen (natural hot spring) baths and wander through the local ice festival. As the temperatures drop, the local ice sculpter’s begin carving house sized blocks of ice into incredible works of art. The festival beings in January and is open until mid march.
In summer, Sounkyo transforms into a summer mountain paradise with an endless stream of sightseers and hikers riding the ropeway from sunrise to sunset. There are some beautiful waterfalls to see and great hikes to do. The classic route connecting Kurodake to Asahidake is the highlight traverse in the area.
As fall approaches, early October sees the arrival of “koyo” as the deciduous forest begins to change color in preparation to lose its leaves before winter. This is one of the most spectacular times of year here and well worth a visit.