Rent a car when you arrive at Chitose Airport. The one-way option will suffice as public transport will be the mode of transportation back. The journey starts as soon as you rent the car! Head down the Hokkaido Expressway towards Ebetsu and Asahikawa.

Get off the expressway at the Naie-Sunagawa IC and head towards Sunagawa City. Sunagawa City was once a mining town where the coal miners often relied on sweets to relieve their fatigue. For that reason, the sweets industry flourished in Sunagawa. Now, Sunagawa has its own ‘Sunagawa Sweet Road,’ which is home to as many as 19 different sweet shops that offer a range of sweets, including cakes, Japanese sweets, bread, gelato, and donuts.

Scattered along National Route 12, the 19 stores of Sunagawa Sweet Road include a wide range from well-established confectionery shops to trendy cafes. Thus, in addition to the locals, many visitors from outside Hokkaido come here to buy sweets too. There are many different types of desserts available, so go around and visit the various stores to try them out!

Sweet Road is home to the main store of the famous sweets shop, Kitakaro.

Established in 1991 in Sunagawa, Kitakaro now has shops in Chitose Airport and in Sapporo City. Its sweets are beloved by both locals and tourists alike.

The “Hokkaido Kaitaku Okaki” is a classic Hokkaido snack made using locally produced glutinous rice. It is meticulously made over seven days, by first polishing the rice, then steaming it, turning it into mochi, leaving it to age, and then dry, followed by frying and seasoning. The result of this arduous process is fragrant rice crackers with a unique, firm texture and rich flavor.

There is a variety of Hokkaido Kaitaku Okaki to choose from. The flavors include scallops from Esashi, autumn salmon from Shibetsu, hokkai shrimp from Notsuke Odaitō, and sweet shrimps from Mashike, all of which are Hokkaido produce. There are also seasonal flavors like sea urchin, so look out for those when you visit!

Made with carefully selected ingredients produced in Hokkaido, the “Yōsei no Mori Baumkuchen” is one of the popular items here. This cake has a soft, spongy mouthfeel, delivers a refreshing sweetness, and simply melts in your mouth. To create its moist texture, the bakers bake one cake at a time carefully, while making necessary adjustments to the baking conditions, the thickness of the dough, the temperature of the kiln, and so on. This Baumkuchen is definitely something you should get when you stop by Kitakaro.

The Hokkaido Kaitaku Okaki tastes best when eaten within three weeks, and the Yōsei no Mori Baumkuchen within two, so do keep this in mind if you are purchasing them as souvenirs to bring back home.

Kitakaro’s Sunagawa main store has a café serving sweets and lunch dishes such as omurice and spaghetti. The café opens from 11 AM to 4 PM, with meals available until 2 PM and dessert and drink orders until 3:30 PM. It closes on Tuesdays, or Wednesday when Tuesday is a public holiday.

Once you have had your fill of sweets, head back onto the Hokkaido Expressway for Asahikawa. As the rental car is to be used for only one day, make sure to return it before checking into the hotel.

Take a direct bus from Asahikawa Station to Asahiyama Zoo. The zoo’s latest published facility statistics list 645 animals across 100 species, as of June 1, 2025. Its spacious grounds and exhibits make this a full-day outing.

Asahiyama Zoo gained its reputation for its interactive exhibits showcasing the animals’ natural movements and unique abilities. Because the animals here are so lively, there is always something new to discover on every visit, which makes this zoo a beautiful place for both adults and children.

Because there is so much to see around the wide compounds of the zoo, it is recommended that you leave an entire day for the visit. Plus, as there are also gift shops and restaurants on the zoo grounds, there is no need to worry about meals or souvenir shopping. Since the zoo is the only attraction for the day, you can take your time to explore and enjoy.

The third day of our Asahikawa itinerary will be for enjoying natural landscapes to your heart’s content! In the Asahikawa area, there is a volcanic mountain range called Daisetsuzan. With mountains as tall as 2,000 meters and more, it is often referred to as “the roof of Hokkaido.”

Home to the Daisetsuzan, the Daisetsuzan National Park is Japan’s largest national park and was known to the Ainu people as “kamuy mintar,” which means the playground of the gods.

Asahidake, the highest peak of Daisetsuzan, is 2,291 meters above sea level but can be accessed via the ropeway, which will take you to the fifth observation point. To follow this route, take the Ideyūgō shuttle bus from Asahikawa Station and alight at the bus stop “Asahidake.” Here, you can take the “Asahidake Ropeway” up the mountain.

Near the station at the top of the mountain, there is a path that is open from June to around mid-October. Come September, the turn of seasons means there will be a colorful array of red, yellow, and green autumn leaves. You will not get to see this at other times, so you definitely should take in the beautiful scenery while strolling! After you descend the mountain, you could soak in Asahidake Onsen near Sanroku Station, before taking the shuttle bus back to Asahikawa Station.

Start the morning at Ueno Farm, a garden shaped around Hokkaido’s climate and changing seasons. Its 2026 garden season ran from April 17 to October 18, with opening hours of 10 AM to 5 PM; the garden closes for winter. Plan this five-day itinerary for the garden’s open season if you want to include every stop.

For public transport access, take a JR Sekihoku Main Line train to Sakuraoka Station and walk about 15 minutes, or take the JR Soya Main Line to Nagayama Station and continue by taxi for about 10 minutes.

Originally a working farm, the grounds developed into a garden that complements the surrounding rural landscape. English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese guides help visitors explore at their own pace.

Ueno Farm’s NAYA café occupies a renovated old barn and serves light meals and sweets. You can enjoy café purchases picnic-style in the garden, surrounded by the flowers. Using just the café or shop does not require garden admission.

After lunch, continue to OTOKOYAMA SAKE PARK, home to the Otokoyama Sake Brewing Museum. A taxi is the simplest way to link these two stops without relying on the old bus departures. For visitors arriving by local bus, the park is a two-minute walk from Nagayama 2-jo 6-chome bus stop.

At OTOKOYAMA SAKE PARK, explore the history of Otokoyama sake and Japan’s brewing traditions. The museum remains free to visit on the second and third floors of the original building, displaying historical documents, sake vessels, and brewing tools.

The sake shop and tasting area are now in a separate building. There is also a café with non-alcoholic options made using the brewery’s water, making this a worthwhile stop even if you are not drinking.

The brewery makes its sake with groundwater from the Daisetsuzan area. Visitors can collect this brewing water, known locally as the “Water of Longevity,” free of charge at the outdoor collection point from 9 AM to 5 PM. Bring your own container; the current limit is 18 liters per person.

For dinner, head to Asahikawa Ramen Village for the city’s signature ramen. It is about five minutes away by car from OTOKOYAMA SAKE PARK.

Asahikawa ramen has a typical broth made from seafood, pork bones and chicken. In addition, because the Asahikawa area is unusually frigid even within Hokkaido, the soup is usually served with a layer of oil on top to insulate and prevent it from turning cold.

This shop was established in 1996 to spread awareness about Asahikawa’s ramen culture. Now there are eight stores within the city, all serving up the ramen that they are so proud of! With foreign language menus provided in each store, the ordering process is fuss-free even for non-Japanese language speakers.

Within the compound is a gift shop that offers souvenir ramen you can bring home. If you are looking to take some commemorative shots, there are exciting photo spots, such as a bench that makes the subject look as though they are sitting in a ramen bowl.

“Heiwadōri Shopping Park,” located right in front of Asahikawa Station, is considered by locals as the main street of Asahikawa and is where departmental stores and food establishments abound. There are also many options in this area for some last-minute souvenir shopping, such as the classic “Kibana,” an almond wafer snack with white chocolate sandwiched in the middle, and “Kuranama” cookies.

To return to New Chitose Airport, choose the direct Taisetsu Liner bus or travel by JR train via Sapporo. The bus takes about 2 hours 45 minutes from Asahikawa Station and costs 4,500 yen one way for adults. Reserve ahead to secure a seat. Through November 30, 2026, buses leave Asahikawa Station at 6:50 AM and 8:50 AM; a 12:50 PM departure is added from December 1. Airport drop-off is at the domestic terminal, with a connecting walkway to the international terminal.

If taking the train and your flight time allows, you could stop in Sapporo before continuing to the airport. Allow a generous buffer for autumn and winter weather delays.