Asahikawa

Asahikawa Winter Festival, Japan

Asahikawa, city, northwest-central Hokkaido, northern Japan. It lies along the Ishikari River in the agriculturally important Kamikawa Basin.

The area was settled in 1889 and organized as a village in 1893, after which Asahikawa became the railway, marketing, and industrial centre for northern Hokkaido. Its industries include brewing and the manufacture of pulp, paper, wood chemicals, and cotton yarn. Asahikawa also serves as the entrance to Daisetsuzan National Park to the east. It is linked to Sapporo (southwest) by rail. Pop. (2010) 347,095; (2015) 339,605.