Asahikawa & Asahiyama Zoo in One Day
Penguins and polar bears at Asahiyama Zoo, a bowl of the city's soy-based ramen, then the rolling farm hills of Biei by bike before an izakaya evening in Asahik
Last updated 2026-09-03 · 1-day self-guided plan
Asahikawa & Asahiyama Zoo
Animals in the morning, patchwork hills in the afternoon
For families and anyone based in Sapporo who wants one full day in central Hokkaido that mixes the famous zoo with open countryside.
- 1
Asahiyama Zoo
Limited expresses run Sapporo to Asahikawa in about 85 minutes; from the station forecourt, city bus routes 41, 42 and 47 take roughly 40 minutes to the zoo. Be at the gate for opening, mid-morning, and head straight for the penguin building with its underwater tunnel and the polar bear tank. In deep winter the penguins are walked around the grounds twice a day, the reason most people come.
2.5 HoursCost: ¥1,000–1,500 
2Asahikawa ramen near the station
Bus back to the station for about 12:30. Asahikawa's ramen is a soy broth over pork and fish stock with a film of lard on top to keep it hot through the winter, and curly medium noodles. Several old shops sit within a few minutes of the station; expect a short queue at lunchtime and order the plain shoyu first time.
45 MinutesCost: ¥1,000–1,500
3Biei by bike, the Patchwork Road
The JR Furano Line reaches Biei in about 35 minutes; bike rental shops face the station. The Patchwork Road loops north of town through fields of wheat, potato and beet that change colour strip by strip, with lone trees on the ridgelines that have names and their own car parks. It is hilly but short, and the views back to the Daisetsuzan range are the reward at every crest.
2 HoursCost: ¥1,000–2,000- 4
Shirogane Blue Pond
A local bus from Biei station runs to Shirogane in about 20 minutes, but only a handful of times a day, so check it before you rent the bike; a taxi is the fallback. The pond is a milky cobalt blue from the minerals in the stream, with dead larch trunks standing in it. Ten minutes on foot, then the same bus or taxi back for the train.
45 MinutesCost: ¥500–1,500 - 5
Evening in Sanroku, Asahikawa
Back in Asahikawa by about 18:30, walk ten minutes up the pedestrian Heiwa-dori shopping street to Sanroku, the compact nightlife district. Izakaya here serve Hokkaido lamb, local sake from the Otokoyama and Takasago breweries and whatever came off the boats in Rumoi that morning. Last expresses to Sapporo run late in the evening.
1.5 HoursCost: ¥3,000–5,000
Day 1 Estimated Cost
- Food¥4,000–6,500
- Transport (local buses, trains, bike)¥3,000–5,000
- Admissions¥1,000–1,500
Tips
Buy the zoo bus round trip at the station kiosk; it is cheaper than two singles and saves fumbling for coins on the way back.
Winter means ice underfoot at the zoo and the pond: rubber-soled boots with grip, and cleats if you own them.
Have the ramen at lunch, not dinner; the famous shops close mid-afternoon and the evening belongs to izakaya.
Biei's hills photograph best in the last two hours of light, so ride the Patchwork Road after the pond if you can flip the order in summer.