Asahidake Onsen

Asahidake Onsen is a small mountain hot spring village in the Daisetsuzan National Park, Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, at the base of Mount Asahidake, the highest peak in Hokkaido at 2,291 meters and the site of the earliest autumn foliage in Japan, where the mountain colors shift to scarlet and gold as early as mid-September while much of the rest of Japan remains in summer. The Daisetsuzan National Park, whose name means Great Snowy Mountains, is the largest national park in Japan and one of the last great wilderness areas in the country, preserving vast expanses of alpine terrain, volcanic landscapes, and rare endemic wildlife including the Ezo brown bear, Ezo deer, and the Blakiston's fish owl. The sulfurous volcanic springs of Asahidake Onsen provide warming bathing to hikers and trekkers who come to climb Hokkaido's highest peak or to witness the legendary autumn foliage of the Daisetsuzan highlands, one of the most spectacular natural seasonal events in all of Japan.