Date: Trip taken in February 2023
Background: We heard that Asahikawa is famous for the zoo so we decided to head over there.
Logistics: There are limited trains and buses as you move further east into cities in Hokkaido so be mindful of the transportation schedules. From Sapporo to Asahikawa, it takes about 1.5 train ride. Once you get off the train, there is a bus you would take to go to the Asahiyama Zoo. It is about a 30 minutes bus ride. The wait in between buses and trains in Asahikawa is about 30-45 minutes.
Asahiyama Zoo
The Asahiyama Zoo has a lot of unique animals that we got to see out in the open. The zoo is famous for the penguin walk where the penguins are guided by the workers to walk along the path in the zoo. Other animals that we saw included polar bears, wolves, and reindeers.
Asahikawa Ramen
We went to Asahikawa Ramen Village to get ramen. It has famous ramen restaurants from Asahikawa that are located in the same place next to each other but it was not a convenient location to get to via public transportation. I got the Asahikawa ramen, which is a local noodle dish that is a soy sauce based broth. It also uses thick wavy noodles. Common toppings include pork, bamboo shoots, eggs, and spring onions. Next time, I would suggest finding a ramen shop that is close to Asahikawa station.
5-7 Alley Furarito
We went to the Furarito, which is an alleyway with restaurants for dinner.
