About Sunagawa Trip
A tourist information site conveying the delights that Sunagawa has to offer.
“Sunagawa Trip” is a tourist information site conveying the delights that Sunagawa has to offer. Why not discover your own original delights from the “Gourmet,” “Shopping,” “Leisure,” “Accommodation,” “Events” and “Model Courses & Spots” categories, and take a trip to Sunagawa? Sunagawa Trip conveys information in Japanese but Google translation is also installed. Just select the language from the box in the top right hand corner.
Sunagawa’s attractions
Sunagawa city outline
Since the first hoes and plows sliced into this untamed land in 1890, Sunagawa has developed as a transportation hub and thriving mining and industrial town. Located midway between Sapporo and Asahikawa, the city stretches 10.5 km east-west and 12.7 km north-south, covering a total of 78.68 square kilometers. To the east lie gently rolling hills, and to the west flow the Ishikari and Sorachi rivers, forming a fertile watershed. The JR Hakodate Main Line railway and National Highway Route 12 run north-south through the city, and links to the Hokkaido Expressway via two interchanges and the Sunagawa Service Area Smart Interchange provide excellent access.
“Sunagawa Sweet Road”
Several confectioners are dotted along National Highway Route 12, which links Sapporo and Asahikawa. The Sunagawa confections that once helped relieve the fatigue of the coalminers have been handed down and are now the delicious sweets of a new generation. One of the treats of a trip to Sunagawa is sampling the various Japanese- and Western-style sweets each shop has to offer. Find your own favorite here on Sunagawa Sweet Road.
Sunagawa Pork Chop – a local gastronomic delight
Sunagawa Pork Chop is a local dish made with Sunagawa tomatoes, onions and the like. Chops can be found not only in Western-style dishes but also in Chinese cuisine, or as a topping for rice and even in burgers. Various types and flavors can be enjoyed depending on each individual establishment. Make your trip even more memorable with Sunagawa’s local dishes made with local ingredients grown in Hokkaido.
Take a detour along the Country Road
Farms offering fruit and vegetables or flowers are dotted along the Country Road, inviting passers-by to drop in and take a look. Why not enjoy a drive along the back roads and enjoy the scenery of the seasons amid the natural surroundings away from the national highway? You might even discover a memorable place all of your own.
Main sightseeing spots
Hokkaido Kodomono-kuni
Children can play amid the natural surroundings all day long here in this park, which includes the Mysterious Forest with playground equipment in the shape of the pyramids, Tower of Pisa, Great Wall of China and the other seven wonders of the world, as well as the Yahono Forest where much of the playground equipment cannot be found elsewhere.
Sunagawa Highway Oasis
A commercial facility linked directly to the north- and southbound carriageways of the Hokkaido Expressway, where a wide range of souvenirs from local Sunagawa shops and famous establishments in Hokkaido can be found. A space where meals can be eaten is also available. Located within the Hokkaido Kodomono-kuni Park, it’s a great place to relax after a drive around the expansive surrounding countryside.
Oasis Park
An aquatic recreation facility built around what was once part of the Ishikari River. The nature trail around the pond is a popular place to relax and watch the wild birds. In summer, hydrangeas add a touch of color and in the evening the sight of the sun setting over Pinneshiri in the Kabato Mountains is beautiful. In winter, pond-smelt fishing can be enjoyed. The flood control basin management building is also open to the public as a rest house. The building contains a number of stained glass widows, and beautiful patterns are created inside as the sunlight that seeps through is reflected onto the walls. After the snow melts, from late April to October 31, rental cycles that can be used to ride around Oasis Park are available free of charge.
The four seasons of Sunagawa
Spring
At the end of the long snowy winter, spring arrives late in Sunagawa. The highlight of this season is the cherry blossoms in Hokko Park. Picnics in the park and cherry blossoms in full bloom are a sign that spring – so longed for by the locals – has finally arrived.
Spring events
The third Sunday in May sees the staging of the Sunagawa Green and Flower Festival in Hokko Park. With its horticulture market and the free distribution of flowers and seedlings, the event provides a true sense of the arrival of spring. Other attractions include performances by singers and stage shows featuring popular characters, which help to bring out the crowds.
Summer
Under the bright blue skies of summer, Sunagawa’s highlights include fields of lavender and sunflowers that bloom on the hillsides. The contrast of the clear blue sky and the carpet of lavender that spreads over the hilly fields of Kurose Lavender Farm is like something cut from a picture postcard. At the Nasu Farm therapy garden, 200,000 sunflowers that are planted each year help create a soothing atmosphere in which the countless visitors can relax. The yellow fields are filled with late blooming sunflowers that flower toward the end of Hokkaido’s short summer.
Summer events
The Love River Sunagawa Summer Festival is a festival held in Oasis Park in early August, and features an elaborate line-up of attractions, including dynamic taiko drum and brass band performances, portable shrines, a fireworks display and more. A variety of food and drinks are also available, helping to attract many visitors from outside the city, too.
Autumn
Enjoying the colorful leaves while walking amid white-birch woodland in a nearby park is one of the delights of autumn in Sunagawa. Hokko Park, where the changing of the seasons can be enjoyed throughout the year, and the view of the distant sunset over Mt. Pinneshiri from the waterside in Oasis Park – locations that offer moments when time stands still and the fatigue of travel is forgotten.
Autumn events
The Hokkaido Sweets Ride in Kita and Naka Sorachi held in late September is a “bicycle picnic” event in which participants cycle around northern and central Sorachi, enjoying the sweets of each town. The event enables participants to enjoy both the rural scenery and the local sweets.
The Sweets Festa held in early November is a large-scale confectionery event at which all the member shops of the Sweet Road Council gather. Limited edition confections that are only available on that day are also on sale.
Winter
One of Sunagawa’s highlights in winter is the frozen surfaces of water covered in light sprinklings of snow. The small, colorful pond-smelt fishing tents are almost like winter flowers painted on a canvas of snow. This snowscape, unique to Oasis Park in winter, provides a sense of the blessings brought to the region by Hokkaido’s main river, the Ishikari River.
Winter events
The Hokkaido Gishi Festival on December 14th is held in and around the Kitasengakuji Temple, which has tomb stones built on soil from the Takanawa Sengakuji Temple in Shiba, Tokyo, where the 47 ronin are enshrined. Every year, on the day of the ronin raid, participants dressed as the 47 ronin march through the streets of Sunagawa.
Sunagawa access
By car
- Approx. 80 km from Sapporo; approx. 100 min. (45 min. by expressway)
- Approx. 60 km from Asahikawa; approx. 70 min. (35 min. by expressway)
- Approx. 90 km from Chitose; approx. 120 min. (45 min. by expressway)
By JR train
- Approx. 50 min. by Limited Express train from Sapporo Sta.
- Approx. 40 min. by Limited Express train from Asahikawa Sta.
- Approx. 90 min. by Limited Express train from New Chitose Airport Sta.
By plane
- Approx. 90 min. to New Chitose Airport from Tokyo (Haneda)
- Approx. 95 min. to Asahikawa Airport from Tokyo (Haneda)
Sunagawa Smart Interchange
A Smart Interchange has opened at the Hokkaido Expressway Sunagawa Service Area, making access between the Sunagawa Highway Oasis parking lot and the public road network possible.
Regarding the use of the Sunagawa Smart Interchange
As the Smart Interchange is an ETC-only (Electronic Toll Collection System) interchange, it cannot be used by vehicles that are not fitted with an ETC device. Please note that it is necessary to stop in front of both the entrance and exit gate before passing through. Please drive slowly and look out for pedestrians within the Sunagawa Service Area and Sunagawa Highway Oasis.
Free Wi-Fi Spots
There are numerous facilities and shops within Sunagawa in which there are Wi-Fi spots that can be used for free. The method of connecting may differ according to the facility in which the spot is located; please confirm with the establishment in question. The facilities and shops with free Wi-Fi spots are listed on the Free Wi-Fi Spot List page (Japanese edition).
To the page containing a list of free Wi-Fi spots (Japanese edition)
Inquiry
Sunagawa Tourism Association
- E-Mail: sunakan@bz01.plala.or.jp
- Phone:+81.125.54.4995
- Facsimile:+81.125.54.4994
