Asahikawa Trip - Asahiyama Zoo

Hi,
I will be driving into Asahikawa on 4th(Sat) & 5th Aug (Sun), from Kitami on the 4th and leaving for Sapporo on the 5th Aug.

So far I only have the following items on my list for Asahikawa:
1. Visit Asahiyama Zoo
2. Go to Asahikawa ramen village for dinner
3. Visit Hokuryu sunflower

Questions:
1. How long should I plan for the trip to the zoo?
2. Any advice if I should go to the zoo on Sat afternoon or Sunday morning? Will I face any problems getting free parking on these days?
3. Is there a better time (e.g. morning, afternoon) to visit the Hokuryu sunflower fields? Is there some sunflower festival at Hokuryu?

Thanks!

The annual festival of Himawari Matsuri is going to be held from July 21 to August 25 this year.
http://www.town.hokuryu.hokkaido.jp/kanko/himawari_matsuri/poster2012....

Morning is the best time for the sunflower fields in Himawari no Sato as all the flowers will be facing in one direction when the sun comes up. We are told that during noon when the sun is overhead the flowers will not uniformly be facing the same direction as there is light all around.

Hi hushpuppies

I'm now living in Hokkaido. About your questions 1 and 2:

1. How long should I plan for the trip to the zoo?

During off-season, it usually takes 3 hours from Kitami to Asahikawa if you drive along National Road #39. During on-season (July and August), however, it is expected to take one or two more hours to reach the zoo. You will see bad traffic congestion around the Asahiyama zoo.

On August 4, you should leave Kitami earlier than 8:00 am (starting earlier than 7:30 am is preferred), so that you can reach the zoo around the noon. It means that you have to depart from Kitami just after you finish eating breakfast.

2. Any advice if I should go to the zoo on Sat afternoon or Sunday morning? Will I face any problems getting free parking on these days?

Due to your rather tight itinerary schedule, you should visit the zoo on Saturday afternoon, so that you can visit the Hokuryu sunflower fields on Sunday morning, as recommended by William5.

About free parking around the Asahiyama zoo. The zoo's free parking can accept 945 cars, but this free parking will always become full, particularly during on-season.

Around the zoo, there are also pay parking lots which can accept 1,750 cars (500 yen / one day) in total. When you usually reach the zoo, you will see several people waving their hands and guiding you to somewhere. They are basically the staffs trying to conduct you to "pay" parking lots.

So, at first, IGNORE their guidance if you find "500 yen" on the panel there, and move to the free parking to see if there is any empty space. If you can't find any empty free space, then return to a pay parking lot with following the staffs.

It is highly likely that you can not find any empty space in the free parking.

Thanks both!

Is the zoo big? For the average visitor, how much time is needed to cover the entire zoo?

Sorry, another question. Does it make sense for me to check-in to the hotel (i'm staying at dormy inn asahikawa) first before proceeding to the zoo? Or it would be a waste or time?

If I should go direct to the zoo, I will need to change the check-in timing of my hotel booking.

Is the zoo big? For the average visitor, how much time is needed to cover the entire zoo?

The zoo is not so large (150,000 sq meters) . It is roughly 30 times as large as one football (soccer) playing ground. Formerly, this zoo was a small animal land for local community.

It is said that the average staying time for fast-pace visitors during off-season is about three hours. but some slow-pace visitors are staying there for five hours to cover the entire zoo.

Staying there for 3 hours means that you can not enter all facilities, because you will see many people are standing in line in front of you at some of the popular facilities such as Seals House and Polar Bears House.