Mount Asahidake

Welcome to the 2025 autumn color reporting on japan-guide.com! As usual we start reporting from Hokkaido's Daisetsuzan National Park, the first place in Japan to see autumn colors.

Today I visited the area around Mount Asahidake, the tallest peak on Hokkaido (2291 meters above sea level), taking the Asahidake Ropeway from Asahidake Onsen (around 1100 meters above sea level) to the upper ropeway station at around 1600 meters above sea level.

The colors around the upper ropeway station and the Susoaidaira Plateau (which is a 60-100 minute hike one-way from the ropeway), were already almost completely gone. Most of the jinguruma (sieversia pentapetala) have lost their red glow and characteristic white fluff, and the nanakamado (Japanese rowan) never really seemed to have developed properly this year. Almost all their leaves had already fallen, and the ropeway's blog has no evidence that they ever reached their spectacular autumnal beauty this year. I am not sure about the reason, but I suspect that the record summer heat played a role in it.

Shortly after 8am it was 6.8 degrees and cloudy at the upper ropeway station
The nanakamado bushes were completely bare of leaves
... and only a few jinguruma hung on to their fluffy tops
The red glow of many jinguruma leaves has started to fade
Mount Asahidake from an observation deck near the ropeway station

Meanwhile the autumn colors are starting to show along the upper half of the ropeway line. Over the coming weeks, they will gradually shift down the slopes.

The vegetation along the lower half of the ropeway ride was still mainly green
But colors have started to appear...
... along the upper half

While the foliage at Asahidake was disappointing this year, nearby Mount Kurodake (although accessed from a completely different direction via Sounkyo) appears to be in better condition. The reason for the difference is unclear to me (less exposure to the sun maybe), but those in search of nice colors may find Mount Kurodake the better destination at the moment.

Even though the season around Asahidake was not at its best, and my visit came slightly after the peak, a trip into Daisetsuzan rarely fails to impress. The sweeping views over the rolling volcanic slopes are beautiful regardless of color. Most dramatic are the vistas deep inside the mountain group, but they require some effort to be reached. Today I completed a circular hike from the ropeway's upper station over the summit of Asahidake, down to the Ohachidaira Caldera, and back through the Susoaidaira Plateau, a route that beautifully showcases the scale and grandeur of Japan's largest national park. It is supposed to take around 7 hours according to my hiking map, but fit hikers should be able to complete it in less time.

Starting the ascent to the summit from the Sugatami Pond
Passing Asahidake's volcanic vents
Clouds wrapped the mountain's summit in the morning
Summit reached!
Starting the descent down the rear of Asahidake
This descent is extremely steep, down loose volcanic rocks
Asahidake from 'behind'
Reaching the massive Ohachidaira Caldera in the middle of the Daisetsuzan Mountains
In the far back in the middle is the summit of Mount Kurodake
Descending into the Susoaidaira Plateau
Along the way there is a natural hot spring, which hikers can use for a foot bath
A rare colorful shrub
Looking over the jinguruma fields of the Susoaidaira Plateau
This was the only colorful row of nanakamado bushes I saw the entire day
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