Daisetsuzan National Park

Asahidake Visitor Center Multilingual Guidance

Welcome to Daisetsuzan National Park / Higashikawa Town

Higashikawa Town, which is one of the entry points to Daisetsuzan National Park, makes use of its abundant resources and natural landscape filled with the blessings of the Daisetsuzan Mountain Range, for its industry, town development and town life. The plentiful water from the Daisetsuzan Mountain Range is used as water for agricultural and domestic use, and is shipped throughout Japan as “Taisetsu Asahidake Source Water”. The woodworking industry also prospers, and there are many workshops throughout the town. As part of town development, Higashikawa Town declared itself a “Town of Photography” in 1985, and “Culture Capital of Photography” in 2014. In addition to promoting the “development of a photographic town”, it hosts various events, such as the “Higashikawa International Photo Festival” and “National High School Photography Championships”. To convey such attractiveness, measures are being taken toward promoting ecotourism in Higashikawa, and eco tours that are unique to the town such as hiking tours, food-related tours, Guided photo-taking hiking tours, and the like are planned and organized. By participating in such eco tours, you can enjoy Daisetsuzan National Park and Higashikawa Town even more.

What is ecotourism?

Ecotourism is a mechanism that, with the cooperation of the whole community, aims to convey to tourists the attractiveness unique to the region, such as the natural environment and historical culture, and enable the tourists to understand its value and importance, and link it to environmental conservation. Programs based on the concept of ecotourism where one can experience such attractiveness while being conscious of preserving resources, such as nature and culture, are known as eco tours.