It has around three hundred and fifty thousand people, a long, cold winter and a reputation for ramen, furniture and sake. The city sits at the confluence of several rivers, and its wide streets and big sky have a frontier feel that suits the island.
The Hokkaido Patchwork Road starts here, and it heads through some of the best riding in Japan. East of the city, the road leads to Biei and Furano, a landscape of rolling hills, flower fields and potato farms divided into a patchwork of colours, with lines of poplars and a few lone trees. To the south-east lies Daisetsuzan, the biggest national park in Japan, where Mount Asahidake, at 2,291 metres, is the highest peak in Hokkaido. The roads are wide and smooth, with long straights and gentle bends, and traffic is light. Summer is short and glorious, with long days, while snow can come in October, so the riding season is brief.
The city has surprises. Asahiyama Zoo, one of Japan's most popular, is famous for its penguin walk in winter and its polar bears viewed through a glass tunnel, and the shopping street, Heiwa-dori, was Japan's first permanent pedestrian mall. The soy-based Asahikawa ramen, with a thick layer of oil that keeps the broth hot, is the local dish, and the sake breweries offer tastings.
Fuel is easy in the city, with many stations, and it is sensible to fill up before leaving, since distances in Hokkaido are long and stations in the countryside often close early. Convenience stores and roadside stations, called michi-no-eki, offer food and rest areas, and local produce is excellent: corn, melons, potatoes and dairy.
Watch for deer and foxes on country roads at dusk. Drive on the left, and enjoy the open land.