Sounkyo Gorge

Cut into the north foot of the Daisetsuzan range along the upper Ishikari River, Sounkyo is one of Hokkaido's great gorges, with sheer cliffs running for about 24 km. The vertical walls reach about 200 m at their highest, and many waterfalls pour down their faces. It is the gateway to Daisetsuzan National Park, and the hot spring town of Sounkyo Onsen lies deep in the gorge.

The landscape was made by an eruption in the Daisetsuzan volcanic group about 30,000 years ago. Pyroclastic flows settled and hardened into welded tuff, which cracked as it cooled into walls of columnar joints like bundled pillars. The Ishikari River then carved through it over a long time, forming the heart of the gorge known as Obako and Kobako.

The name has a story too. The Ainu people called this area "Kamuy Mintara," the garden where the gods play. In 1921 (Taisho 10), the writer Omachi Keigetsu visited and is thought to have chosen the characters for "Sounkyo" from the sound of "Sounpet" (a river with waterfalls), the Ainu name of the Soun-betsu River at the gorge entrance.

The best-known sights are Ryusei no Taki and Ginga no Taki, side by side on the left bank of the Ishikari River. Ryusei, falling in one thick line about 90 m, is called the male fall, while Ginga, spreading in fine strands, is called the female fall; together they are known as the "couple falls" and are among Japan's 100 Best Waterfalls. A climb of about 20 minutes up the slope behind the parking lot brings you to Sobakudai, where both falls can be seen at once.

For a different view, take the Kurodake Ropeway and chairlift to the seventh station of Mt. Kurodake (1,984 m). From that height you look down on the gorge and out over the Daisetsuzan range, and the summit is about an hour's walk further. Snow remains until July and first snow can fall in September, so proper mountain gear is essential.

There is something for every season: rafting and hiking in summer, autumn leaves lining the cliffs, and in winter dog-sled rides, open-air baths in the snow and the Sounkyo Onsen Hyobaku (ice waterfall) Festival with lit-up ice sculptures. The present forest grew from planting of Sakhalin spruce after wind-felled timber damage from the 1954 Toya Maru typhoon.

Seeing the main sights of the gorge takes about half a day, or a full day if you go on to Kurodake. There is a free parking lot for about 200 cars. By car it is about 25 minutes from Kamikawa-Sounkyo IC on the Asahikawa-Monbetsu Expressway; by public transport, about 30 minutes by bus from JR Kamikawa Station. Staying at Sounkyo Onsen and walking the quiet gorge in the morning is a good way to enjoy it.