- July 7th, 2016
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[Kamuikotan in Asahikawa] Good Place to See Fall Foliage That Violent and Resistant God Used to Live
CONTENTS
Kamuikotan
Kamuikotan (神居古潭) is a picturesque scenery in the southwestern part of Asahikawa city, and the Asahikawa city keeps former Kamuikotan Station as a park between Fukagawa City and the Asahikawa city. A combination of meandering and rocks is beautiful scenery, and here is well-known as a good place to see fall foliage and a haunted place, too. There are Kamui Rocks (神居岩), Kamui Bridge (神居大橋), Steam Locomotives, the former Kamuikotan Station (旧神居古潭駅舎), a cycle track, a monument in memory of Takeko Kujo (九条武子), Minamiyama Shoten (南山商店), 2 parking lots and a public restroom in the site. Visitors can go up the Kamui Rocks with 233 m in height, too. It takes about 30-60 minutes on foot. Kotan Festival (こたんまつり) is held on autumn equinox holiday (Sep 23 or 24). Admission free. The parking lots are free of charge. By the way, Kamuikotan Pit Dwellings Ruins (神居古潭竪穴住居遺跡) is near here, too.
Movie of Kamuikotan Festival
Movie of Kotan Festival
High Speed Asahikawa-go (高速あさひかわ号) and Express Nayoro-go (高速なよろ号), express buses, runs between the Asahikawa and the Sapporo, and Taisetsu Liner (たいせつライナー), an express bus, runs between the Asahikawa and the New Chitose Airport, and Sunrise Asahikawa-Kushiro-go (サンライズ旭川・釧路号), an express bus, runs between the Asahikawa and Kushiro, and Limited Express Sekihoku-go (特急石北号), an express bus, runs between the Kitami and Asahikawa, and “North Liner-go (ノースライナー号)”, an express bus, runs between the Asahikawa and Obihiro. Besides, Rent-a-car can be rented around Asahikawa Station and Asahikawa Airport.
ASAHIKAWA
Asahikawa (旭川) that about 340,000 people live is the 2nd largest commercial city in Hokkaido, and has flourished as the center of the North Hokkaido area. Woodworks have been prosperous since the old days, and furniture is famous. Because water is clear, a liquor such as sake of Otokoyama (男山) and Godo Shusei (合同酒精) are famous, too. Popular tourist attractions such as Asahiyama Zoo (旭山動物園) and Biei (美瑛) are around the Asahikawa, so a lot of tourists use tourist bases in the North Hokkaido. As for a climate, the Asahikawa is located in Kamikawa Basin, the largest basin in the Hokkaido, so it is hot that temperature rises to 30 degrees C in a summer, and it is cold that temperature falls to -25 degrees C in a winter, and it snow very hard, too. So a winter festival using the snow is famous. Read More
Look of Park
Originally this place is famous as a sacred place for Ainu people, and the Kamuikotan means “God lives” in Ainu language. Kamuikotan Ninne Kamui (カムイコタンニッネカムイ * violent and resistant god) lived here in Ainu period, and watned to destroy the Ainu people once, but he was brought down by Samaikuru (サマイクル * guardian deity). Because there were a lot of strangely shaped rocks and mysterious stones, and here was a difficult spot for crusing, the Kamuikotan was called a village of violent and resistant god. A view of Kamui Bridge across Ishikari River is very nice.
Movie of Kamui Bridge
The Steam Locomotives were displayed when I crossed the bridge, and there was the former Kamuikotan Station, and a cycling course was built on old tracks. The Kamuikotan Station was built in 1901, and has been designated as a cultural property since 1991. Everbody can enter freely. By the way, the cycling course was closed to traffic because of a landslide, and Unfortunately I could not come close to the Steam Locomotives.
Movie of Steam Locomotive
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The Minamiyama Shoten is near the Kamui Bridge, and they sell a perilla juice as a local speciality of Kamuikotan. The price is JPY 100 per cup. It was a good old taste like Ume Gum and the sour was comfortable in a hot summer.
The Kamuikotan is famous as a good place to see the fall foliage, too. Rugged rocks along the Ishikari River go well with the fall foliage. The best time to see it is from early October to late October.
Atmosphere of Kamuikotan Can Be Watched on Youtube
Movie of Kamuikotan
| Admission fee | Free of charge |
|---|---|
| Parking lot | Free parking is provided (7 cars) |
| Business hour | Open 24 hours |
| Regular closing day | Winter season |
| Telephone number | +81-166-23-0090 |
| Home page | Home page is here |
| Mapcode | 655 519 527*34 |
List of Accommodations
Refer to following websites for the accommodations around the Kamuikotan. You can get information regarding online reviews and photos.
Fukagawa
Asahikawa
A page of Asahikawa is here
Asahikawa
A page of Hokkaido Fall Foliage is here
Hokkaido Fall Foliage
By the way, Club Tourism (クラブツーリズム), a Japanese tour travel agency, provides various types of tours such as day trip tours or ordinary tours. In the case of bus tours, tourists do not drive their cars themselves, so they can savor alcohol. Choosen tourist attractions are national parks such as Rishiri and Rebun, Shiretoko, and popular tourist places such as Furano and Biei, and some activities such as hiking and fruit picking are also enjoyed depending on seasons. If you are interested in tour trips, you should visit the club tourism's website for details.
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