Shopping
Shopping in Asahikawa
Being such a large city, there are many, many shops. The epicentre of shopping in
Asahikawa is along Kaimono Koen, the street that is only open to pedestrian traffic. The shopping strip starts opposite the train station and continues for 13 blocks.
Ski and Snowboard Equipment and Clothing
There are a couple of very large ski and snowboard shops in the “suburbs” of Asahikawa on the No. 39, approximately 15 minutes from downtown. Look for the big A-frame building on the left, with the other large ski shop almost opposite. These shops have a big range of ski and board hard-wear, and provide a good opportunity to purchase fat skis at a very reasonable price. One of the Powderhounds purchased Salomon fat skis for about ¥40,000.
These shops also have a large range of outdoor, ski and snowboard clothing, but if you’re into the “luxury” brands you might be somewhat disappointed as they are either absent or negligible. They sell a little Descente clothing, but it’s only in the budget range.
General Shopping
There are large multi-storey department stores along the shopping strip in the first few blocks near the train station. Even if you don’t want to shop, they make a great sojourn to get out of the cold as you’re walking along the street. Seibu is a large department store opposite the train station. Other stores are Okuno, Marukatsu, Maruiimai and Exc! Girls if you’re looking to go clothes shopping, you’ll need to be a small size.
Grocery Shopping
It seems as though there’s a convenience store on every second corner in Asahikawa, and there are also many supermarkets. The Seibu, Maruiimai and Marukatsu department stores have supermarkets on the basement floor.
Souvenir Shopping
There are many shops selling typical Japanese kitsch trinkets. Knock yourself out!
Banking Facilities
May 2007 saw the significant launch of ATMs in 7-Eleven stores in Japan. There are various 7-Eleven stores in Asahikawa, but one close to the train station is on the corner of 9th street and 1st avenue. At the train station there are a couple of ATMs with Cirrus/Maestro symbols on them (ie for international users), but with multiple attempts we could not get them to give us any Yen. There are also banks galore with ATMs in downtown Asahikawa, but not the type you’ll be after.