Sōunkyō

nihongo|Sōunkyō|層雲峡| is a range of gorges located in Kamikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan. Situated in the Daisetsuzan National Park, the area is known for its hotels and onsen (hot springs) resorts as well as waterfalls and magnificent cliffs scenery. The term "Sōunkyō" means respectively the layer (層), cloud (雲) and gorge (峡) in Japanese, and the origin of the name is a word "Souunbetsu" in Ainu language, which means "the river with many waterfalls". [ [http://mytown.asahi.com/hokkaido/news.php?k_id=01000430711010001 asahi.com] ]

History

The geography of the gorge and surrounding area were formed by the eruption of Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group, which was occurred in around 30,000 years ago. The welded tuff was piled up after the eruption, and it was gradually eroded by the water of Ishikari River, which currently streams between gorges. Thus, ragged steep cliffs in Sōunkyō were shaped, which range over 24 kilometres [http://town.kamikawa.hokkaido.jp/web/PD_Cont.nsf/0/8F8C72455EA0873949256D6C00289DD4?OpenDocument Kamikawa town official homepage] ] and have a number of joints around 200 metres in height [ [http://www.google.co.jp/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=10&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesis.ceri.go.jp%2Fcenter%2Fdoc%2Fgeppou%2Fchishitsu%2F0005405040.pdf&ei=VVFAR9yVCaa0sQLLuqWgCQ&usg=AFQjCNHtVftg6RtBQd9idoBj4M1OFAaZlw&sig2=1gaiLWYn46OcINY91cn6OA The rock evaluation analyzed by quantification theory II at Sounkyo Gorge Area] (pdf file)] [http://www.dbj.go.jp/hokkaido/localdata/local/sounkyo.html The Reborn of Sōunkyō] ] .

In 1957, stores and hotels which have located in the surrounding areas of Sōunkyō were moved and relocated to Sōunkyō under the conduct of the Kamikawa government, which became the origin of the Sōunkyō Onsen (hot springs) Resort. This was a part of the plan to arrange Kamikawa town by the government, and the resort has thrived with many hotels and souvenir shops, formerly constructed for mountaineers, although later they have decayed due to the other resorts in Hokkaidō such as Shiretoko.

To renovate its decayed resorts in Sōunkyō, the town and Ministry of the Environment collaborated and planned a reconstruction scheme in 1987. 36 buildings which have located in the area were demolished and integrated into 18 hotels, which were designed with ivory coloured walls and sharp roofs representing Daisetsuzan. Most of the onsen resorts were completed in July 1998, and many tourists have visited. Currently, the annual number of tourists is 3 million. Recently, the center of the onsen resorts were arranged as the "Canyon Mall", which was modeled after the mountain resorts located in Canada. [ [http://www.as.hkd.mlit.go.jp/taidam/map/index.html Daisetsu Dam Management Office] ]

Overview

The gorge is known not only for its hot springs and hotel resorts, but also the natural sceneries. The nihongo|Ginga no Taki|銀河の滝|waterfall of the galaxy and nihongo|Ryusei no Taki|流星の滝|waterfall of the falling star are one of the sceneries in Sōunkyō, both were selected as one of the 100 waterfalls in Japan. [ [http://www.mapion.co.jp/topics/waterfall/ mapion 100 waterfalls in Japan] ] . The Daisetsuzan Sōunkyō Kurodake Ropeway is located on the slope of the gorge, and tourists can get the ropeway and chair lift to climb the mountain. The Sōunkyō Visitor Center is located near the resorts, which houses picture panels on the walls displaying the scenes of Sōunkyō, and guide for the visitors.

In every January, the Sōunkyō Hyōbaku Festival is held at the riverbed of Ishikari River, and many ice statues and objects are constructed, some of which are illuminated with colourful lights. Tourists are able to buy souvenirs and hot drinks in some stores located in the venue, and fireworks are displayed on weekends. Other events held in this festival include dance of the Ainu tribe and Yosakoi Soran team, and taiko play.

Sources

External links

* [http://www.walkingstories.com/story_details.cfm/story_ID/102/menu_ID/2/title/Sounkyo_Gorge Sounkyo Gorge, Viewpoint and Waterfalls]
* [http://kanko.pref.hokkaido.jp/kankodb/foreign/e/n1_kei03.htm Sounkyo Gorge - Charm of Hokkaido]