Things to do in Japan, Japan: The Best National Parks

Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park was first established as the Ashizuri National park in 1955. It became the Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park in 1972 after designating the Uwakai area and the Marine Park zone as park additions. The main feature of this park is the diverse landscape which consists of coastal areas including islands in the southwest part of Shikoku and inland mountains with an altitude of around 1,000 m. Cliffs developed from coastal terraces extend in the Ashizuri area, and subtropical marine life and coral communities, blessed by the Kuroshio Current, can be found. Meanwhile, delicate coves of the submergent coastline and island scenery are a few of many charms of the Uwakai area, and beautiful underwater scenery centered around soft corals can be appreciated.

The Aso-Kuju National Park was established in 1934. The major features of this park are Mt. Aso standing tall in the massive caldera, a group of volcanoes stretching in its north such as Kuju Mountain Range, and majestic and gentle grasslands spreading around them. In the vicinity of Mt. Aso in the south of the park, a series of magnificent and breathtaking scenery including a fuming crater of Mt. Nakadake, a beautiful volcanic cone of Komezuka, vast Kusaseringahama Beach, surrounding crater basins, and a somma can be appreciated. In addition, solfataric phenomena can be found all over the central region of the park. Other highlights are distinctive views of volcanoes scattered around, extensive grasslands such as Kuju Highland and Handa Highland, and academically valuable moors such as Tadewara Moor and Bogatsuru Moor.

Setonaikai National Park together with Unzen and Kirishima were designated as the first national parks of Japan in 1934. Th­e vast area of the sea surrounded by four straits of Kitan, Naruto, Kanmon, and Hoyo, the islands within, and the land area overlooking such sea and islands have been assigned as the park areas. Th­e park area extends over 11 prefectures and is the largest national park in Japan with over 900,000 hectares including the sea area. It features archipelago landscapes of the inland sea which is comprised of a large number of islands of various sizes. There are many scenic spots along the coastline where these extraordinary landscapes can be observed.

Daisetsuzan National Park is Japan’s largest mountain park, located in the central part of Hokkaido. Daisetsuzan is a mountain group featuring Hokkaido’s highest mountain “Asahidake” as its main peak, including the source areas of Hokkaido’s representative rivers: Ishikawa River and Tokachi River. Daisetsuzan is called “the Roof of Hokkaido.” This mighty presence of massive mountains and deep canyons overwhelms people. The Tokachi Mountain Range area is a volcanic group with an active volcano, Mt. Tokachi, in the center. The famous views of Biei’s wide fields at the mountain foot and the ridgelines and valleys of the mountain range across agricultural fields and forests far from the Kamifurano area are spectacular.

The Nikko National Park is one of the first national parks in Japan that was established on December 4, 1934. The park area covers three prefectures, which are Fukushima, Tochigi and Gunma with a total area of 114,908 ha. Most of the park area is a mountainous area belonging to the Nasu volcanic belt and is spread into the following mountains: Mt. Shirane (Mt. Nikko-Shirane) with an altitude of 2,578 m which is the highest mountain in the North Kanto, Mt. Nantai with an altitude of 2,486 m which is known as a sacred mountain from the ancient times, and Mt. Chausu (Mt. Nasu) with an altitude of 1,917 m which is still an active volcano. Further, plateaus spread at the foot of these mountains, to which crater lakes, impressive waterfalls and gorges with beautiful autumn leaves add colors. Meanwhile, a perfect fusion of several historic buildings including shrines and temples registered as the World Cultural Heritage sites and the surrounding natural landscapes can be appreciated.

Shiretoko, which originated from the Ainu word, “Shiri Etoku” which means “far corner of the earth” is exactly located at the northernmost tip of Japan (excluding the Northern Territories). Shiretoko National Park is characterized by the rugged grand landscape formed by volcanic activities and drift ice as well as abundant wildlife. In particular, large mammals such as brown bears and killer whales as well as a number of large endangered raptors inhabit the park. With them at the top of the hierarchy, a variety of wild animals strongly cohabit together. Such biodiversity and the link between ecosystems of the sea, river, and forest were highly valued, and Shiretoko was registered as a World Natural Heritage site in July 2005.

With Mt. Fuji located at its northern end, Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park is a symbol of Japan as a volcanic country. It is comprised of various volcanic landforms within the Fuji volcanic belt as well as hot springs, richly varying coastlines, and islands. Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park is divided into four areas: The Mt. Fuji Area, which is centered on Mt. Fuji and includes lakes, swamps, and plateaus in the surrounding area; The Hakone Area, which served as a post town on the Tokaido Road and has been renowned through the ages as a hot spring area; The Izu Peninsula Area, which offers the appeal of the Amagi mountain range, richly varying coastlines, and hot springs; and The Izu Islands Area, which comprises the seven islands in the Izu Shichito Island chain, including Oshima Island and Miyake Island, which even today are active volcanoes.

Sanriku Fukko National Park is a national park established in May 2013 in order to contribute to the reconstruction of the Sanriku area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The size of the park is approximately 250km in lengthwise. The northern part has magnificent large cliffs called the “Alps of the Sea,” and the southern part continues with an elegantly shaped ria coast. On the coast, there are breeding grounds of seabirds such as the black-tailed gull and the streaked shearwater. In addition, a variety of coastal plants adapted to the cold sea fog (Yamase: cold, moist easterly winds) and the unique coastal environment are growing, and wildlife can be observed closely.Eelgrass beds and seaweed beds have been formed in the shallow sea area, and they are also a place to support marine biodiversity.