Hokkaido has the following six National Parks:
1. Daisetsuzan National Park:
The largest national park in Japan, more or less in the center of Hokkaido, near Asahikawa. Called the "Roof of Japan" for its large volcanoes as Mt Asahidake (2290 meters high), Mt Tomuraushi and Mt Tokachi. There are extensive fir and spruce forests on the slopes, and higher up the area is known for its alpine flora. Picturesque gorges are the Sounkyo Gorge and Tenninkyo Gorge, which feature hot springs.
2. Akan National Park:
A dramatic landscape with large volcanoes and caldera lakes. The lakes are Lake Akan, Lake Kussharo and Lake Mashu (known as a "mysterious lake" for its particular water clarity). In Lake Akan a rare plant, the mashimo, is found. The lakes are hemmed in by the volcanoes Mt Meakan, Mt Oakan and Mt Kamuinupuri, their flanks covered with spruce and fir forests. There are splendid views from the Bihoro Pass and Lake Mashu. Hot spring resorts can be found on the shores of Lake Akan and in Kawayu and Teshikaga.
3. Shiretoko National Park:
A 65 km long peninsula on the NE side of Hokkaido, protruding into the Sea of Ochotsk. The backbone of the peninsula is formed by a series of volcanoes as Mt Rausu, Mt Iwo and Mt Shiretoko. There are also primeval fir and spruce forests and beautifully dramatic cliffs, from which waterfalls drop directly into the sea. Ezo brown bears live in the interior, as well as deer and foxes, a wide variety of while seafowls breed on the coast. Shiretoko ("the end of the earth" in the Ainu langauge) is the most unspoiled of all national parks in Japan. Roads only lead partly into the peninsula. In 2005 Shiretoko was put on the Unesco World heritage list for its biodiversity and valuable ecosystem.
4. The Kushiro Shitsugen National Park:
The Kushiro marsh is the largest wetland in Japan. It consists of a vast reed plain, alder forests, and the meandering Kushiro River, all hemmed in on the far horizon by the Akan mountains. It is known for its sacred cranes, but also dragonflies and salamanders. It is the first registered Ramsar Convention site in Japan.
5. Reshiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park:
The most northern one, consisting of the coastal area of Wakkanai, the Sarobetsu Plain and the islands Rishiri and Rebun. Rishiri is a large volcano (called Rishiri-Fuji), 20 km off the coast, and almost round in form, 15 kilometers in diameter. It stands 1721 meters high and is a hard climb. Rebun is 10 kilometers NW of Rishiri and is flatter (though hilly) and known for its wildflowers. It is 25 kilometers long and the west coast is beautifully eroded by the sea. Sarobetsu is a large wetland, as well as a series of sand dunes.
6. Shikotsu-Toya National Park:
Located in SW Hokkaido, the park in fact consists of three separate areas, Mt Yotei (also called Ezo-Fuji), Lake Toya and Lake Shikotsu. Lake Shikotsu is encircled by active volcanoes as Mt Eniwa and Mt Tarumae. South of the lake are the popular Jozankei and Noboribetsu spas. Lake Toya is a caldera lake with new volcanoes as Mt Usu and Mt Showa-Shinzan - that last one rose from the plain in 1944. On the lakeside lies Toyako spa. In 2000 Mt Usu again erupted; since then, the spa town has recovered from the damage.
[for Japan's National Parks, see also the homepage of the Ministry of the Environment]
