Japan's National Parks From Hokkaido Snow Peaks to the Yaeyama Islands

Daisetsuzan occupies the mountainous center of Hokkaido and its name means great snowy mountains. It holds 16 peaks above 2,000 meters, including Asahi-dake, Hokkaido's highest point, and is home to brown bears and pikas.

Kushiro-Shitsugen protects Japan's largest wetland in eastern Hokkaido. Its reedbeds and raised peat bogs shelter the endangered red-crowned crane, and public access is strictly limited to protect the ecosystem.

Akan Mashu protects a volcanic caldera landscape in eastern Hokkaido, designated in 1934 as one of the first national parks. Lake Mashu is among the clearest lakes in the world, and marimo algae balls grow here to notable size.

Towada-Hachimantai spans Aomori, Iwate and Akita prefectures in Tohoku and is made of two areas about 50 kilometers apart. One holds Lake Towada and the Oirase River valley, the other holds Mount Hachimantai and the Tamagawa hot spring.

Oze is Japan's 29th national park, designated in 2007 as its first new national park in twenty years. It centers on the Ozegahara marshes, a Ramsar wetland since 2005, on land that had belonged to Nikko National Park.

Nikko was named an imperial park in 1911 and became a national park in 1934. It holds the Nikko Toshogu shrine and Rinno-ji temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji.

Fuji-Hakone-Izu began in 1936 as Fuji-Hakone National Park and was renamed after the Izu Islands were added in 1950. It is a dispersed set of sites including Mount Fuji, and its closeness to Tokyo makes it the most visited national park in Japan.

Minami Alps protects the Akaishi Mountains of central Honshu, established in 1964. Its peaks pass 3,000 meters and it safeguards the headwaters of the Fuji, Oi and Tenryu rivers.

Hakusan centers on Mount Haku and gained full national park status in 1962 after operating as a quasi-national park from 1955. In 1980 a portion of it was designated a UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve.

Setonaikai protects the Seto Inland Sea and was designated in 1934 as the country's first national park. It includes Itsukushima Shrine and the Naruto whirlpools, and its water quality has recovered since the 1980s.

Aso-Kuju was designated in 1934 as Aso National Park and renamed in 1986 after the Kuju mountains were added. Mount Aso is one of the largest active volcanoes and calderas in the world.

Yakushima was protected in 1964 as part of Kirishima National Park and became independent in 2012. Its ancient cryptomeria forests helped earn UNESCO World Heritage status in 1993, and Mount Miyanoura rises 1,936 meters.

Iriomote-Ishigaki closes the path in the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa. It began as Iriomote National Park in 1972, was expanded in 2007 to include Ishigaki Island, and is best known as the habitat of the Iriomote cat.