Japan's Other National Parks, From the Hokkaido Coast to the Okinawa Forest

Start at the northwestern tip of Hokkaido, where the park was designated on September 20, 1974. Mount Rishiri rises 1,721 meters above its island, while the Sarobetsu Plain on the mainland is a Ramsar-listed peat bog.

Designated on June 25, 2024 as the country's 35th national park, this is the newest stop on the path. Its territory nearly doubled from an earlier quasi-national park boundary, which makes it Japan's largest national park by land area.

Created on May 24, 2013 after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, the park runs along the Sanriku Coast. Uplifted cliffs in the north, including the eight-kilometer Kitayamazaki cliffs, give way to a submerged ria coastline around Jodogahama beach.

Designated on September 5, 1950, the park spans Fukushima, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures and is the third largest in Japan. Its Dewasanzan-Asahi region holds the Three Mountains of Dewa, sacred to the Shugendo ascetic tradition.

Established on July 10, 1950 where the Kanto and Chubu regions meet, the park touches Tokyo itself. It holds eight peaks above 2,000 meters and is the source of the Arakawa, Shinano, Tama and Fuji rivers.

Designated on December 4, 1934, this park protects the Hida Mountains, known as the Northern Alps. Several peaks pass 3,000 meters, and the Azusa River, where Japan's longest river the Shinano begins, runs through the Kamikochi valley.

Established on February 1, 1936 across Mie, Nara and Wakayama, the park pairs Mount Yoshino and its cherry blossoms with Nachi Falls and the Kumano Hongu Taisha shrine. It includes sections of the Kii Mountain Range pilgrimage routes recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

First designated as Daisen National Park in 1936, it was expanded and renamed in 1961 to include the Oki Islands. Mount Daisen anchors the volcanic landscape, and the park also protects the Izumo Plain, home to the Shinto shrine Izumo-taisha.

Established on November 10, 1972, the park protects the southwestern tip of Shikoku. Cape Ashizuri, the southernmost point of the island, has subtropical vegetation and granite cliffs above the Pacific, and is linked to Nakahama Manjiro, traditionally the first Japanese person to visit the United States.

Designated on March 16, 1955 as the country's 18th national park, it protects more than 400 islands off Nagasaki Prefecture. The Kujuku Islands, the Hirado Peninsula and the Goto Islands offer inlets and high cliffs, with a mild climate that supports tree ferns.

First designated in 1934 as Unzen National Park, it was renamed in 1956 when the Amakusa islands were added. It takes its name from the active volcano Mount Unzen and from an area tied to the early history of Christianity in Japan and the hidden Christian tradition.

Designated on March 16, 1934 as Kirishima-Yaku National Park, it was renamed in 2012 after Yakushima became its own park. It joins the volcanic highlands around Mount Kirishima with the shore of Kagoshima Bay and the active volcano Sakurajima.

Established on March 7, 2017 out of an earlier quasi-national park designation, the park covers eight subtropical islands in Kagoshima Prefecture. It protects coral reefs, mangrove forests and tidal flats, and shelters endemic species such as the Amami rabbit.

Established on September 15, 2016 as the country's 33rd national park, it protects subtropical evergreen laurel forest at the northern end of Okinawa Island. It was inscribed in 2021 as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the Ryukyu Islands.

The path ends in the Kerama Islands, designated on March 5, 2014 out of the former Okinawa Kaigan Quasi-National Park. The park holds 248 species of reef-building coral and is habitat for green sea turtles, wintering humpback whales and the Kerama deer.