The endless nature of Hokkaido means it doesn’t take much searching to find beautiful scenery; even the cities offer views of luscious greenery, kilometers of mountains, and naturally formed lakes. However, the east of Japan’s most northerly island is known as the home of some of the most spectacular scenery of all with several areas gaining national park status making them well worth the visit.
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Eastern Hokkaido is the proud home of three of Hokkaido’s six national parks. Found in one of the most easterly peninsulas of Hokkaido, Shiretoko National Park remains the most celebrated of the parks for its abundance of wildlife and its location bordering the Okhotsk Sea. The region’s other parks include Akan National Park, and Kushiro Wetlands National Park and, the most central of the parks, Daisetsuzan National Park.
While Shiretoko Peninsula lies all the way in the east of Hokkaido, a good half-day drive from the more populous Abashiri City, the reward for traveling all the way out to this rural location is kilometers of breathtaking views of mountains, forests, and the chance to see a number of rare species in their natural habitat. Known as a spot inhabited by brown bears, visitors often spot these fantastic creatures in the river while following the mapped forest paths, as well as great spotted woodpeckers, foxes, and deer. Heading off land into the Okhotsk Sea is the best way to catch sight of whales and dolphins as well as the huge chunks of floating ice that fill the sea in the colder months.
The more accessible, and equally beautiful, parks such as the Akan National Park which is home to a number of lakes including Lake Mashu which is celebrated as the second clearest lake in the world. Hikers often favor Daisetsuzan National Park, the largest of Hokkaido’s national parks, whose myriad mountain routes offer spectacular panoramic views over the center of the island. Traveling down to Kushiro Shitsugen Wetlands National Park, more wildlife is on offer in the form of Japan’s most iconic bird, the crane. These graceful black and white birds are ubiquitous in the wetlands and along the Kushiro River.- Akan-Mashu National Park
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- Hokkaido Kushiroshi , Teshikaga Town, Kawakami gun, others
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- Kushiro National Park
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- Hokkaido Kushiroshi , Kushiro-gun Kushiro-cho, Kawakami gun Shiba-cho, Akan-gun Tsurui Village
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- Daisetsuzan National Park
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- Furano City in Hokkaido, Biei-cho in Kamikawa-gun, Kamifurano-cho in Sorachi-gun, others
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- 0165822574
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- Shiretoko Peninsula
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- Hokkaido Shari-gun Sharicho
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- 0152222125
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