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The first national parks in Japan were established in 1931 to designate and preserve places of scenic natural beauty for people to enjoy. They included the coastal areas around the Seto Inland Sea and the mountainous areas of Kirishima and Unzen Amakusa. Today, there are over 30 national parks scattered across the country from the northern tip of Hokkaido to the southernmost islands of Okinawa.

Japan's national parks cover a wide range of environments including volcanoes, forests, marshes, beaches, coastlines and underwater marine habitats. Visitors to the parks can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, boating, fishing, snorkeling, diving and hot springs. Some parks have also established eco tourism activities such as whale and dolphin watching and guided nature hikes.

Hokkaido

Kushiro Shitsugen National Park

Tohoku Region

Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi prefectures

Sanriku Recovery National Park

Kanto Region

Gunma, Fukushima, Niigata and Tochigi prefectures

Oze National Park

Chubu Region

Ishikawa, Gifu, Fukui and Toyama prefectures

Hakusan National Park

Kansai Region

Chugoku Region

Kyushu

Nagasaki, Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures

Unzen Amakusa National Park

Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures

Kirishima Kinkowan National Park

Yakushima National Park

Okinawa & Amami

Amami Gunto National Park