Welcome to the National Parks of Japan
We can be deeply inspired and attain true peace of mind by nature. Our National Parks are places where superb natural wonders are protected and bequeathed to future generations so that they too may be likewise inspired. Therefor, our National Parks are governed by rules and regulations and are the focus of positive actions by a large number of people. Let us begin by clarifying the concept of a National Park.
What are National Parks?
National Parks are locations where development and other types of human activities are restricted in order to protect the superb natural landscapes that are representative of the best that Japan has to offer and where facilities have been installed to provide essential information and other functions to help visitors enjoy the sights and otherwise come in closer contact with nature.
Each National Park has been officially designated by the government (Ministry of the Environment) and is administered pursuant to the Natural Parks Law. As of March 2012, thirty locations throughout the country have been designated a National Park. They cover a total of approximately 2.09 million hectares of land and account for approximately 5.5% of the total land area of Japan.
History of Japan's Natural Parks System
The National Parks Law was enacted in 1931. In 1934, Setonaikai, Unzen, and Kirishima became the first parks to be officially designated National Parks in Japan. In 1957, the National Parks Law underwent a wholesale revision that led to the enactment of the Natural Parks Law, under which the current system of Natural Parks consisting of National Parks, Quasi-National Parks, and Prefectural Natural Park was established. A variety of institutions and frameworks have since been added to this system to facilitate the protection and use of landscapes and enable the finely-tuned management of these parks.
Characteristics of Japan's National Parks
Japan's System of Natural Parks
In Japan, a small and densely populated land that has been managed and used for a broad array of different uses since ancient times, the land comprising National Parks cannot be exclusively allocated as government-owned park land as in such countries as the United States and Australia. For this reason, Natural Parks of Japan has adopted the system that the authority can designate Natural Parks without obtaining the land within the boundaries and impose certain regulations to achieve the purpose of park,, with the result that National Parks in this country encompass privately owned areas to a large extent. Since many people also live inside National Parks and because such industries as agriculture and forestry are also conducted in these areas, National Parks are administered alongside efforts made to accommodate the lives, industries, and other concerns of inhabitants.
[Ise-Shima National Park]
* Privately owned lands account for over 90% of the entire park.
* The majority of state-owned land consists of state-owned forests administered by the Forestry Agency. Land administered by the Ministry of the Environment accounts for approximately 0.2% of all national land in the country.
Protecting landscapes
Protection as set forth in the Natural Parks Law is accorded to natural landscapes, which conceptually differs in strict terms from the "conservation of the natural environment" and the "conservation of biodiversity." Nevertheless, scenic beauty as perceived by people encapsulates not just visual beauty but beauty as experienced through all five senses. By attaining a comprehensive awareness of nature, significant contributions can be made to both the conservation of the natural environment and the conservation of biodiversity.
Activities in National Parks
National parks are also places where knowledge of nature can be cultivated and where visitors can enjoy the nature for reasons related to health and leisure. A wide array of options is available to those who wish to interact with nature. These options include mountain climbing, hiking, skiing, camping, canoeing, snorkeling, birdwatching, and nature-observation activities.
In order to allow these activities to be enjoyed by many people, visitor centers, pedestrian walkways, and guide signs have been erected or installed and guided tour and other events are regularly held.
[Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park]
[Daisen-Oki National Park]