Daisetsuzan National Park

Daisetsuzan National Park, one of five national parks on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The park, which gained national park status in 1934, is 2,309 sq km (891 sq mi) in area. It is set in the heart of the island, amid rugged hill and mountain territory. The mountains include three groups of volcanoes and the Ishikari range. The highest peak is Asahi Dake, 2,290 m (7,513 ft) above sea level. The scenery is spectacular, with gorges, cliffs, and waterfalls. Several of Hokkaido’s rivers have their beginnings in the park. Interspersed among them are huge alpine meadows and dense conifer forests. The wildlife within the park is extremely varied. It includes the Yezo (Hokkaido’s former name) brown bear, Asiatic black bear, the Yezo red fox (found nowhere else in Japan), badgers, sika deer, and macaques. Another animal not found on Japan’s other islands is the pika, a rabbitlike creature the size of a guinea pig.