Some famous National Parks in Japan are-
- The Daisetsuzan National Park is the biggest national park in Japan. The area has 3 volcanic ranges and many beautiful forested areas with coniferous trees. The spectacular Sounkyo Gorge is also located in this park.
- The Nikko National Park is spread over 80,000 hectares of land. Aside from the many elegant cedars it shelters, the national park is also home to numerous lakeside resorts. The park is also home to the Toshugu Shrine and tombs of the Tokugawa nobles.
- The Akan National Park in the island of Hokkaido is popular for adventure sports like hiking and skiing, the lakes in the region are great for canoing and fly fishing. The forested regions are full of dark evergreens. The largest Japanese Mountain Lake Kussharo is also located in the area.
- The Ise-Shima National Park is best known for being the birthplace of the Japanese Cultured Pearl industry. This seaside national park area in Japan is famous for oyster farming. Japan's most venerated shrine the Ise Grand Shrine is located here.
- The Shikotsu-Toya National Park in Hokkaido is famous for it's lakeside resorts and onsen spas.
- The Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park located in the foothills of the Fuji is one of the most popular National Parks in Japan. The park is a weekend getaway for the locals and a favored travel destination for tourists, with its attractions like the Onsens, breathtaking scenery with the Fuji in the background and the ruins of the historic Tokaido Highway.
- The Unzen-Amakusa National Park in Kyushu's high altitude region is one of the most beautiful resort areas in Japan. Visitors can relax the Onsen or hike through the super hot geysers, locally referred to as Hells.
| Tourist Attractions in Japan |
| Mount Fuji | Tokyo Skytree |
| Tokyo Disneyland | Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan |
| Universal Studios Japan | Tokyo National Museum |
| Sensō-ji Temple | Nagoya Castle |
| Tokyo Tower | Fuji-Q Highland |
| Ghibli Museum | Kiyomizu-dera |
Japanese Mountains
One of the most famous Japan Mountains is undoubtedly the majestic Mount Fuji, annually visited by hundreds of thousands. Like most Mountains in Japan , the Fuji is both venerated as a shrine as well as a popular tourist attraction because of it's perfect shape and beauty.Mountaineering, skiing, hiking and trekking through the Moutains in Japan are popular leisure activities in Japan, both among tourists and locals.
Naruhito, the Crown Prince of Japan is also a mountaineering enthusiast. There are a number of Alpine Clubs and regular Hiking Tours organized in the Mountains of Japan , which give evidence to the popularity of these activities. Not just professionals but amateurs also set about to explore the Japan Mountains, most are famed for their beautiful scenery and easy hiking trails.
Some of the tallest Moutains in Japan are-
- Mount Fuji, measuring 3776 m in height
- Mount Kita-dake, which is 3193 m tall
- Mount Hodaka-dake, which measures 3190 m in height
- Mount Aino, which is 3189 m tall
- Mount Yariga-take, which measures 3180 m in height
- Mount Warusawa, which has a height of 3141 m
- Mount Akaishi-dake which has a height of 3120 m
- Mount Karasawa, measuring 3110 m in height
- Mount Kita-hotaka, which has a height of 3106 m
- Mount Mae-hotaka which is 3090 m high
- Mount Ontake, which is 3067 m tall
- Mount Notoridake, measuring 3026 m in height
- Mount Tate-yama, which is 3015 m in height
Japanese Temples are the most sacred places that represent the faith of the Japanese people. Temples in Japan also reflect the cultural heritage of Japan and safeguard the tradition of Japan. Almost each and every municipal area incorporates atleast one Japanese temple, while great cultural regions include thousands of temples.
The common construction model of Japanese temples includes the following structures:
- Lecture hall : Lecture halls are commonly known as "kodo" and are used mainly for lectures and gathering.
- Main hall : Popularly known as butsuden or kondo, Main Hall is used for exhibiting holy articles of worship.
- Gates : Usually denotes the door way of the Buddhist Temples. Usually in Buddhist Temples, number of gates including 'main gates' as well as minor gates are found.
- Pagoda : The structure of Pagoda is derived from Indian 'Stupa'.Commonly Pagodas restore traces of the Buddha such as his 'tooth' and so on.
- Cemetery : Usually the Japanese visit their ancestor's Cemetery in temple areas, through out the year, particularly on the obon week.
- Bell : Especially on the eve of New Year, temple bells are resounded for 108 times, which are related to the Buddhist notion of 108 materialistic wishes.
- Toji Temple
- Byodoin Temple
- Garan Temple
- Zojoji Temple
- Kotokuin Temple
- Tokeiji Temple
- Myohonji Temple
- Daigoji Temple
- Kofukuji Temple
- Ninnaji Temple
- Ginkakuji Temple
- Horiyuji Temple
Museums in Japan
Japan is remarkable for the sheer number and varieties of museums that are found here.Antiquities and artifacts, arts and craft, films and theatre, music and animation, the royalty and even pop icons like John Lennon and Hello Kitty find a place in the myriad exhibits in Museums in Japan .
Japan Museums are present in almost every Japanese town and city highlighting the area's culture and history. There are also Museums for most Prefectures in Japan, which showcases the remarkable heritage of the area. The National Museum of Japanese History houses a splendid collection and is located in Tokyo. Art Museums in Japan
Japan has many recognized Art Museums displaying the finest period and contemporary Arts and Sculptures. The Art Museums in Japan showcase the rich culture and fine art sensibilities of the Japanese through the Ages.
- The University Art Museum - Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
- Sapporo Art Park
- Mokichi Okada Association (MOA) Museum of Art
- Mori Art Museum
- Paper Museum
- Setagaya Art Museum
The Japanese Museums of History contain diverse exhibits from the different period in Japanese history. The ancient lifestyle and the complex Japanese civilization is explored through the exhibits which include old samurai armor, delicate pottery, archeology samples, samples of clothing, models of ancient castles etc.
- Edo-Tokyo Museum
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
- Museum Meijimura
National museums all over Japan have interesting displays ranging from science exhibits to contemporary art museums, pre war and ancient historical museums to museums of religious art, anthropology to archeology.
- Tokyo National Museum
- Kyoto National Museum
- National Science Museum
Japan has two important museums of Natural History, exhibits include fossils and meteorites, rocks and soil profiles, topological maps et al.
- Osaka Museum of Natural History
- Museum of Natural History - Tohoku University
Specialty museums in Japan include interesting exhibits ranging from pop memorabilia, automobiles, cameras, dolls to ancient costumes or quirky displays like the ones at the Museum of Emerging Sciences.
- Canon Camera Museum
- John Lennon Museum
- Yokohama Doll Museum
- National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (MeSci)
University Museums in Japan
Japan has several famous University Museums which contain valuable archives of scholarly research, important publications etc
- The University Museum, University of Tokyo
- The Kyoto University Museum
Wildlife Parks in Japan
Japan is a small island country located in the east coast of the Asian Continent. Japan's wildlife has a lot of diversity caused by its widespread areas from north to south which includes more than 2,000km of land. This is also the reason for its varied climate which ranges from the sub freezing to the sub humid through the moderate zone. In Japan more than 500 species of birds can be observed. But the concentration or density of birds and animals in Japan is very low. In Japan you can find a number of wildlife parks . One of them is discussed below:Japanese Bear Parks
In the bear parks of Japan bears are kept in a natural surrounding. In these wildlife parks of Japan a specific kind of training is provided by the authority of the wildlife parks. In this training they train the bears to beg for food from the public, in order to create an entertaining environment for the public. But in most of these bear wildlife parks, Japan the condition of the bears is not so healthy.
In some wildlife bear parks a lack of encouragement and overcrowding of people lead to severe mood swings of the bears which range from laziness, madness or violence. In some bear wildlife parks of Japan , unverified public feeding also create a disturbed diet for the bears. Often the bears of these parks engage themselves in fights over the food which causes severe wounds which are often left untreated by the authority and finally leads to infection.
