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Teide National Park, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Fuji Hakone Izu National Park, Japan - Amazing National Parks
114    Dibyendu Banerjee    19/01/2025

Located southwest of Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, the Fuji Hakone Izu National Park, covering 1,227 square kilometres (approximately 474 sq miles) and stretching from Mount Fuji in the north to the Izu Peninsula, along with the volcanic Izu Islands in the south, is a diverse landscape that includes a variety of geographic features including mountainous areas, rugged coastlines on the Pacific, natural hot springs, lakes, and numerous volcanic islands. Established on 2 February 1936, as Fuji-Hakone National Park, it was renamed Fuji Hakone Izu National Park in 1950, after the inclusion of the Izu islands in the park.

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With its picturesque beaches and rugged peninsular coastline, the Park attracts the tourists for a range of outdoor activities, from wandering through timeless forests, climbing and hiking and exploring lava caves to soaking in the region's natural hot springs, along with the historical attractions like the Hakone Shrine, located on the shore of Lake Ashi, and the Hakone Open-Air Museum, displaying around 120 sculptural works of reputed artists.

fuji hakone izu national park japan

The landscape of the Fuji Hakone Izu National Park, shaped by millions of years of volcanic and tectonic activities, is divided into four areas, comprising the Mount Fuji area centred on Mount Fuji and containing lakes, swamps, plateaus in the surrounding area, as well as the Hakone Area, renowned through the ages for its hot springs resorts, in the north, and the Izu Peninsula, along with the volcanic Izu Islands with their rugged coastline and picturesque beaches like Atami, Ito, and Shimoda in the south.

fuji hakone izu national park japan
The Yoshida Trail

The iconic Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan with a summit elevation of 12,389 feet (3776 m), dormant since its last eruption in 1707, but still generally classified as active by the scholars, is the major feature of the park, covered with dense forest on its lower slopes, coniferous forest up to the Sixth Station and volcanic desert at the peak. Probably formed during the past 2.6 million years, and famous throughout the world for its graceful conical shape, Mount Fuji is considered an iconic and symbolic shrine in Japan, and each summer thousands of Japanese climb to the shrine on its peak during the official climbing season for summiting.

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There are four main trails leading to the summit, of which Yoshida Trail is most popular, which is typically open for climbing from early July to early September. The rich volcanic soil in the region also gave rise to the vast and dense forest on the northwest slope of the Mount Fuji, which contains two otherworldly caverns, namely Fugaku Fuketsu, a huge lava tube, with an average temperature of just 3 degrees Celsius, even in midsummer, and Narusawa Hyokets, a tunnel-type ice cave.

fuji hakone izu national park japan
Hakone-jinja Shrine

Hakone, a mountainous town, located within the borders of the Fuji Hakone Izu National Park and centred on Lake Ashi, formed around 3000 years ago, when a huge part of Mount Kamiyama collapsed and dammed a river. Hakone is popularly known as a spa town, for its several hot springs in tranquil setting, and is very popular among the tourists, as an ideal place for relaxation. But an adventurous ride by the Hakone Ropeway from the northern tip of the lake, covering 4 kilometres in 24 minutes, also takes the visitors to view the smoking Owakudani Valley, also known as the Great Boiling Valley, emanating steam and sulphurous gases from its hot springs and the fumaroles, the openings in the adjacent volcanoes.

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Nevertheless, although known for views of the iconic volcano Mount Fuji, it also offers the attraction of the historical Hakone-jinja Shrine, locally known as the Hakone Gongen, dates back to the year 757. In addition, Hakone is also famous for its cherry blossoms and other flora, including the dainty Fuji cherry and a type of wild rose, locally called sanshobara, found only in and around Hakone and Mount Fuji during the spring. For academic information about the plant life of the region, the Hakone Botanical Gardens of Wetlands houses more than 3,000 different species, which is the first of its kind in Japan.

fuji hakone izu national park japan
The Smoking Owakudani Valley

The southern part of the Fuji Hakone Izu National Park comprises The Izu Peninsula Area with rugged coastline, along with the volcanic Amagi mountain range and numerous hot springs and the Izu Islands area, comprising the seven islands in the Izu Shichito Island chain, stretching 290 kilometres into the Pacific Ocean. The islands are adorned with alluring beaches like Atami Sun Beach and Ito Orange Beach, Shimoda and Shirahama Beach. While the Shirahama Beach presents a stretch of white sands, ideal for sunbathing and swimming, adventurers and explorers are free to visit the Izu Oceanic Park for experiencing scuba diving.

fuji hakone izu national park japan
The Shiraito Falls

Fuji Hakone Izu National Park contains several waterfalls of which Shiraito-no-taki Falls, with a height of around 66 feet (20 m), is regarded as sacred under the Fuji cult, and reckoned among Japan's top 100 waterfalls. There is another waterfall, the slightly taller Otodome Falls, with a drop of 80 feet (25 m), located approximately a five-minute walk away from the Shiraito-no-taki Falls. However, the 492 feet 9150 m) wide Shiraito Falls, formed by spring water and cascading from the edge of a 66 feet (20 m) high cliff in thin white streams, resembling hanging threads of silk, is regarded among the most beautiful waterfalls in Japan.

fuji hakone izu national park japan
Reflection of Mt Fuji on Lake Kawaguchi
fuji hakone izu national park japan
Lake Yamanaka

In addition to the several beautiful waterfalls, Fuji Hakone Izu National Park contains five lakes, formed by the flow of lava due to volcanic eruption, blocking the flow of rivers across the area of the park. Collectively known as Fuji Goko, the lakes located from the east to the west are named Lake Yamanaka, Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Sai, Lake Shōji, and Lake Motosu. Among the five, Lake Kawaguchi, locally known as Kawaguchi-ko, which literally stands for Estuary Lake, and situated at an altitude of approximately 2625 feet (800 m), is the second largest of the Fuji Goko in terms of surface area, and is most popular for the amazing inverted reflection of Mount Fuji on its still waters. For the attraction of the tourists, tourism in the area is highly developed, with the creation of several amusement parks and recreational centres, ski resorts, and botanical gardens. Lake Yamanaka, which looks like a whale when viewed from the air, is the largest of the five lakes with a surface area of 2.5 square miles (6.4 sq km), and also the highest in elevation, with a maximum water depth of 44 feet (13.5 m). Due to its high altitude and relatively shallow water depth of only 44 feet (13.5 m), the lake freezes completely in the winter. However, Lake Yamanaka is popular for several outdoor sports, like boating, fishing, skiing, wind surfing, as well as for camping, tennis and other activities along its shores.

fuji hakone izu national park japan
Macaque monkey

The mountains, forests and islands of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park are home to a diverse collection of plants, which apart from the deciduous broadleaf trees and grasslands, include expansive beech forests and flowers such as the azalea-like Amagi-shakunage, Fuji cherry and a type of wild rose, locally called sanshobara. The park also has many endemic birds, including the Izu thrush and leaf warbler, as well as small animals like the native Macaque monkeys. The park celebrates seasonal changes with various festivals, which include the Fuji Shibazakura Festival in spring, lively fireworks displays over Lake Ashi in summer, while autumn foliage around the park creates a vivid landscape ideal for the photographers.

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Author Details
Dibyendu Banerjee
Ex student of Scottish Church College. Served a Nationalised Bank for nearly 35 years. Authored novels in Bengali. Translated into Bengali novels/short stories of Leo Tolstoy, Eric Maria Remarque, D.H.Lawrence, Harold Robbins, Guy de Maupassant, Somerset Maugham and others. Also compiled collections of short stories from Africa and Third World. Interested in literature, history, music, sports and international films.
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