Daisetsuzan National Park

Daisetsuzan is Japan's largest national park, covering 2309 km² (1432 sq miles) of central Hokkaido, Japan's second largest island. Daisetsuzan National Park is an excellent place for hiking and skiing and includes several mountain groups, volcanoes, lakes and forests. In summer and early spring it is an extremely popular destination for Japanese to get away from the crowds, in fact so popular that even there you don't really get away from the crowds.

The park's major tourist hub is Sounkyo, where accommodation is available and where a hot-spring resort and a gorge can be found. The town is a good gateway for hikes into the park's interior.

One of the most popular ski resorts in the area is Furano. Many consider, its slopes offer the best powder skiing in the world. Not far northeast from Furano are the hot-spring villages of Tokachidake Onsen and Shirogane Onsen, which are a less crowded alternative for hiking and skiiing.

Daisetsuzan National Park is 940 km north of Tokyo.