Adventures in Eastern Hokkaido: Akan National Park

The emerald green waters of lake Akan

At least for the foreign tourist, Eastern Hokkaido is off the beaten track. So much that during our stay, we never laid eyes on another foreigner. Since the Northern island of Hokkaido has a cool climate and is not subject to the rainy season, it is a favorite destination for the Japanese in summer.

Marimo algae balls

Hokkaido is definitely different from the rest of Japan. For one, there is an abundance of sparsely populated space, and therefore also of wildlife (read bears, foxes, deer and owls). Also the vegetation is very different from the rest of Japan. I actually found many plants familiar to me from Switzerland. If it weren’t for the very active volcanism, I would have almost felt at home. Since Hokkaido has been settled systematically only in fairly recent times, also the absence of Japanese culture and history is noticeable. The only old culture present is that of the native Ainu.
The Akan National Park is a volcanic hot spot. Is has everything from active volcanoes, crater lakes and hot springs to sulfur vents.

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