Japan's Ministry of the Environment lists 35 national parks. The first were designated on 16 March 1934, and the newest, 日高山脈襟裳十勝国立公園 in Hokkaido, on 25 June 2024. Park names here are in Japanese, as the ministry publishes them. For one park, its two lists disagree about Osaka; we show both.12
Every national park
The ministry's list numbers the parks 1 to 35. For each park it gives the date of designation and the prefectures it covers. Park names are the Japanese names as published; prefecture names link to our page for that prefecture.1
| No. | Park (Japanese name as published) | Prefectures | Designated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 利尻礼文サロベツ国立公園 | Hokkaido | 20 September 19741 |
| 2 | 知床国立公園 | Hokkaido | 1 June 19641 |
| 3 | 阿寒摩周国立公園 | Hokkaido | 4 December 19341 |
| 4 | 釧路湿原国立公園 | Hokkaido | 31 July 19871 |
| 5 | 大雪山国立公園 | Hokkaido | 4 December 19341 |
| 6 | 日高山脈襟裳十勝国立公園 | Hokkaido | 25 June 20241 |
| 7 | 支笏洞爺国立公園 | Hokkaido | 16 May 19491 |
| 8 | 十和田八幡平国立公園 | Aomori, Iwate, Akita | 1 February 19361 |
| 9 | 三陸復興国立公園 | Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi | 2 May 1955 (as 陸中海岸国立公園); 24 May 2013 (extended and designated as 三陸復興国立公園)1 |
| 10 | 磐梯朝日国立公園 | Yamagata, Fukushima, Niigata | 5 September 19501 |
| 11 | 日光国立公園 | Fukushima, Tochigi, Gunma | 4 December 19341 |
| 12 | 尾瀬国立公園 | Fukushima, Tochigi, Gunma, Niigata | 30 August 20071 |
| 13 | 上信越高原国立公園 | Gunma, Niigata, Nagano | 7 September 19491 |
| 14 | 妙高戸隠連山国立公園 | Niigata, Nagano | 27 March 20151 |
| 15 | 秩父多摩甲斐国立公園 | Saitama, Tokyo, Yamanashi, Nagano | 10 July 19501 |
| 16 | 小笠原国立公園 | Tokyo | 16 October 19721 |
| 17 | 富士箱根伊豆国立公園 | Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Shizuoka | 1 February 19361 |
| 18 | 中部山岳国立公園 | Niigata, Toyama, Nagano, Gifu | 4 December 19341 |
| 19 | 白山国立公園 | Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Gifu | 12 November 19621 |
| 20 | 南アルプス国立公園 | Yamanashi, Nagano, Shizuoka | 1 June 19641 |
| 21 | 伊勢志摩国立公園 | Mie | 20 November 19461 |
| 22 | 吉野熊野国立公園 | Mie, Nara, Wakayama | 1 February 19361 |
| 23 | 山陰海岸国立公園 | Kyoto, Hyogo, Tottori | 15 July 19631 |
| 24 | 瀬戸内海国立公園 | Hyogo, Wakayama, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Fukuoka, Oita. The ministry's overview PDF also lists Osaka; its list page does not | 16 March 193412 |
| 25 | 大山隠岐国立公園 | Okayama, Tottori, Shimane | 1 February 19361 |
| 26 | 足摺宇和海国立公園 | Ehime, Kochi | 10 November 19721 |
| 27 | 西海国立公園 | Nagasaki | 16 March 19551 |
| 28 | 雲仙天草国立公園 | Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima | 16 March 19341 |
| 29 | 阿蘇くじゅう国立公園 | Kumamoto, Oita | 4 December 19341 |
| 30 | 霧島錦江湾国立公園 | Miyazaki, Kagoshima | 16 March 19341 |
| 31 | 屋久島国立公園 | Kagoshima | 16 March 20121 |
| 32 | 奄美群島国立公園 | Kagoshima | 7 March 20171 |
| 33 | やんばる国立公園 | Okinawa | 15 September 20161 |
| 34 | 慶良間諸島国立公園 | Okinawa | 5 March 20141 |
| 35 | 西表石垣国立公園 | Okinawa | 15 May 19721 |
Dates are as the ministry's list gives them. For 三陸復興国立公園 the list gives two dates: the first designation, as 陸中海岸国立公園, and its extension and designation under the current name.1 A park's name and area today may differ from when it was first designated.
Does 瀬戸内海国立公園 reach Osaka?
The ministry's two sources disagree. Its list of national parks gives 10 prefectures for 瀬戸内海国立公園 and does not include Osaka.1 Its overview of national parks, from April 2026, lists Osaka (大阪) as well.2
We do not choose between them. The table shows the list page's prefectures and notes Osaka from the overview. If it matters for your plans, check with the ministry.
What this page cannot tell you
- Names are not translated. The ministry's pages we used give the park names in Japanese only, so we print them as published rather than make up English names.
- Designation date, not current shape. Parks can be extended or renamed after their first designation.
- Prefecture, not place. A park listed for a prefecture may cover only a small part of it.
Related: Officially recognised places in Europe and Japan · European Capitals of Culture: every city · European Green Capital and Green Leaf winners · European Heritage Label sites · European Capital of Smart Tourism winners · Japan Heritage stories.
Key takeaways
- The Ministry of the Environment lists 35 national parks.
- The first were designated in 1934; the newest, in Hokkaido, in 2024.
- Its list page and its overview disagree on whether 瀬戸内海国立公園 includes Osaka.
- What we would skip: planning from the prefecture list alone. A park can cover a small corner of a prefecture, so check the park's own page.
Sources
The parks, prefectures and dates come from the Ministry of the Environment's list of national parks and its overview of 10 April 2026, read on 1 October 2026. The licence terms come from its terms of use. See how we research.
- Ministry of the Environment (環境省), 国立公園一覧 (List of national parks). Link to the Ministry of the Environment website (環境省ホームページ). Accessed 1 October 2026.
- Ministry of the Environment (環境省), 国立公園の概要 (Overview of national parks, 10 April 2026, PDF). Link to the Ministry of the Environment website (環境省ホームページ). Accessed 1 October 2026.
- Ministry of the Environment (環境省), 利用規約・免責事項・著作権 (terms of use), and Digital Agency, 公共データ利用規約（第1.0版） (PDL1.0). Link to the Ministry of the Environment website (環境省ホームページ). Accessed 1 October 2026.
Changes made. 出典：環境省ホームページ「国立公園一覧」（https://www.env.go.jp/park/parks/index.html）、「国立公園の概要」（https://www.env.go.jp/park/doc/data/national/np_1.pdf）（2026年10月1日に利用）。環境省「国立公園一覧」「国立公園の概要」（同上）を加工して作成。 We translated or summarised the Japanese text in our own words and compiled the tables ourselves, so they are edited data, not the government's own list. We use no logos or images. Gallivanting Gadabout is not connected with, or endorsed by, any Japanese government body. The English prefecture names and links are ours.