Ogasawara National Park

Ogasawara National Park consists of a group of subtropical islands located approximately 1,000 km south of the Japanese archipelago. These islands were registered as a World Natural Heritage site in June 2011 because they are "ocean islands" that have never been connected to the continent by land, and they are home to a wide range of uniquely evolved flora, fauna, and ecosystems. In terms of scenery, the site offers a unique island landscape unique to subtropical ocean islands, unique coastal landforms such as pillow lava formations, and submerged karst landforms, which are rare in Japan. In the sea area, marine mammals such as humpback whales and dolphins, green sea turtles, coral reefs, and tropical fish make up the diverse underwater landscape. The Ogasawara Ecotourism Council is playing a leading role in promoting ecotourism in the area, including the establishment of voluntary rules for whale watching, which is said to be the beginning of ecotourism in Japan. (Source: Ministry of the Environment website https://www.env.go.jp/nature/nationalparks/list/)