From the north to the south, the Teshio, Kitami, Ishikari, and Hidaka mountain ranges run through the center of Hokkaido. The Daisetsu Mountains, with Asahidake (2,291m) as its highest peak, are known as the “roof of Hokkaido”. The Ishikari, Tokachi, and Teshio Plains, as well as the Nayoro, Kamikawa, and Furano Basins, are spread throughout Hokkaido, amongst other smaller plains. It is also home to some of Japan’s most famous marshlands, such as Kushiro Marsh and Sarobetsu Plain. There are more than 14,700 rivers, the qualities of which are maintained at a good level by the constant monitoring conducted by the provincial government. Many of the water bodies have been…

Hokkaido is located in the northernmost part of the Japanese archipelago and is at about the same latitude as major cities in the world such as Chicago, Montreal, London, Rome, and Munich. It covers an area of 83,457 km2, which is about 22.1% of Japan’s total land area. It is the largest of all prefectures, 39.7 times the size of Tokyo and equivalent to the area of Austria. Mountainous terrain accounts for almost half of the total land area, but compared to the rest of Japan, there are fewer mountains and slopes, and the land is more gently sloping. It is surrounded by three oceans: the Pacific Ocean, the Sea…