Kushiro-shitsugen National Park, National park in eastern Hokkaido, Japan
Kushiro Shitsugen National Park is a large wetland in eastern Hokkaido, Japan, designated as a national park, wildlife refuge, Ramsar site, and natural monument. The Kushiro River runs through it, fed from Lake Kussharo, and the land is covered with dense reed beds and sedge meadows that spread across low-lying ground.
The wetland formed thousands of years ago as the seabed filled with peat and the water gradually withdrew, leaving behind a broad marsh. It was designated a national park in 1987 to protect it from development and drainage.
Several observatories, including Hosooka, offer broad views over the marshes, and wooden boardwalks let visitors walk through the reeds without damaging the ground. A scenic train called the Norokko-go also runs along the Kushiro River through the wetland, giving a different perspective from water level.
The Siberian salamander, found in the park, is the only amphibian in Japan that can survive extreme cold down to minus 45 degrees Celsius. This animal lives nowhere else in Japan outside of the Kushiro Shitsugen wetlands.
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