The first stop on my journey was the Kirishima Mountains of Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park, a rustic land inhabited by rumbling volcanoes and bubbling, milky hot springs. Here we hiked along the rocky mountain range from volcano to volcano, glancing down into the craters which came to shape the land with their eruptions. Moreover, these ancient mountains are believed to be the site of the very origins of Japan, where the mythical gods descended from heaven. While these stories seemed abstract at first, I really began to appreciate the relationship between myth and nature while trekking through the lush, volcanic ash fed forests from Kirishima Shrine to the mountain where the grandson of the sun goddess thrust his spear into the ground and came down to earth. To learn about it is one thing, but visiting the actual sites where the creation stories take place made the relationship tangible, and afterwards it seemed as if everywhere I looked I could see these two histories, the natural and the mythical, intertwined with one another.

The next stop on my travels took me to Unzen-Amakusa National Park on the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki. Mount Unzen, the centerpiece of the park, towers over the peninsula with smoky wisps clinging to its smoldering peak. The volcano erupted almost 20 years ago with devastating effect on the villages below, and I developed a true sense of awe and respect for the power of nature after visiting several sites where the buried houses and destroyed buildings have been preserved. But life moves on around the volcanoes as it has been doing so for centuries, and if the sleepy little seaside hot spring town where we stopped for the night was any indication, people don't fear the mountain and have learned to accept its occasional interruptions as part of the experience of living within the sphere of such a potent force of nature.

The final chapter of my travels around Kyushu brought me to Aso-Kuju National Park, located right in the heart of the island. The contrast with Kirishima and Unzen was stark. Compared to the volcanic mountains, the massive Aso Caldera was a green land fully teeming with life. Along the way we stopped by a small village on the slopes of the caldera to visit some farms where they raised a type of local cow famous for its tender beef, and grew all types of fruits and vegetables. After chatting and eating homemade pickles with the locals, we continued on a drive up to a lookout at the outer edge of the caldera where we enjoyed a bonfire BBQ. As we took in the amazing sunset view of the caldera and the twinkling lights below, I came to realize that everything we had seen that day lay inside the former volcano! An entire city covered the floor of the caldera, sleepy and almost unaware of the smoking mountain practically at their doorstep. But after meeting and talking to the locals, I realized that far from oblivious of the mountain's power, they had learned to coexist with the mountain and were rather acutely aware of every rumble and belch that came from the crater.

My final morning on Kyushu was one of reflection, and was spent in Zazen meditation at a Buddhist temple in a secluded valley up near the peak of a smoking crater. Thinking back on the trip, I realized how lucky we were to have such a diverse and amazing place to explore, and that I'll definitely be back in the future.

After all these years, Japan's national parks still offer me something new yet to be discovered. Hopefully one day you'll come to Japan and explore some of these hidden beauties for yourself. I'm quite certain that you'll find something there that is unique; something that you can't find anywhere else.

• English Links: National Parks Page / Nature Page / Hiking in Japan Page
• Kirishima: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4625.html
• Unzen: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4452.html
• Aso-Kuju National Park: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4570.html

Japanese tradition and culture are intrinsically linked to nature and the changing of the seasons, to the extent that it could be said that the four seasons are the bedrock of Japanese culture. The National Parks of Japan represent the essence of this cultural link to nature. "Japan National Park Expedition" has been set up to serve the aims of; spreading recognition of the National Parks of Japan to the world; attracting foreign tourists to visit the National Parks of Japan; examining methods to promote the National Parks of Japan. This project is carried out through the collaboration between local key persons and foreign directors.