Hokkaido

Here you can see the Monchhichis which are dedicated to the japanese island Hokkaido. Pirika is one of the original inhabitants called Ainu, the brown bear and the north fox are still living in Hokkaido and Lavender is a very famous flower there.

Hokkaido is the northernmost and second-largest of the four main Japanese islands. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk. The island features a diversity of breathtaking mountain scenes,

Mt.Rausu (Kunashiri) in the Northern Territories

extensive wetlands, natural lakes

and marshes with beautiful landscapes.

While the whole country is mountainous, Hokkaido also has areas of rolling hills and farmland. The island produces most of Japan's dairy foods as well as large quantities of rice and vegetables.

Inhabited by the native Ainu people, the island known as Ezo was largely ignored by the Japanese until the late 19th century. After renaming it Hokkaido in 1869, the government encouraged people to settle on the island and the Ainu were gradually assimilated into Japanese life. Today, Ainu culture can be seen mostly in museums and occasional festivals.

Apart from the major cities, places worth visiting include several national parks, active volcanoes and lakes. The climate is quite different to that of the mainland; it has a cool, dry climate, with little concern about rainy seasons or typhoons.

Although it is at the northern end of Japan, its latitude is about the same as those of many major American and European cities. With such geographic conditions, it is positioned as a base to connect the North with the Asian Pacific regions.

Are you interested in Hokkaido? Then you could choose one of the following links, which I´ve found in the internet for you:

This is the website from where I´ve taken the photos seen above.