Study on the Nature Trail in National Parks and Quasi-National Parks in Japan

摘要

1. In this study, various facilities of Japanese nature trails in natural parks are characterized especially in terms of their educational facilities. 2. There are 188 nature trails both in national and quasi-national parks in Japan. The average numbers of nature trails in national and quasi-national parks are 4.2 and 1.4 respectively, the ones in the national parks being more-developed and better-equipped. 3. The nature trails has rapidly developed since 1965. 4. The trails have two patterns of entry: in one type, the entrance and the exit are at the different locations; in the other, the entrance and the exit are at the same location. The former comprises 64 per cent and the latter comprises 36 per cent of the total number of trails. 5. The nature trails are classified into 16 types according to the following three element; region, road structure, and interpretation service. The most popular type is the excursion type which is typically found in mountainous areas and consists of 12 per cent of the total number of trails. The length of the trail in the most natural parks is usually under 2.5km, and the interpretation service is well prepared and developed. 6. There are 25 parks whose nature trails have not yet been constructed. Because nature conservation and environmental education in natural parks are so important, these 25 parks should be improved as soon as possible. 7. According to these results, several suggestions are made for improving the trails in natural parks.