Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's islands. The island is far less densely populated than the rest of Japan, and vast reaches of the island remain unspoiled and wild, protected in part by the changeable climate and in part by a network of National Parks and quasi National parks. Bordered by the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Ohotsk, and the Pacific Ocean, Hokkaido's climate is cold and snowy in winter months, and warmer and relatively dry in summer.