Monthly Archives: May 2012

17th February: Hokkaido – Dawn at Otowa Bridge

Posted on May 29, 2012 by

We turned up at Otowa bridge before dawn to photograph red-crowned cranes as they woke up for the day.  The temperature was -26˚C  (-15˚F) and the dew point was -18˚C  (0˚F).  I had known what temperatures to expect before leaving … Continue reading →

Posted in Hokkaido, Japan, Kushiro | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

16th February: Hokkaido – Twilight near Kushiro

Posted on May 27, 2012 by

The Crane Centre had shut for the day but there was still a little daylight left so we went to beside a nearby farm where the cranes might be flying overhead en route to their overnight nesting spots.

Posted in Hokkaido, Japan, Kushiro | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

16th February: Hokkaido – Akan International Crane Centre

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

After the plane arrived at the airport in Kushiro, we dropped off our luggage at a hotel and headed for the Akan International Crane Centre.  This is not the headquarters of a Japanese multinational involved in the construction industry but … Continue reading →

Posted in Hokkaido, Japan, Kushiro | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

15th to 16th February: Nagano to Tokyo to Kushiro (Hokkaido)

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

In the early afternoon of the 15th, we piled into the bus in Nagano and headed for Tokyo.    Early the next morning we took the bus to Haneda airport and from there flew to Kushiro in Hokkaido.

Posted in Hokkaido, Japan, Kushiro | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

15th February: Nagano

Posted on May 19, 2012 by

Though most of the group went back to the snow monkeys, I was amongst those who elected to explore Nagano. Here, we are looking straight up at a dragon carved above the wooden gate of a temple. From near the … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Nagano | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

14th February: Nagano – Snow monkeys (Day 2)

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

After photographing the landscape and the serow (see previous post), I turned my attention to the macaques in their hot pool. Macaques and their reflections through the heat haze of the hot pool. A clearer shot with wind blowing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Nagano | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

14th February: Nagano – Jigokudani and a Serow

Posted on May 11, 2012 by

Back again at the Jigokudani Monkey Park, the top shot show the trees in front of the Jigokudani Ryokan and the next one, a vehicle parked nearby at the side of the trail. That vehicle wasn’t going anywhere in a … Continue reading →

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13th February: Nagano – Snow Monkeys

Posted on May 9, 2012 by

The previous post was walking in and walking back so here we are at the famous hot pool frequented by the “snow monkeys”. Hot and steamy…. The monkeys are in fact Japanese Macaques and are the most northerly-living primates apart … Continue reading →

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13th February: Nagano – Walking in to the Snow Monkeys

Posted on May 5, 2012 by

The bus dropped us off at the entrance of the Jigokudani Monkey Park.  I had just come from Tokyo with twelve other people.  This was the start of a wildlife and landscape tour of Nagano and North-Eastern Hokkaido with Martin Bailey, … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Nagano | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

12th February: Tokyo – Ueno Park

Posted on May 3, 2012 by

I met up with Brian, one of the party with whom I was about to travel to Nagano and Hokkaido and together we visited Ueno.  This is a historic parkland area in Tokyo that was also the site of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Tokyo, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment