White tailed eagles in aerial combat. Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan
Baby snow monkey out of sorts. Snow monkey park. Jigokudani Yaen-Koen, Japan
White-tailed eagle pair in flight. Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan
Snow monkey portrait 1. Snow monkey park. Jigokudani Yaen-Koen, Japan
Red-crowned crane pair dancing plus one. Hokkaido, Japan
Red-crowned cranes dancing 4. Hokkaido, Japan
Whooper swan couple coming in for a landing
Snow monkey jumping into a snow bank. Snow monkey park. Jigokudani Yaen-Koen, Japan
Snowy road conditions abstract
Whooper swan couple embracing. Lake Kussharo, Hokkaido
Red-crowned cranes landing
White-tailed eagle in flight. Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan
Snow monkey mother and child. Snow monkey park. Jigokudani Yaen-Koen, Japan
Baby snow monkey swimming. Snow monkey park. Jigokudani Yaen-Koen, Japan
Red-crowned crane pair dancing 5. Hokkaido, Japan
Red-crowned crane pair dancing 6. Hokkaido, Japan
This was our second winter photo tour in Japan. While the bulk of the trip was in the northern Island of Hokkaido, a highlight both times was the monkey park, Jigokudani Yaen-Koen, several hours from Tokyo. The elevation gave us cold, foggy and snowy weather. This is exactly what we wanted for three days of portrait taking. Not all monkey partake in the hot springs but those who did ranged from the very expressive to extremely chill. There were nursing mothers, playful and mischievous teenagers, babies learning to swim and some old cranky males. We witnessed some brief bloody fights as well as some pranks.
Hokkaido was the main focus of the trip and where we spent the most time. There was a fair amount of traveling involved, first to see the red-crested cranes. Luckily, day two there gave us a big snow storm which gave a perfect, isolating backdrop and lots of ritualistic courtship dancing.
Next destination was Lake Kussharu . A lake with thermals and lots of whooper swans. Watching them take off and land was fascinating. They could be noisy and cranky but the mated pairs were very affectionate.
The final stop was for sea eagles. These were early day boat trips and while quite chilly in the open sea, it was easy to forget the cold watching these majestic creatures hunt, grab fish with their talons, then fight mid air with one another for the meal.
All the while, driving between these stops were drop dead gorgeous landscapes, an owl, long eared squirrel, fox, thermal, fumerals mountains and lakes.
For specifics about this trip, see Marie Tartar’s wonderful Wintry Wildlife blogs:
