Tomohiro Uemura Photography

Sailing to Alaska...

2009-04-03T06:14:00.000-07:00

The city is Kushiro is located in the Eastern Hokkaido and this is one of the last stop for those who trys to sail from Hokkaido, Japan to Alaska.

A photo of my friend's sailing boat...

Flooded Kushiro Marsh

2009-03-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

As snow melts more and more everyday, Kushiro marsh is getting flooded.

"Flooded Kushiro Marsh"

Because of the good amount of snow we had this year, it seems that the water level at Marsh seems higher this year.

"Ezo Shika Deer Trails in Water"

Brown Bear near the House...

2009-03-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

You may not associate Japan with bears, but we do have two kinds of bears.

On the main island calld Honshu, we have blackbears. And here in Hokkaido, the Northern island,we have brown bears.

Today as I was walking on the trail in the moutain behind my house, I came across the big print on the snow.

Undoutedly this is the track of a brown bear. Deep marks of his/her claws showed the size of this bear.

I have never seen the actual bear yet in Hokkaido, but I was surprised to see even the track so close to my house.

Next time I go into the moutain, I will take my bear spray...

Back to Winter

2009-03-27T03:32:00.000-07:00

As the first sign of spring, butterbur sprouts came out last week.

Like many Japanese who live in the country side, I have been wanting to pick them to eat, but I have not had a chance until today.

Unfortunately it was snowing this morning, so my "spring hunt" was not quite warm like a spiring day.

Yet, it was nice to see the plant covered in light snow, giving me a sense of vitality of life in spring.

After taking a photo of them, I pick out several buds and fed one to my favorite horse and the rest to myself.

Paddling Kushiro River

2009-03-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

There lies a big river running through Kushiro Marshi in Eastern Hokkaido, Japan.

My friend and I paddled Kushiro river today with our kayaks.

Starting at the nearby Toro lake, we had to thrust through a thin layer of ice with our kayaks, but the rest of the trip was quite fun.

With the spring thawed water, the water level at the river was very high.

We spotted a lot of Ezo shika deers, four minks and many ducks.

Almost inaccessible on foot, Kushiro river gives a chance to explore the marsh to those who like to paddle the river.

Another beautiful day....

^

Cranes back to Marshland

2009-03-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

Today I went to bike on the gravel road that cut through the marsh.

Motor vehicles are not permitted on the road, so my friend and I were the only ones on road for the three hour Marshland bike trip.

Japanese cranes are back in the marsh for the spring and you hardly see them in the Tsurui village anymore.

AFter biking about 30 minutues, I found one pair of white dots in the yellowish grass.

Sure enough they were Tancho(Japanese Cranes)looking for food in the marsh.

In the Fog

2009-03-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

The outside was covered by fog this morning.

This area in Southeast Hokkaido is famous for thick fog during spring, summer and fall.

Standing in the middle of fog, the landscape reminded me of the black and white Japanese traditional painting.

Here is a photo of the day.

Back to Hokkaido

2009-03-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

I was in the mainland Japan for about 2 weeks and came back to Hokkaido last night.

The ground is still covered with snow, but much of it has been melted while I was away.

I saw a few red foxes running across in the field today.

Here is a photo...

Crane Band

2009-03-08T01:48:00.000-08:00

As the spring comes, more and more cranes are soon going back to the marshland in the Eastern Part of Hokkaido.

Japanese cranes are usually solitary birds, usually found as a pair and a lone crane. But in the winter, while keeping a partnership as a pair. they seem to form a temporaly group when they gather in the village feeding ground.

As I lay on the snow looking up the sky, a crane herd fly river over me today.

Here is a photo...

Cranes in the Strong Wind

2009-03-07T03:02:00.000-08:00

The wind has been blowing strong all day today.

Japanese cranes usually fly very elegantly with 2m long wings wide open, but today they had difficuly keeping a balance in the air. They flew in circle and higher than usual so that they don't hit trees when they are pushed by the wind.

Because of the wind, some of them flew out of their usual flying route and happened to fly in front of the sun.

Here is the photo....

Deer Buck

2009-03-04T06:13:00.000-08:00

After the deer hunting seasons closed, there are more deers on the moutain road.

I came across with a deer buck with one antler missing...

Ezo Sika Deer

2009-03-02T08:11:00.000-08:00

Today at Kushiro Marsh, I spotted many deers called Ezo Sika Deer.

These deers were once close to extinction, but now they are everywhere in Hokkaido.(One of the reason why deer population grew was that predators like wolves became extinct.)

The Hokkaido government is try to balance the population, but with the declining number of hunters, it seems to be more and more deers...

Here is a photo from today.

Back to the Marsh

2009-02-28T23:14:00.000-08:00

More and more Japanese cranes are going back to the marsh from the winter feeding ground in the Tsurui Village.

Today, I spotted two couple of cranes near the Marsh.

Even with full of snow on the ground, I can feel that spring is slowly coming.

Time for Separation

2009-02-28T05:33:00.000-08:00

This is the time for the separation for Japanese cranes.

After a year being together, crane parents have to kick out a young one in order to prepare for the next birth.

Crane parents keep more and more distance from a child by ocasionally pecking and chasing him/her.

Soon a young baby learn to live on their own once his/her parents fly back to their nesting area.

Only a year together as a family... and they have to move on.

"A pair of Japanese Crane without a young one...."

Lone Fox

2009-02-27T06:03:00.000-08:00

I spotted a red fox today while I was driving near the Kushiro Marsh.

Red fox is abundant here in Hokkaido. I happened to find the denning hole near our house last year. Hopefully we can see the young ones again this spring...

Kushiro Marsh Sunset

2009-02-26T05:01:00.000-08:00

There lies a big marshland called Kushiro Marsh near the Tsurui village.

I went there to look for short-eared owls. As the sun was going down, I found several of them flying, but was not able to take a good photograph. Seeing is one thing, but capturing images is another...

Instead, I saw a wonderful sunset today. The sun was slowly going down to the horizon, changing the color of sky litttle by little.

Here is a photo of the sun reflected on the snow in the marshland.

Crane Sunset

2009-02-25T05:10:00.000-08:00

It was an amazing sunset today.

As the sky turned orange, pink and purple, Japanese cranes flew back to their sleeping ground in the nearby river.

Still in the Village

2009-02-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

It has been snowing quite a bit here in Tsurui Village.

Japanese cranes are still hanging out in the village and soon they will fly back to the marshland to mate and raise the baby in the summer.

Here is a shot from today. A crane looking for something to eat in the river.

Ezo Owl

2009-02-17T02:57:00.002-08:00

It's been sometime to post the new entry.

I usually go out and take photos everyday, but I have been lazy...

Here is a photo of the Ezo owl from Hokkaido I took yesterday.

Sitting on the favorite tree, it is taking afternoon nap before going to hunt for the night.

Welcoming the Night

2008-12-17T01:34:00.000-08:00

We were staring at the each other for a long time.

It has been a whilte that I have been wanting to see a Hokkaido owl since I moved to Trurui village.

And finally today I got to spend the quality time with a beautiful Owl in the forest.

After 10 minutes of walk in the forest from our house, there lies the tree with a big hollow with an owl perching on it.

Owls are nocturnal birds, so as soon as the first star appeared in the sky, it took off into the darkness.

"Ezo Owl at the Evening"

The North

2008-12-09T05:20:00.000-08:00

I have a Japanese friend in the village who guides in Alaska.

Considering the size of the population (2500), it is lucky to have a friend who can share the same passion for the North in North America.

After one year in Hokkaido, I still often think about the Yukon Territory of Canada and Alaska where I travelled in the backcoutry. Harsh but beautiful, it is certainly one of the best place to visit on the earth.

A shot of the Dall Sheep in Alaska taken this September.

I would love to go back there next year as well.

"Dall Sheep Falling Asleep..."

The Fisrt Snow

2008-12-07T23:07:00.000-08:00

Finally, it has snowed all day today here in Tsurui village.

Snow has power to turn ordinary landscape into magical one.

Here is a shot from today.

"A Japanese Crane in Snow"

A Crane Couple

2008-12-06T05:09:00.000-08:00

It was a clear morning in Tsurui village this morning.

I got up 5:30 am as usual to go take photos of Japanese cranes.

At this time of the year, the sun rises behind where cranes hang out in the early morning.

So here is a photo from this morning.

"Cranes Couple Facing"

Cranes usually mate for life as a pair unless one dies and another gets "married" again.

I wrote "usually" because the crane expert recently told me that cranes sometimes have affairs as well. Young ones especially try our some relationships before settling into solid partnership.

This is one of the reasons why many people are fascinated with this bird because they are just like human beings in many ways...

Cranes in the Fog

2008-12-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

The place I live called Tsurui village is famous for the fog during the summer and it rarely gets fogged up at this time of the year.

But a few days ago, the fog covered the entire village in the early morning.

Here are the shots of Japanese cranes takne on that day.

Japanese Aurora Tour

2008-11-17T05:43:00.000-08:00

When I was in the Yukon Territory, I used to work as an Aurora Borealis guide for Japanese tourists.

The local Yukoner often asked me if the Japanese really try to make babies under the Northern Lights.

While I never heard this rumor back in Japan, I was surprised how often I was asked in the Yukon.

Later, I found out that the rumour came from the TV program called "Northern Exposure" on which the Japanese tourists are trying to make babies under the excellent show of the Aurora Borealis.

After figuring that out, I told those who asked me that question that there is a secret room in the basement with the sound proof wall around it.

Here is a photo from the Yukon taken in the fall time.

Enjoy the show!

"Northern Lights in the Yukon Territory, Canada"

Glacier Bay, Alaska

2008-11-15T06:29:00.000-08:00

As I was going through the files of my photos, I found the panoramic image of Glacier Bay, Alaska.

I kayaked there two years ago in the summer. This is the special spot where I spent two nights next to the tidal glacier.

Roaring sound of glacier calving and full moon lighting the glacier at night made the all hard paddling worthwhile.

I would like to go back there again in the future.

"Glacier and Lupin in Glacier Bay, Alaska"

Folding Kayak

2008-11-13T06:11:00.000-08:00

Today, I tried out the Japanese folding kayak nearby lake in Hokkaido.

I have used kayak to take nature photographs in Alaska and Canada, but I have never owned one and always rented kayak.

A friend of mine was kind enough to ask the Fujita Canoe to send me a folding kayak, Noah 470 to try it before deciding to purchase it.

My partner and I paddled the lake and enjoyed the bird and wildlife sightings. As we were heading back to the shore, a full moon started to rise over the moutain.

It was a beautiful and fun paddling day!

"Full Moon Rising over the Kayak"

Crane Fighting

2008-11-12T06:54:00.000-08:00

I have seen Japanese crane trying to intimidate each other by crying out loud, but I saw two cranes fighting fiercely today at Kushiro Marsh.

There were three cranes altogether along the small river and two of them were pecking each other with thier huge wings wide spread.

"Japanese Cranes in Fight"

One crane had even big red blood stain on the white wing coat.

During the battle, there stood another crane, probably the only female, watching the whole event taking place.

It could have been the battle between the crane boys trying to take the crane lady.

Moon Over Alaska Range

2008-11-11T01:01:00.000-08:00

During the three years of living in the Yukon Territory, Canada from 2004 to 2007, I had a few opportunities of visiting the neighboring state of Alaska, USA.

Going through the pile of photo files last night, I found a shot I took two years ago that I had not digitized yet.

Here is a panoramic shot of Alaskan Range.

"Full Moon Lighting Alaskan Range"

It was a beautiful full moon night with Alaskan Range relfected on the small pond near Wonder Lake.

Wolves Nature School

2008-11-09T02:25:00.000-08:00

One hour from my village, Tsurui (in Hokkaido Japan) there is a nature school.

At this place, a dozen of wolves from Mongolia and the Arctic live together with a Japanese couple, Mr and Mrs. Kuwahara.

The Kuwahara couple keep the wolves to study them closely on a daily basis, but the biggest goal for them is to regain the whole ecological balance of Hokkaido by reintroducing wolves into the wild.

Extinct for about 100 years, the eco system of Hokkaido nature has suffered an inbalance by having too many deers and no natural predators like the wolf. The overpopulation of deer is causing destruction to the forest.

Explaining the importance of wolves and their important role in the forest, Mr. Kuwahara talked about Yellow Stone National Park and how wild wolves have successfully been reintroduced into the park from Canada 13 years ago.

Of course, it is a controversial issue to do the same in northern Japan as many people have settled and started farming here. Mr.Kuwahara continues to hope to see wild wolves running again in Hokkaido.

For me, after several encounter with wild wolves in Alaska and Yukon, it was intereting to see wolves here being so friendly to the owner and licking him as though he was an Alpha wolf!

Here is a website to Wolves Nature School. (only in Japanese, but you could contact him if you like since he is fluent in English.(He studies with wolve specialist in the USA)

Cranes in Tsurui Village

2008-11-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

At this time of the year, Japanese cranes are coming back to my villag(Tsurui village Hokkaido, Japan) to winter.

I went to one of the shooting spot where you can view cranes sleeping in the river.

They sleep in the water to avoid the predator like foxes.

As I was taking photos of them, I saw the Hokkaido deers crossing behind cranes, a very unusual site.

"Deers Crossing behind Japanese Cranes"

Tomohiro Uemura Photography

www.wild-world.com

Japanese Crane

2008-11-04T03:07:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day to start my English Photo Blog!

Living in the northern island of Japan called Hokkaido, I have easy access to take photographs of Japanese cranes(called Tancho in Japanese).

These beautiful birds winter in my village every year.

Here is a photo of a pair of Japanese cranes I took today.

"Japanese Crane in Tsurui Village"

Tomohiro Yukon&Alaska photo site

www.wild-world.com