Kushiro Shitsugen, Japan's largest wetland and a Ramsar Convention site, becomes a stage for one of nature's great winter spectacles when hundreds of tancho (red-crowned cranes) gather at feeding grounds such as Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary and Akan International Crane Center. The cranes perform elaborate courtship dances — leaping, bowing, and trumpeting — against a landscape of frozen reeds and hoarfrost-laden trees. Morning light photography sessions here are world-famous among wildlife photographers. Guided snow-shoe tours of the marsh fringe complement the experience.
- Type
- Experience
- Category
- Nature
- Season
- Winter
- Month
- January–February
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Prefecture
- Hokkaido
- City
- Kushiro
Highlights
- ◆Hundreds of red-crowned cranes at winter feeding grounds
- ◆Spectacular courtship and territorial dance displays
- ◆World-class wildlife photography opportunities at dawn
- ◆Guided snowshoe tours of Kushiro Shitsugen National Park
- ◆Nearby Akan Ainu Kotan cultural village