Job Discussion Forums

[sidjameson]

Most countries have some famous places for viewing wildlife. Anything from elephants to fire flies. Anybody have some ideas for Japan? I'd like to look at something a bit more exotic than a pidgeon.

[cornishmuppet]

Hike deep into the forests and you might see a bear. There are places in Nagano and Nikko which are famous for monkeys, but how 'wild' they are is debateable. The closest I've got is running over a snake on the way to work yesterday. Not too happy about that, but I think it might have gone between the wheels because I didn't have time to stop and there was no corpse about on the way home.

[Apsara]

I saw a baby deer in the wild and a woodpecker (we don't have woodpeckers where I come from so I was impressed) on the Senjogahara plateau above Nikko- not too exciting as far as wildlife goes but it's an amazing unspoiled wetland area so worth visiting if you haven't been already.

[AndyH]

It wasn't much different from my home state (Oregon), but when i lived in eastern Hokkaido, I saw a lot of deer and foxes.
And like cornishmuppet mentioned, you can see monkeys in the mountainous areas of Honshu.

[groothewanderer]

[maya.the.bee]

[osakajojo]

My student saw a huge turtle crossing the street at the cross walk in Nishinomiya. And I saw some chipmunks on a leash, in a pink dress.

Saw some animals in Sam and Daves as well.

[Glenski]

Lake Akan and the surroundings have deer and foxes, and if you consider plant life as "wildlife", you might get into their spherical algae called "marimo". In Akan city itself, you can walk along a nature trail and see deer lapping at salt licks.

Roughly in the same area north of Kushiro, there is a marshland where cranes, among other birds, inhabit.

Muroran, on the coast south of Sapporo, has whale-watching boat expeditions, so I'm told.

All the way at the northern tip of Hokkaido are the islands Rebun and Rishiri. Not sure of the fauna there, but summer is great for the flora, whether you bike or hike around them.

[dom_90]

deer in Nara
Shodoshima monkeys!

[Yawarakaijin]

About a week ago a friend and I were down at the local swimming hole. It was just us, as it usually is for some reason, and all of a sudden we hear this rustling in the trees. There we are, two whities bobbing up and down in the most amazing swimming hole you have ever seen and suddenly we are surrouned by about 50 of those litle Japanese monkeys you see taking a bath in the onsen. We just stood *treaded water* there for like 15 minutes totally surrounded by monkeys as they nibbled on the leaves from the trees surrounding us. There were a couple larger males but most of the troop were youngins and mothers with little tiny babies on their backs. A really cool experience.

I have been surrounded by deer, moose, and other critters before but it really is a differnt experience being surrounded and so close to primates.

[JimDunlop2]

The all-too-famous monkeys-in-an-onsen is probably about the only wildlife worth seeing. That and maybe a crane or two.

http://www.morinolodge.com/_img/monkey.jpg

http://avesphoto.com/website/pictures/CRARCR-7.jpg

[flyer]

I live in Hokkaido

I have seen the following , all wild

..... many snakes, foxes, tanuki (racoon?) cranes, squirrels, fireflies, deer, kabuto mushis etc etc

[Apsara]

What wildlife you appreciate depends where you are from. Being from the North Island of New Zealand where much of the land-based wildlife consists of very retiring, endangered nocturnal birds and lizards, or small introduced pests from Australia which are seen mostly as roadkill, I am impressed every time I see squirrels in Japan. We don't have snakes either so those are a thrill as well.