Hokkaido, Part I

Hokkaido is the northernmost island of Japan…..

Mountainous and very cold and snowy in winter.  Average snowfall in Niseko is 15 meters!  Here’s the view from the hotel room:

Frigid as it is, plenty of animals are at home here.  

(Spoiler alert – all but two of these photos were taken by us personally…. they are included to show the full array of critters we saw but could not photograph well.  A pair of chopsticks will be awarded to any who can guess which two are not original….)

Several special areas are reserved for birds, such as the Japanese crane and the whooper swan:

A wonderful zoo called Asahiyama is near Sounkyo.   Snow came down pretty heavily during the visit; amazing to see the animals in this environment.  Some were active and playful, while others simply accumulated a snowy coat…

Lots of foxes were evident in the countryside, but were somewhat camera-shy.

And once, a local baby reindeer just wandered down the street.

More winter fun from Hokkaido to come!