Fun Little Article About Wildlife in Tokyo

 

Mandarin Ducks (Oshidori in Japanese)

Image Source:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ek20120430a1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+japantimes+%28The+Japan+Times%3A+All+Stories%29

The Japan Times recently ran a bilingual piece about wildlife in Tokyo. It explains the Japanese concept of an annual awakening day for wildlife (keichitsu in Japanese), which usually occurs around March 4 or 5. It is surprising how much wildlife really does exist in Tokyo, with its heavily developed land and industry-lined waterways.

(Click Here) to read the full story.

Of course, there are typical pests in the city, including the ubiquitous crows (karasu in Japanese), but the parks do still harbor many species of waterfowl, and at least three species of turtles are found within the city limits.

 
Here are a couple of wildlife shots I took on my recent trip to Tokyo:
 
 

Tokyo Turtles, by Reed A. George

Taken at Kiyosumi Garden Park

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, iso80, f3.5, 1/400 sec

Waterfowl, Ueno Park, Tokyo, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica 45mm f2.8 Macro-Elmarit

iso400, f2.8, 1/2500 sec

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