insights from frontier Japan

On May 5, backcountry skiers visited Mt. Oputateshike (2,013 m), at the northern end of the Tokachi Volcanic Group, and skied down the abundant snow that remains on the steep slope from the summit, amid the sunshine.

The Kushiro Local Meteorological Office announced on May 8 that Sargent’s cherry blossoms had bloomed in the city of Kushiro in eastern Hokkaido. This was the last of the 58 observation points in Japan to announce the blossoms, and the city ranked as “Japan’s latest blossoms” for the sixth consecutive year.

On May 2, a ‘flower raft’ of fallen cherry-blossom petals was seen floating on the surface of the moat in Goryokaku Park in the city of Hakodate. The fantastic sight, like a carpet of pale pink petals, delighted both tourists and locals alike.

Asian fawnlily (Erythronium japonicum) are in full bloom at Otokoyama Nature Park on the south side of Mt. Tossho, which straddles the border between the city of Asahikawa and the town of Pippu in northern Hokkaido. Blue Ezo-engosaku (Corydalis fumariifolia) and yellow forked-stem adonis (Adonis ramosa) flowers can also be seen amid the pale purple carpet of flowers, heralding the arrival of spring.

The town of Matsumae in the Oshima region of southern Hokkaido declared on April 21 that the Yoshino cherry blossoms in Matsumae Park had bloomed. The cherry blossoms began blooming in Hokkaido five days later than last year but six days earlier than normal.

n March 31, two men who were conducting ecological research on brown bears were attacked by a bear that emerged from its hibernation den on Mt. Sankaku in Sapporo's Nishi-ku. One man received a serious head injury while the other received serious injuries to his arm. Subsequent investigation by the City of Sapporo revealed that the brown bear that attacked them was raising two cubs. The den was only about 500 meters away from a residential area, in a place where hikers and other members of the public could easily have stumbled across it. The increasing bear population has highlighted the fact that the bears' habitat is getting closer to human settlements, and experts warn that, “we need to fundamentally change the perception that bears hibernate deep in the mountains.”

The Hidaka mountain range, which has been unofficially nominated as national park, is dotted with ‘knife ridges,’ that are cut off at both sides. Since the opening of the Nozuka Tunnel on National Highway Route 236 (from the town of Hiroo in the Tokachi region to the town of Urakawa in the Hidaka region), the number of climbers on Mt. Toyoni-dake (1,493 m) has rapidly increased, and this knife ridge is the most difficult traverse.

With the establishment of the Revised Natural Parks Act in April, purposefully hiding near and approaching brown bears is now banned at Shiretoko National Park. A maximum fine of 300,000 yen has been placed on approaching and feeding wild animals. Locally, the Act is expected to deter the acclimating of brown bears to people and prevent accidents involving people and brown bears. Related organizations are gearing up to spread awareness of the new rules.

Seals have been seen on the breakwater in Kushiro Port in eastern Hokkaido and near the mouth of the Kushiro River, which flows into the port. They swim and feed leisurely as fishing boats come and go.