【Kamuy landscapes】
The deep forests and coastlines inhabited by wildlife. Introducing Hokkaido’s natural scenery that changes with the seasons
Special feature
【Kamuy landscapes】 The ‘shape of the north’ – windswept forests created by the harsh winter winds
On my way back from Cape Nosappu in the city of Nemuro, I stopped off at the Hoppou Gensei Kaen (Northern Primeval Flower Garden). The north wind blowing from the strait stung my skin.
Beyond the windswept forest, where the wind is so strong the trees cannot grow tall, the horizon glows red in the west, colored by the setting sun. As the temperature drops, the air compresses and clears. A brightness remains in the sky, and the mizunara (Mongolian oak) that form the windswept forest appear as silhouettes.
The forest is lower on the northern side. This is because strong winds have prevented the trees from growing upwind. The branches twist intricately like capillaries, and the trunks lean to the south from their base. This is the ‘shape of the north,’ created over a long period of time by the harsh winter weather.
I was overwhelmed by the appearance of the mizunara, as if it had endured adversity throughout its entire life.
(Photo and words by Shigeru Tadanobu)
Location
Hoppou Gensei Kaen (Northern Primeval Flower Garden)
Special feature
Early in the morning, the Ishikari Plain is shrouded in spring haze. From the Tsukigata Ohashi Bridge, which straddles the border between the city of Bibai and the town of Tsukigata in the Sorachi ...
【Kamuy landscapes】Todowara in early spring – snowfields and blue skies all the way to the horizon
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【Kamuy landscapes】 Mysterious clouds above the sea off Rausu, the southern limit of the drift ice
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On a bitterly cold morning when the temperature drops below minus 20 degrees Celsius, a river fog appears along the banks of the river in the village of Sarabetsu in the Tokachi subprefecture.
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Early in the morning as the Shiretoko sky started to brighten, I went outside to get fresh air. Taking just one step out of the front door of the inn, already I was immersed in the smell of the oc...
【Kamuy landscapes】 Beautiful forest shadows created by yellow larch leaves and oblique light
I headed home after a photo shoot in the foothills of Mt. Tokachidake. After taking a detour to the nearby Shirogane Hot Springs, while on the way to central Biei in the Kamikawa region, on a whim...
After parking the car in the deepest part of a forest road in Utoro in the town of Shari in the Okhotsk region, we put on my rubber boots and head along the track that is closed to vehicles. “The ...
【Kamuy landscapes】Lake Kussharo’s sea of clouds and the primeval forest that appears at sunrise
Dawn begins to break in the eastern sky. As the light pierces the dark scenery below, slowly the colors emerge. Tsubetsu Pass, on the border between the Kushiro and Okhotsk regions, is a magnific...