【Kamuy landscapes】
The deep forests and coastlines inhabited by wildlife. Introducing Hokkaido’s natural scenery that changes with the seasons
Special feature
【Kamuy landscapes】Frost flowers – the brief, white meadows of Lake Toro
Early in the morning, as the sky begins to turn white, the temperature at Lake Toro is almost 20 degrees below zero. The frozen lake surface looks like a field of pure white flowers.
At first glance, the white specks look like snowflakes, but they are ‘frost flowers’ – the crystalized water vapor on the ice caused by radiative cooling. Almost the entire surface of Lake Toro has frozen over, and the white frost flowers grow as far as the eye can see.
The ice is still only several centimeters thick. We walk on the ice wearing thick waders to keep us safe even if it breaks. Occasionally, we hear a creaking sound beneath our feet and the ice cracks. The frost crystals are about a centimeter in diameter. I lie down on the ice and start photographing from a low angle.
This field of flowers will disappear when the sun shines and the temperature rises.
(Words and photos by Shigeru Tadanobu)
Location
Lake Toro
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
Notsuke Peninsula was cloudless and clear; the wind was light; even my heart was bright. The surface of the accumulated snow melted in the sunlight, before being frozen by the cold of the mornings...
【Kamuy landscapes】 Mysterious clouds above the sea off Rausu, the southern limit of the drift ice
I boarded a sightseeing boat departing from Rausu to photograph the Steller's sea eagles and white-tailed sea eagles wintering over the drift ice, and used a telephoto lens to shoot the birds resti...
Cape Chashikotsu is located in the Utoro area of Shari Town in the Okhotsk Subprefecture. There, the drift ice blanketing the Sea of Okhotsk and icicles along the cape create a world of ice. Sunli...
On an intensely cold early morning measuring 20 degrees below zero on the thermometer, water vapor rose from holes in the ice surface on Eastern Hokkaido Lake Kussharo, covering the lakeside area i...
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.
【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 ...
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...