insights from frontier Japan

The Okhotsk region welcomed the New Year with clear blue skies on January 1, and the first sunrise could be seen in many places. Many people gathered at Bihoro Pass and Mombetsu Port before dawn.

A combination of cold air in the sky and radiational cooling due to lack of cloud cover on December 19 resulted in 15 of the 22 observation points in the Okhotsk region recording the lowest temperatures of the season. Minus 18.7 degrees was recorded in the town of Bihoro, while mid-winter temperature in line with average temperatures in late January and early February were also recorded throughout the region.

Harvesting for the wintertime asparagus "Fuyuhime" (Winter Princess) has entered its peak season in northern Hokkaido's Bihoro Town. Taking advantage of the regional attributes of a high sunshine volume and large temperature differences, this asparagus has been branded as a high-class food product in wintertime, when Japanese grown asparagus is almost completely not in circulation.

A sea of clouds blanketed Japan's largest caldera lake, Lake Kussharo (Teshikaga Town, east Hokkaido), and shone with light from the morning sun. The image was captured on October 10 from Bihoro Town's Michi-no-Eki (Roadside Rest Area) "Gurutto Panorama Bihoro Pass", which overlooks the lake.