Here is one of them
😀 …
Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan is the home of indigenous Ainu people. It is still relatively undeveloped and largely unpopulated part of the country. A large part of the planes is used as farm land. But there are large areas of forests and wetlands reminiscent of the Ainu era Hokkaido.
Those wet lands and dark forests used to be the home of the kamui, the spirits of the nature recognised and respected by the Ainu people. Brown bears, deer, wolves, owls, cranes, salmon, any inhabitants of the nature that were involved in Ainu way of life were called kamui.
Unfortunately we were hardly be able to see the kamui in the wild. But it is possible to observe them in zoological garden and sanctuaries. Even in captivity the kamui still look enigmatic.
I had a chance to make a big trip to the eastern part of Hokkaido in late June and published some of the pictures I took there in two photo albums. The second of those two albums contain many images of the kamui I came across, as well as other scenes that caught my imagination. So I would like to invite you.
Love the nodding owl :yes:
He's gorgeous, isn't he? 😀
😎
Absolutely
Fun kind of a guy, isn't he? 😀
Hey, it moves! :eyes: :up: And winks the eye 😆
Thanks. It was Deb who ordered his appearance. 😉
:yes:
And I'm very gratified that you troubled yourself to comply. Very cute animated gif. :yes: Also enjoyed reading about the kamui and the Ainu. :coffee:
Wasn't much troubel at all, Deb. I was going to do it anyway for my own amusement. Your suggestion made me publish it. And writing this blog post was a nice biproduct. 😉
Very surprised to learn that there are wild bears in Japan.
Hi, Mick. Yes. Japan is full of wild bears. :lol:The brown bears live in Hokkaido and Tsukinowa-guma (crescent bear, Ursus thibetanus japonicus) the Japanese subspecies of Asian black bears live in the Mainland and further south.Although the brown bears are said to be more aggressive, the black bears are the main cause of recent bear attacks. There are over 100 reported bear attacks every year, with some fatalities. A couple of years ago a black bear turned up at a major tourist base in a national park, injuring 9 people before running into the busy bus terminal compound and destroying a souvenir shop before shot and killed:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8265084.stmThose willing to venture into wilderness usually carry a bell to warn the bears. Some even carry a pepper spray. There was this incident a few years ago, when a hiker checking his newly purchased pepper spray accidentally discharged it in his hotel room and a couple of people had to have medical attention for breathing difficulty. 😆
Whoops 😆
I know he was spoken to by the police but never found out if he was charged. 😆
Well, stupidity is not a crime. 😉
Unless it puts someone in hospital 😆