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East Hokkaido: forests, feathers, fur, fumaroles…

…and many other glorious things and places, including this beautiful lake. It is a “drowned” caldera.

All photos copyright Doug Spencer, taken May 2017.

Pictured above, with mountain cherry in foreground, is Lake Mashu.

As is true of much of Hokkaido, its existence is via volcanic activity.

 

Iozan (Sulfur Mountain), Akan National Park. Photo copyright Doug Spencer.

 

Iozan used to be mined, for (non-matrimonial) matchmaking.

Lake Mashu is widely regarded as the most beautiful of Hokkaido’s many beautiful lakes.

The nearby, much larger Lake Akan is superb in its own right, and a world leader in weirdly wonderful algae.

They grow in spherical formations known as Marimo …of which more in future posts on Pelican Yoga this one is just a wee taste, posted while we are visiting Hokkaido.

Lake Akan is fringed by highly diverse (deciduous, mostly – their darker greens are conifers) forests; some trees are fully robed, whilst others are not yet in leaf.

 

Forest, Lake Akan. Photo copyright Doug Spencer.

 

My beloved and I are yet to encounter a bear, we hope to see Orcas, and we have already had many memorable encounters with both furred and winged wildlife.

 

Hokkaido Red Fox. Photo copyright Doug Spencer.

 

Red crowned crane. Photo copyright Doug Spencer

Published in Americas and Eurasia and Africa nature and travel photographs

One Comment

  1. Mark Cain Mark Cain

    Looks spectacular, Doug!

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