Being a passionate photographer I take a lot of shots anywhere I go. One of my favorite subjects is animal life, but very often it’s hard to get a good shot of a wild animal or a bird because they are too quick and timid. However, in Japan there are many places where wild animals and birds live freely and feel at home.
A lot of wild monkeys, Japanese macaques, live in Jigokudani Yaen Koen, also known as Snow Monkey Park. There, I shot many great portraits because those monkeys are not afraid of people at all and allow photographers to come close. Of course, I tried to shoot from afar, not wanting to disturb them.
Wild birds such as herons, seagulls and all sorts of ducks can be seen in parks such as Ueno Park and the many Tokyo gardens. Special parks with enclosures such as Kobe Animal Kingdom keep owls, toucans and other exotic birds which are free to move. Besides these habitats, I had a great opportunity to see and take photos of ocean inhabitants in numerous aquariums of Japan.
I hope that my shots will encourage fans of photography to visit those places.
I also got chased by a sea turtle. The park signs say “don’t touch”, but turtles can’t read...