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April 28, 2024
 

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Mark Brazil

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Mark Brazil
Mark Brazil, a Briton based in Hokkaido, has written about the natural history of Japan in his Wild Watch column for over 30 years. After careers in conservation and natural history television, Mark taught for nine years at a university in Hokkaido before going freelance. He now travels the world as a lecturer and leader on wildlife-focused expeditions.
For Mark Brazil's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Oct 17, 2010
Singing the praise of the silent majority
It is a peaceful autumn day here in Hokkaido; a Black-eared Kite banking, wheeling and gliding effortlessly on outspread wings just outside my workroom window tempts me out for a walk in Nopporo Forest near where I live. There, I stroll among trees that now seem somewhat threadbare; the extreme density of summer foliage has begun to thin. The trail seems to pull at my feet, drawing me onward and reeling me in like a spider would its prey into a web.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Sep 19, 2010
Taking up residence uninvited
I could scarcely make out the small songbird moving secretively through the undergrowth in the gloom of the dark forest. Its calls were barely familiar to me and seemed so out of context that I didn't recognize them at all at first.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Aug 15, 2010
Relics of Ice Age Japan
Scrambling across hillsides may not be everyone's cup of tea, but we naturalists are determined folk and take such activities in our stride when exploring our environment.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jul 18, 2010
Bathing in northern 'megaherbs'
When I first visited New Zealand in 1994 I was impressed by its astounding landscapes — the stunning beauty of its landforms, coasts and islands. However, I was soon not so enamored of its much-publicized "clean green" image when I realized the incredible destruction wrought on the ecosystem by its small (4 million) human population, their huge flocks and herds of livestock and the alien species they'd introduced, including rabbits and stoats.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jun 20, 2010
Flying high with alluring aosagi
A large dark shape flaps in a leisurely fashion on deeply bowed wings across a dark gray sky. It looks somehow lumpy, with very broad, rounded tips to its arched wings — and at a distance it appears like a large black "M," but with long outstretched legs, etched on the glowering clouds.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
May 16, 2010
Antics of 'shadow tail' lead the great spring show
The summer birds are here! They arrive travel-weary yet eager — telling, in their courtship songs, tales of months spent in insect-filled forests far to the south, remembering the lazy droning of sweat bees, the buzz and saw of cicadas, the whine of mosquitoes, the flashing colors of tropical butterflies and the dripping humidity of Malaysia, Thailand, Borneo or southern China.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Apr 18, 2010
Brace yourself — I did say 'cute'!
When did you last go out into the woods at night? In this age of media-induced fears, and with far more than half the world's population now being urban- dwellers, fewer of us brave the outdoors even during daylight hours, let alone at night.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Mar 21, 2010
Savoring the beauty of winter's final fling
An indefinable quality in the light somehow signals the air temperature. Airflows from the north and northwest have, for many days this late February just gone, kept Hokkaido frigid. An intangible crispness in the atmosphere combines with the luminosity to forewarn of seriously subzero temperatures. Multilayered clothing is a must, but the static electricity it generates is truly shocking.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Feb 21, 2010
Singing the praises of sparrows
In a rush of small wings, a fluttering, chirruping, congregation of familiar birds — Eurasian tree sparrows — descended on the bush in front of me. They chattered noisily among themselves, each shifting its position almost constantly as if unsure whether it had the right to be on any given perch.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jan 17, 2010
'Tigers' and naturalists of many stripes
I enter the forest and soon the rhythmic swish-swish of my skis over the snow mesmerizes me. This is my first foray of the new year in Hokkaido, making tracks in the lowland forest of Nopporo close to home just east of Sapporo.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Dec 20, 2009
Tuning in to Alaskan bears
With temperatures falling steadily, amazing things are happening in the natural world.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Nov 15, 2009
Notable memories and ones forgotten
On my most recent journey overseas, to southern Brazil, a fellow traveler gave me a large Moleskine-brand notebook. Though grateful for the present, at first I was uncertain what to do with it. I generally use a particular-size pocket notebook to write up all my field observations, and this new acquisition clearly wasn't going to fit into my pocket.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Oct 18, 2009
Wildlife on your doorstep
To be brutally honest, wildlife photography is mostly about having the means to get to amazing places, where wildlife still abounds. Then it takes heaps of patience. And the final ingredient is a good eye to capture the moment.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Sep 20, 2009
U.K. birders' fair shows we can all help save even LBJs
"Life works by making lots and lots of different kinds of living things, and every one we lose impoverishes us and the world. Every single species, obscure or common, funny or dull, gorgeous or LBJ [the bird-watchers' abbreviation for "Little Brown Job"], is a strand in the web of life: every time we break a strand, we bring the web closer to busting. Every species matters.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Sep 20, 2009
U.K. birders' fair shows we can all help save even LBJs
"Life works by making lots and lots of different kinds of living things, and every one we lose impoverishes us and the world. Every single species, obscure or common, funny or dull, gorgeous or LBJ [the bird-watchers' abbreviation for "Little Brown Job"], is a strand in the web of life: every time we break a strand, we bring the web closer to busting. Every species matters.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Aug 16, 2009
Back where they belong
High in the fork of a tall tree on a wooded slope close to narrow rice paddies on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan off Nigata Prefecture was a flimsy, ragged nest made of twigs.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jul 19, 2009
Tune in to nature's sounds
The phenomenal diversity of Japan, in its landscapes, climates, ecosystems, fauna and flora, has enthralled me for more than a quarter of a century. For part of each year I am extremely fortunate to be able to travel the length and breadth of the country seeking out its wilder places in order to experience the unique nature of Japan and to write about those experiences.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 12, 2009
Japan's isle of exiles — and gold
Shaped like the Mark of Zorro, a rugged "Z" slashed across the Sea of Japan, Sado Island lies in the inhospitable Sea of Japan off the coast of Niigata Prefecture. Strangely, it warrants surprisingly little space in most guidebooks — which to my mind makes it an alluring place to visit.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jun 21, 2009
'Spotted snakes, with double tongue'
In ages past we humans relied on natural phenomena and omens from nature to guide us in our understanding of seasonal events and our attempts to make predictions about the uncertain future.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
May 17, 2009
Mayhem, madness and bumps in the night
Picture this: Darkness; a strong wind blowing; fog thickening and swirling; the ceaseless crashing of waves against a rocky shore. Not a night for nature observation you may think, but think again.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Ukraine is far from doomed
When comparing Ukraine’s military situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Tokyo's Koto Ward by-election a race unlike any other
Natsumi Sakai, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s candidate and one of four female candidates running in the by-election, touts her experience as a cancer survivor and midwife as having prepared her to tackle issues that women currently face.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability
Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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