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May 16, 2024
 

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WILD WATCH

Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Mar 7, 2002
Waiting with ravens for hunter and hunted to die
Nature Diary notes for Friday, Feb. 8: Lake Kussharo to Notoro Misaki, then along the Sea of Okhotsk coast to Utoro.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Feb 21, 2002
Denizens of the deep that take your breath away
Almost exactly a year ago, I was introduced to scuba diving and the astonishing submarine sights of corals, colorful fish, sea lions, flightless cormorants and even penguins.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Feb 7, 2002
Precipitate beauty of nature's own ice sculptures
"The sky has holes to let rain in; the holes are small, that's why rain is thin." So wrote the zany British comedian Spike Milligan. Rain. Some hate it; I love it. It's a gift (thin though it may be) from the heavens.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jan 31, 2002
Taking a look at animals' 'me' and 'you'
We take for granted our ability to easily recognize the people we interact with regularly. We also take it as a given that we can distinguish between the many thousands of other people we meet superficially during our lives, perhaps never learning who they are, yet knowing each one of them as a different individual. In order to do this, we rely on a mixture of overt and subtle clues: body size, shape, hair style, eye color and voice all help us to distinguish between individuals.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jan 17, 2002
Adapting to living when the mercury falls
While you were tucking into roast feathered dinosaur (turkey) with all the trimmings this Christmas past, I hope you spared a thought for how other avians make it through the winter. While we humans celebrate in various ways to dispel the gloom of midwinter from the encapsulated warmth of our homes, think of how other species manage.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jan 3, 2002
Why do birds of a feather tend to flock together?
"Flocks" read the sign outside the onsen, or so I thought. My bird brain immediately clicked into "Hey, an onsen for birders." But why in remote Higashi Mokoto, Hokkaido? Surely it wasn't "Frocks?" A women-only onsen? But no, men were most definitely welcome. So what, I asked, did "flocks" mean?
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Dec 20, 2001
People may fear it, but many trees thrive on fire
In the melange of pagan midwinter mythology and religion that we now call "Christmas," trees, particularly evergreens, have come to occupy a prominent place in the festivities. In times gone by, mistletoe and holly were most common, but since the 17th century the Christmas tree has typically been some form of spruce, with its pleasant, resinous scent.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Dec 6, 2001
Nature allows for few winners in the face of fire
Fire! It's a word that strikes terror. Images of leaping, roaring, scorching flames spring to mind; images of billowing smoke and suffocating fumes; of people and other creatures great and small fleeing for their lives.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Nov 22, 2001
Alien killers revel in 'cute pet' role
As a family, cats have successfully colonized the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia, with only Australia among the larger landmasses lacking native species. They range in size from the immense Siberian tiger to the diminutive black-footed cat of southern Africa, and take an equally diverse range of prey. Much of their success is perhaps due to their nocturnal or crepuscular habits, as well as them having little to fear from natural predators -- other than members of their own family. But Man is their nemesis.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Nov 8, 2001
Natural-born killers rich in grace and guile
When all that separates you from the night is a thin layer of canvas, and when that night consists of a darkness that is thick and soft like a blanket, sounds seem very close.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Oct 25, 2001
Serendipity in Hokkaido's autumnal air
It was just a bridge, not even a special bridge. The Heiwa Bridge spans the eastern end of Lake Tofutsu in northeastern Hokkaido. To the north there is a narrow neck of wooded land and then the Okhotsk Sea. To the south lies more woodland, then great expanses of farmland. It was just a bridge, but suddenly I discovered it was also something of a flyway!
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Oct 18, 2001
Rare hybrids on evolution's way to where?
Humans like rules as a way of ordering the world into familiar and comfortable patterns. For naturalists, one of the basic rules is the concept of biological species, which forms the basis of modern biodiversity and conservation studies.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Oct 4, 2001
Marveling at mammalian masters of flight
I have dreamed of flying since childhood, and perhaps that is why I am obsessed with flying creatures. As ground-hugging humans, we readily identify with our fellow terrestrial mammals, assuming, easily enough, that being earthbound is a natural state for life on earth. But, think again. Even among the plants, the most obviously rooted species on Earth, an astonishing number not only reach for the skies and life-giving light, but also have airborne stages.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Sep 20, 2001
Giant umbellifer stalks northern Japan
Towering above the surrounding lush summer herb growth stands the hollow-stemmed monster known locally as Ezo nyuu and to botanists as Angelica ursina. These pearl-headed plants appear at the height of summer, a potent reminder that the longest days are past and that, despite the heat, autumn is not far around the corner.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Sep 6, 2001
Quitting the wandering life to settle down
Where waves crash across rocky shores there is a narrow region between the uppermost level covered at high tide and the lowest level exposed at low tide, the intertidal zone, that is prolific of life. Living there are seaweeds, shellfish, fish that prefer shallow water and can survive the varying temperatures of tidal pools, a scattering of shorebirds such as heron and egret, crabs that scuttle to avoid them, octopuses that hide by changing color or by squeezing and flowing through tiny rocky gaps, sea urchins, limpets and, for those who go without sandals, the creatures that provide grip on slippery rocks, but which are quick to graze and even tear your skin should you fall -- the barnacles.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Aug 16, 2001
Slow and steady wins the dispersal race
Humans have an anthropocentric tendency to look down on "cold-blooded" reptiles. We even use the term "cold-blooded" in a derogatory way to criticize people who seem somehow less than human.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Aug 2, 2001
Salt tolerance and life's dispersal derby
Salt is an interesting mineral. We all need it. It is crucial to the operation of the cells that make up our bodies.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jul 19, 2001
Cracking the Coleridge conundrum
Snorting salt through the nostrils may seem a strange habit, but it must surely be healthy and can even be a crucial adaptation. After all, albatrosses do it and they can live for 50-70 years, an exceptional age among birds.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jul 5, 2001
Beauty versus the environment
Concerns over the introduction of alien species to environments that have no protective mechanisms against them are beginning to filter through the bureaucratic system in Japan to the point where action is being contemplated -- or even taken.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jun 21, 2001
The early frog gets the reproductive success
Travel out of almost any of the major cities of Honshu on an overcast, rain-threatening evening, and head toward rice country.
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.
Kishida defends planned rule to revoke foreigners' residency
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a meeting of the Lower House Judicial Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
Japan concerned over U.S. officials' remarks on atomic bombings
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks to reporters during a news conference in Washington on Thursday.
Was Onosato's defeat of Terunofuji an era-defining bout?
Onosato (right) defeats Terunofuji at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 12. While nothing in sumo is guaranteed, it seems almost inevitable that Onosato is destined for the top of the sport's pyramid.
Japanese rap creates its mecca in Pop Yours
Tokyo-based artist Jumadiba says he forgoes the label of simply “rap” for his music because the Japanese rap scene isn’t confined to a particular sound. 
Was Onosato's defeat of Terunofuji an era-defining bout?
Onosato (right) defeats Terunofuji at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 12. While nothing in sumo is guaranteed, it seems almost inevitable that Onosato is destined for the top of the sport's pyramid.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.
In a rare event, the Northern Lights show up in Hokkaido
The Northern Lights in Nayoro, Hokkaido, on Saturday

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