The Sea, Source of Nature’s Bounty

Drift ice pushed up against the shore by the wind in the Sea of Okhotsk. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

The sun rising above drift ice that has moved around the Nemuro Peninsula to head south in the Pacific Ocean. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

Sea otters have become frequent visitors to Hokkaidō shores in recent years at Cape Kiritappu. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

Wave-battered drift ice before it reaches the shore. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

Mount Rishiri on Rishiri Island, viewed across the sea from the Sea of Japan shore of Sarobetsu Marsh. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

Seagrass bleached by the sun creates a symphony of color with seaweed on the Shiretoko Peninsula. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

Wild konbu over 3 meters long is visible at low tide. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

Seagulls congregate at the Sea of Okhotsk shoreline. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

Aobato white-bellied green pigeons have the unusual habit of drinking seawater. The birds migrate to Hokkaidō to raise their young in forests on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

Salmon move in from the Sea of Okhotsk, swimming upstream to spawn in the rivers of Shiretoko. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

A pink salmon tries to escape the jaws of a brown bear. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

Sea spray stirred up by strong winds creates a rainbow on the Sea of Okhotsk. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

The eastern shores of Hokkaidō are often wreathed in sea fog created by cold winds blowing over the cold Oyashio Current. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

Cape Erimo, where the Hidaka Mountains run into the Pacific Ocean. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

A Steller’s sea eagle flies above drift ice. In winter, half of this eagle’s global population gathers in Hokkaidō. (© Mizukoshi Takeshi)

Photos from Ainu Mosiri: Ōkami ga mita Hokkaidō (Nature of Ainu Mosir as Viewed by Wolves), by Mizukoshi Takeshi. Hokkaidō Shimbun Press, 2022. ISBN: 978-4-86721-079-6.