The Journey to see Tancho: Japan's Red-crowned Crane

My brain often becomes fixated. Tenacious is what my husband calls me. And perhaps I am, a little. Like a dog with a bone. But in my case, a girl with a bird.

Well, technically, I did not have the bird; the bird was an ocean away.

The Red-Crowned Crane.

I had seen photos of this graceful bird, often caught dancing in the snow with their partners. Their red crown, bright and stark, against the white powdery snow.

I wanted to meet this bird.

So, I came up with a plan. Saved a lot. And my dream, well, it became a reality.

Below is my journey of meeting the red-crowned crane in Hokkaido, Japan.

Planning

As with many adventures, first came the planning

Because we were not renting a car in Japan, we needed a spot where you could see the red crowned cranes in the wild that was accessible by public transport.

So Athena donned her research hat.

Most of my bird-related research starts with Google. Red Crowned Cranes in Japan, Where to See Red Crowned Cranes in Japan, etc. I Google like a computer wizard. Eventually, after enough research, I came up with a mostly fool-proof plan.

Most of my googling brought up the village of Tsurui Village. This is a wintering ground for the cranes every year. You can get there by bus. And you are close enough to take some photos, without disturbing their peace. It checked all my boxes. Tsurui Village it was.

The Journey

To get to the village, we would need to take a plane. a bus. And another bus.

The first plane we took was from Sapporo to Kushiro. We had been staying in Sapporo for a few days, enjoying the winter wonderland that is that city, drinking the city’s namesake beer, and spotting woodpeckers in the park nearby. Oh, and also learning how to walk on frozen solid sidewalks. That was a learning curve from someone from Hamilton who never sees snow.

The flight from Sapporo to Kushiro is insanely short. 45 minutes to be exact. Alternatively you can take the train. This takes 3 and a half hours. They are around the same price, so I opted for the plane for more crane time.

Kushiro was the least touristy town I went to while in Japan. I saw no other tourists, actually, and there were hardly any crowds. This was quite refreshing after being smoshed by many a crowd in Tokyo, Kyoto, and to a degree, Sapporo.

The city felt industrial. Where we stayed, there were no real shops. Just a train/bus station, a bakery, and, weirdly enough, a stationery shop, where I stocked up on cute bird stationery.

We arrived late in Kushiro, so we decided to stay the night at a local hotel. Comfort Hotel Kushiro. This was a pretty good spot that had a pretty good breakfast.

The next day, we took the bus. The bus was the number 20, and it left from the Bus Station in Kushiro. You can buy a ticket inside the bus station using the machine, or if you have exact change, pay via cash. When you enter the bus, take a paper docket on the left. This will have a number on it.

Once you are at your stop, you look at the board up front for your number, and that is how much yen you will be paying. You will also need to push the button to stop the bus when you are near your stop.

For Tsurir village, we rode the bus for nearly an hour. It is the second-to-last stop on this route.

Accommodation

Research for where we were going to stay while in Tsuri started early. Months before we were due to depart for Japan.

This was because there were only 4-5 accommodation options in this village, and they often booked out due to this location being very popular with wildlife photographers.

So, research hat was put on and I came across the hotel called Hotel Taito. It had amazing reviews, looked cute, and had a restaurant attached. What more could I ask for?

When I initially enquired (their website is in Japanese, so I emailed them), they said they only take bookings 3 months in advance. So, I put it in my calendar for October to email back. Because I really wanted to stay at this spot. Luckily, we got our room.

This place was amazing to stay at. The views outside your window are a wintery postcard. You are walking distance to the cranes, the bus stop is right outside the hotel, the staff are lovely, there is a gift shop in the hotel, where I got my favorite souvenir (a little felted crane), and they have a restaurant. You can ask to have meals included in your stay, which means breakfast and dinner. And they cater for dietary requirements. So, my husband and I were treated to some delicious vegan meals, including this special peach sorbet/ice cream thing, which made me want to build a shrine and worship at its peachy goodness.

So, in essence. I would recommend staying here if you are visiting the cranes. They have beautiful artwork lining the walls of the cranes, and there is an onsen.

Meeting the Cranes

The time had come. All the planning, all the travelling, was coming to fruition. We were going to meet the beautiful crane or tancho, in Japanese.

After quickly eating our breakfast, which was delicious, by the way, we carefully made our way to the crane spot. Now, I say carefully, because everything was frozen. From the sidewalk to the road. A slippery , slippery mess, and I was carrying some expensive gear, and I really did not want to break anything. Including bones.

The spot we were heading for is where they feed the cranes in the winter months.

It was around a 15-minute careful walk, and we set up around 7:20. Feeding didn’t happen until around 9 am, but we wanted to get a good spot near the fence line.

When we arrived, there was already a handful of photographers set up with their tripods and cameras. Because I do not own a tripod, I was relying on the fence and my own body as my stabilizing equipment. I later found out that it is quite hard when you are shivering with cold to be a tripod. Haha.

We made our way to the fenceline. And began the wait in the bitter cold.

My hands were numb, my face was numb, everything was numb, except for my mind. Which was abuzz,. Finally, I was here. Finally, I got to meet this beautiful bird.

People started slowly trickling in, filling in the fence line, and then I heard them.

They sounded kind of like seagulls. But bigger.

And I looked overhead, and there they were. Flying gracefully over our heads and landing in the blanketed field ahead.

They were magnificent.

Over the next 30 minutes or so, more and more cranes flew in. Until the field was filled with their sounds, their movements as they danced and bowed at one another.

A man with a wheelbarrow filled with wheat came out of the shed and started giving them their breakfast. And they ate. And after they ate, I noticed they were a lot more active with their dancing and jumping in the air like crazy little acrobats. I guess the food made them feel pretty darn energetic haha. This was the perfect time to try and get some photos of their courtship.

After a while, the cold got too much, and I returned to the hotel. Happy. Elated really.

They have a second feeding at 2 pm, so we went and checked that out as well. I would say the lighting was a touch better, but it was so much busier, with a lot of tour buses having arrived and the whole fence line filled with people. If you want more peace during your time with the cranes, I would recommend the morning.

There was one juvenile crane among the adults

The next day, we went out again. It was so much colder. Negative 15 degrees Celsius. And I could not stop shaking. It made for some blurry photos, haha. I tried to ignore the cold biting at me, and my husband, being a lovely human, went to the local Konbini and picked up a muff, a handwarmer, and a hot drink. This allowed me to continue a little longer, until the cold and pain got a bit too much,h and I retreated.

I would recommend stopping at that corner shop as they have Hokkido potatoes in the warmer, and they were awesome.

The Crane

I have talked about my journey a lot, but not much about the bird itself

The red crowned crane is also called Tancho in Japan. It is a very special bird there. It was thought to be extinct in Japan due to overhunting and destruction of wetland, but they have made a recovery through conservation, and numbers are said to be around 1900 now. Tsurir was at the forefront of the population bouncing back in Japan. When there were only around 20 left, a dairy farmer named Yoshitaka Ito started supplementary feeding in the winter of 1920. Sixty years later, around 400 cranes were wintering in the area. Yoshitaka Ito had his farm turned into the Tsurui Ito Tancho Sanctuary in 1987.

In Japanese lore, they are known for their longevity and are said to live 1000 years. They also feature on the 1000 yen.

They are the biggest crane and can grow as tall as 158cm, with a wingspan of up to 260cm.

They are long-lived birds that can live up to 60 years. They are monogamous, and what many people love to see is their courship dance. They hop, bow, and flick their head back. It is a feathered tango of companionship, and it is a sight to behold.

Tips

Arrive early at the photography spot - they birds will fly in around 8:40-9, but aim to get there around 7:30 to secure a spot. Feeding time is at 9am and 2pm,
The best time to visit Tsuriri village to see the cranes is Dec-March. We visited in early January, and it was perfect. There was snow blanketing the ground, so photos were very picturesque.
Wrap up. It is so very cold when you are taking photos of these cranes., And to make matters worse, you are not moving around but staying still for hours. The cold bites. So, I would suggest wrapping up and also getting some of those sticky hand warmers, that you stick inside your clothes. These are found at the convienence stores in Japan.
Visit the information centre. There is an information centre across the road from the paddick you take the photos at. This place is really good to learn about the birds and the history of the sanctuary. They also have a giftshop. I am a sucker for any kind of bird related gift haha. I brought a very cool bird watching book showcasing Japanese birds, as well as a crane keychain. All the money goes into the sanctuary.
Crouch - this is more of a photography tip, but some of my best photos is where i crouched in the snow and got on their eye level.
When you hear a strange squacking sound, they are flying overhead, Turn around, and look up if you are fast enough you can get some photos of them flying