I know it is still winter, and this cold and often gray season may keep many people indoors, but luckily I am not one of them. Of course, I also like it a little warmer and cozier, but I also like it just as much to be outside in the fresh air. I prefer nice weather, but even in the cold season I want to see as much as possible of the world around me. And luckily, several times this winter the weather has already shown its better side and given us quite pleasant days. And since it hasn't snowed as much as in previous years, which has often made driving an exhausting adventure, there was really no excuse not to leave the house and the city and to check out the world on one of our days off.
Especially after it has snowed, the landscape looks even more fascinating than usual. It's probably this sublime tranquillity that emanates from a blanket of snow, which seems to mask all the noise and hustle and bustle of our world. And it is precisely this majestic beauty that we wanted to see and enjoy for a while. Particularly in winter, we all need a bit of encouragement and motivation, and what better way to get it than to check how wonderful and beautiful our world is. And as we were quite fortunate to find a lot of this beauty in our local area, we quickly agreed on a destination, which we cheerfully headed for.
We went to Fukushimagata 福島潟, a freshwater lagoon located in the narrow lowlands between the Sea of Japan and the mountains, which has already been our destination a few times before. The word "gata 潟" in the word "Fukushimagata" means lagoon, but it is not really a lagoon, rather a lake fed by many small streams.
Over the last few centuries, people in this region have repeatedly tried to reclaim land and increase the area for rice cultivation. The shape and size of the lagoon has therefore changed over and over again and currently covers 271 hectares. But already in the last century, people started to reduce the area used for growing rice and decided to coexist with the lagoon to protect and preserve this natural jewel for future generations. Around the lagoon there is a very distinctive bird life, with over 220 species, which can be observed not only on from some accessible places at the lakeshore, but also from various observation points.
In terms of birds, even in winter you can witness quite a show here so our first stop was one of these observation towers from where I wanted to get a first glimpse of what was happening on the water. As we discovered, we were not alone that day, as many other visitors seemed to have had the same idea.
From the top, we had a good all-round view of the scenery around Fukushimagata, which now spread out directly in front of us. The blue sky opened up the view as far as the mountains, which were clearly visible on this day. The interior of Japan consists largely of mountains and highlands, which like here were starting to rise quite close to the coast.
When we looked to another side, the sky was rather overcast and everything seemed a little colder. But in the background on the very right you can already see the actual visitor center, where we had planned to go that day. But that we kept for later.
However, first we enjoyed the fantastic view over the lake, where countless water birds had made themselves at home. In addition to ducks, there are also lots of swans and geese, which at the end of fall make the long journey down from eastern Siberia to find their wintering grounds here in Fukushimagata. People have been watching migratory birds fly over the Fukushimagata lagoon since ancient times, and even nowadays this mutual ritual continues to be practiced by all sides.
At the moment there is no snow at all in the town and right by the sea, but as you can see in the background, the mountains are pretty white and there was also a thick blanket of snow around the lake. In the early morning hours, you can also make out quite a few white dots on the water, when the many swans have not yet set off on their feeding trips, where they fill their bellies during the day. At this moment, it was mostly ducks we spotted swimming on the water.
But look here, right in front of us were two white herons, whose colors matched their surroundings perfectly. The allowed me to take a few pictures before they flew off again. At least here we were lucky with our timing.
And we weren't the only ones keen to see birds either. A few other birdwatchers had also arrived at this small observation post right by the water and were constantly busy observing the water surface and taking photos.
The second level was particularly busy, perhaps you have a better view from there. In any case, camera-wise our bird fans were much better equipped as we were and it seemed that they wanted to stay here much longer than us, who still wanted to visit a few other places.
So off we went and we then passed this small shrine on the side of the road, which somehow caught my attention. Of course, this inevitably led to us stopping and me getting out to take a closer look.
The Kogatainari Shrine is only a small local shrine, but I guess it was this statue that made me check out this place more thoroughly. We still don't really know what this is all about, but the shrine is probably dedicated to the people who lost their lives while working here at Fukushimagata Lagoon. So I now guess the statue could be showing one of the reed farmers.
Right next to the shrine is this Buddhist Kannon statue, which once again shows that different religions are able to coexist harmoniously here in Japan. Fortunately, here in the Far East not everything is always about fighting a culture war.
And we also discovered our swans. Right next to the parking lot at the visitor center, they had found a rice field where they were happily feeding on the roots of the harvested rice plants, which are probably their favorite food at this time of year. Particularly on the west coast in the northern part of the main Japanese island of Honshu, we are able to observe large groups of swans wintering in these regions. Further north, in eastern Siberia, it seems to be a little too cold for our feathered friends, so every year they come down all the long way to Japan.
We walked a few more meters towards the water, because the weather was just too good now not to go for another round out in the fresh air. And the setting was just too inviting on this beautiful winter's day.
There was still a lot of snow here, so it was better to stay on the cleared paths. But it was perhaps this white blanket of snow that really made this old farmhouse stand out.
On it's south side, however, it was already thawing quite a bit and right in front of the building which serves as a rest house and where you are invited to spend your break, it got pretty slushy. Winter here on the west coast of Japan is usually a pretty wet affair, with temperatures usually hovering around freezing point.
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At the visitor center, we listened to a lecture on winter birdlife, which was presented to us with live cameras. Here at the Fukushimagata Lagoon, Hishikui ヒシクイ, the Bean Goose, has become particularly popular. Today, the bean goose is one of the country's natural treasures and the lagoon is home to the largest number of wintering geese in Japan. The Hishikui migrate from Kamchatka, Russia, and stay in the Land of the Rising Sun from late September to early March. Quite a long time.
From the roof of the visitor center, we were able to enjoy another great view and once more let our gaze wander over the lagoon to the mountains. I found the view in front of me so fascinating that I didn't really want to leave up here. But my cold hands and ears finally drove me back inside.
Inside we looked at a small exhibition about the local birdlife and I met a friend I had just made a few weeks ago. At the end of the year, during a visit to my favorite park, I had met two kawasemi カワセミ, as kingfishers are called here in Japan, and of which you can read more in this article. Some colorful birds just seem to be everywhere.
You also have a great view from inside the visitor center, where you can also get quite comfortable. We were really lucky with the weather that day, and the the world outside was showing itself from its best side. And we all learned a lot during our visit, especially about the local birdlife, and once again developed a new awareness of how important it is that we all work together to ensure that humans and nature can continue to coexist peacefully in the future.
At the end of the day, we were also treated to a nice sunset, which rounded off our trip wonderfully. Unfortunately, such wonderful winter days are rare at the Sea of Japan and we were really lucky to have caught such a great day this time. Our visit to the Fukushimagata lagoon reminded us once more how beautiful the region I am currently visiting is and how much there is to see here. And that's why we want to make many more trips this year, no matter what time of year it is.
It's not just Japan that is attractive all year round, almost everywhere in the world there is something wonderful on offer at any time of year. At the moment we are trying to make the most of the current winter weather, which changes every few days. But as the days are already getting longer, you can almost feel the spring that will take over in the not too distant future. Luckily, we're in no hurry, but want to enjoy a little more of the cold but enchanting beauty of winter.
And if you'd like to see a few more winter pictures and hear a few more winter stories, check back soon for new pictures and impressions from the land of the rising sun. I myself still have so much I want to discover and explore, and I'm delighted to be able to share it all with you on this blog.
[//]:# (!pinmapple 37.91298 lat 139.24200 long A winter visit to the Fukushimagata lagoon 👹🍣🎎 Wonderful Japan d3scr)
