錢形海豹 / Harbor Seal, or common seal

錢形海豹是在日本定居的唯一一種海豹。特別是面向太平洋從襟裳岬到庫頁群島(在日本稱作為北方領土)棲息許多錢形海豹。日文名稱的由來取自古代錢幣的「錢」，而且錢幣的「形」的模樣在海豹的身體上。順帶一題，現今日本的5圓、50圓硬幣中央仍有個小洞。錢形海豹常被飼養在北海道內的動物園和水族館。

The Harbor Seal, or common seal in English, is the only member of the seal family found in Hokkaido. They live in coastal areas of eastern Hokkaido, from Cape Erimo to Cape Nosappu, and on the coasts of the Northern Territory islands. Their name in Japanese is Zenigata seal because of the circular patterns on the body. Zeni means coin, and gata stands for shape or design. Much like the design of the five yen or 50 yen coin, the circular patterns on their body have a hole in the center. Thr Harbor Seal can also be seen in zoological parks and aquariums around Hokkaido.

小天鵝 / Tundra Swan

小天鵝是小型的天鵝從嘴巴到尾端的長度最大約1.5公尺。翅膀展開後寬度約2公尺左右。脖子比黃嘴天鵝短且粗。因為要過冬而從歐亞大陸北部飛到日本。浜頓別町的KUTTYARO湖約有2萬隻的小天鵝飛來過冬。在苫小牧市的UTONAI湖也看的到。

The Tundra Swan is a relatively small member of the swan species at about 1.5 meters maximum from beak to tail, with a wingspan of approximately two meters. While their necks are shorter, they are thicker than that of the whooper swan. Tundra swans live in the cool climes of continental Eurasia, but they migrate south in winter. Japan is one of their destinations. Usually, they stop over in Hokkaido to rest, then continue on to Honshu. In Hokkaido, the famous point to see them is Lake Kuccharo near Hamatombetsu Town northern Hokkaido, with up to 20000 tundra swans in attendance. They come to Lake Utonai in Tomakomai near New Chitose Airport, too.

疣鼻天鵝 / Mute Swan

疣鼻天鵝全長約150公分。黃嘴天鵝和小天鵝是飛來過冬的侯鳥，但疣鼻天鵝幾乎一整年都定居在固定的地方。在北海道距離新千歲機場開車約30分鐘的UTONAI湖可常常見到疣鼻天鵝。也有疣鼻天鵝的群落定居在洞爺湖。嘴巴是黑色和橘色，上半部的根部有黑色疣般的突起物。

The Mute Swan is approximately 1.5 meters from beak to tail. Lake Utonai, which is in Tomakomai City, about 30 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport, accommodates the largest colony of the Mute Swan in Hokkaido. There is also a smaller colony at Lake Toya. Compared to the Whooper Swan and Tundra Swan which migrate to Hokkaido in winter, the Mute Swan is a year round inhabitant. It is rumored that they escaped from zoological parks many years ago. Originally, this species was not seen in Japan, depending on what you read. Their beaks are black and orange, with a pronounced knob atop the beak.

札幌丘珠機場 / Sapporo Okadama Airport

札幌丘珠機場（位於札幌市東區）的2樓有餐廳「丘珠廚房」。 從窗邊的吧台座位可以很清楚看到飛機的滑行跑道。 如果晴天條件良好的日子甚至可以看到120公里以外的十勝岳。招牌菜色是丘珠咖哩。因為丘珠從以前開始就是盛產洋蔥的地區， 咖哩大量地使用洋蔥。餐廳的使用者可以免費使用停車場兩小時。

Sapporo Okadama Airport (Sapporo City Higashi-ku) houses a restaurant, Okadama Kitchen, on the second floor of the main terminal. At the counter seats facing a big window, one can see the airplanes on the runway. On a sunny day with clear skies, it’s possible to see Mt. Tokachi-dake, which is about 120 kilometers away. A popular menu item is their special curry dish, Okadama Curry. This menu uses onions a lot to make a curry sauce poured over rice. This is because Okadama is a famous growing area for onions. Guests at the restaurant can get two hours free parking.

南FURANO / Minami Furano

南FURANO（位於南富良野町） 是在國道38號沿線上的道路休息站。隔壁有水庫形成的湖泊-KANAYAMA湖。KANAYAMA湖和空知川盛行獨木舟。 道路休息站建築物的特徵就是將獨木舟的弓型尖端作為概念的外觀。 一樓有大型水槽，裡面有空知川和KANAYAMA湖內棲息的伊富魚、雨鱒魚和石斑魚等淡水魚優游著。 二樓也有以森林為主題的展示空間。

Minami Furano (Minami Furano Town) is a road station on route 38. Lake Kanayama is an artificial lake created by a dam, upon the shores of which this road station stands. At Lake Kanayama and Sorachi River, canoeing is popular. In recognition of that the architectural design of the building incorporates the shape of a canoe. On the first floor, there is a big fish tank on display, with Itou, Amemasu or Ugui, which are fish living in the freshwater of the lake and river are swimming there. On the second floor, there is an exhibition room displaying the forest and wood in the town.

2月下旬的札幌 / At the end of February in Sapporo

2月下旬的札幌是感覺介於春季和冬季之間的時期。 一天當中最高氣溫為2到3度。 溫暖的日子時也有超過5度的日子。 在晴天時，即時氣溫很低但因為日照的影響路面的結冰也會融化。 一日當中最低氣溫在溫暖的日子也有零下2度到3度。 也有下看到零下5度的日子。 特別是夜晚會變寒冷。如果上空寒流來襲時，也有可能會下大雪。

At the end of February it’s almost between winter and spring. The highest temperature during the day gets to plus 2 or 3 degrees, sometimes even over plus 5. On a sunny day, one feels the sunlight is strong and shiny, and can melt snow or ice even on a cold day. The lowest temperature during the day is typically only minus 2 or 3 degrees. However, it sometimes goes down to minus 5 or lower. It still gets cold, especially at night, and people need to be careful while walking outside. When a cold air mass visits, it can bring a lot of snow for a day.

黃嘴天鵝 / Whooper Swan

黃嘴天鵝是擁有長脖子的大型天鵝。 全長約140公分，嘴巴是黑色和黃色。 翅膀展開時可達到接近3公尺。 因為要飛來日本過冬所以從歐亞大陸的針葉林飛來。過冬場所在日本東北以北，常常可以在道東的尾岱沼、厚岸湖、濤沸湖、風蓮湖和屈斜路湖等地看到。此外，在離札幌比較近可看到黃嘴天鵝的地方是苫小牧市的UTONAI湖。

The Whooper Swan is the biggest creature in the swan family, approximately 1.4 meters from beak to tail, with a wingspan of three meters. Its beak is black and yellow. In winter, they come to Japan from the Taiga, a biome in Siberia characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. In Japan, they can be seen in the northern part of Tohoku, and Hokkaido. Odaitou, Lake Akkeshi, Lake Toufutsu, Lake Fuuren and Lake Kussharo in the eastern part of Hokkaido are good vantage points to see them. Near Sapporo, they frequent Lake Utonai in Tomakomai

Photo from Wikipedia

2020 札幌雪祭小雪像: 2020東京奧運 / 2020 Sapporo Snow Festival Small snow sculptures: The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games

2020東京奧運是從7月24日( 週五）到8月9日（週日）舉行。 在東京舉辦奧運是從1964年以來， 相隔56年第二次舉辦。 雖然幾乎所有的比賽都是在東京都內舉辦，也有部分競賽是在東京近郊舉辦。再者， 馬拉松和競走則是在札幌市舉辦。此外，足球是使用全國各地的7個會場。札幌巨蛋也是其中之一。

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be held from Friday, July 24 to Sunday, August 9. Tokyo will host the Olympic Games for the second time, with the first in 1964. After 56 years, Tokyo will again show its metropolitan hub to the world. Most Olympic events are being held inside Tokyo, but some are in neighboring areas such as Kanagawa or Chiba prefectures. In a shock move, Sapporo in Hokkaido was awarded the hosting of the marathon and walking. Also, Sapporo Dome will be a stadium for soccer, one of seven such stadiums. The women’s and men’s marathons are planned for August 8th and 9th, although they might yet change.

2020 札幌雪祭小雪像: 橄欖球 / 2020 Sapporo Snow Festival Small snow sculptures: Rugby

李契麥可是紐西蘭出生的橄欖球選手，15歲時來到日本，畢業於札幌的山之手高中。2013年時歸化日本籍。在2019年日本舉辦橄欖球世界盃時，作為隊長活躍著。日本代表隊的成員們也受到了關注，尤其其中一位成員稲垣啓太，作為不會笑的男人的角色而受到歡迎。

Michael Leitch is a rugby player born in New Zealand. At age 15 he came to Sapporo and graduated from Sapporo Yamanote High School, a school of considerable fame in Japanese high school rugby. In 2013, he became a naturalized Japanese citizen. In the Rugby World Cup held in Japan in 2019, he led as captain and was celebrated globally for his efforts. The members of Japan’s national team gained unprecedented fame on their journey to the knockout stage. Inagaki Keita was among them - with his serious character keeping him from smiling even after getting points or winning endearing him to fans.

2020 札幌雪祭小雪像 / 2020 Sapporo Snow Festival Small snow sculptures

每年市民雪像(經過抽選所選出來的一般市民所製作的小規模雪像) 中，常常以當年成為話題的人物、完成的事、當年的新聞為主題來製作雪像。 在2020年札幌雪季的市民雪像當中，有和去年在日本舉行的橄欖球世界杯相關的主題，以及今年的東京奧運相關的主題。此外也有慰問因野火而辛苦的澳洲的作品。

At Sapporo Snow Festival, 80 teams are drawn by ballot to make their snow sculptures. Some teams like to use memorable people or events from the previous or present year as themes. In the 2020 Snow Festival, designs related to rugby football (the Rugby World Cup was held in Japan last year and Japan’s national team created history by making the knockout stage) and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games have been made. Also, a sculpture to cheer up Australia, ravaged by ongoing bushfires that have destroyed homes and taken lives, has been commissioned.

白尾海鵰 / White-tailed Eagle

白尾海鵰是在冬天時飛來北海道過冬的侯鳥。主要會飛到海岸、河口和湖泊沼澤。雖然是少數，但也有看到個體的白尾海鵰定居在北海道北部和東部。比起日本最大的猛禽類虎頭海鵰小一圈。幼鳥整個身體是褐色的，成鳥則是只有尾巴的部分是白色。也會在道東和知床等地的海岸或流冰上聚集成聚落。在賞野鳥愛好家當中很熱門。

The White-tailed Eagle is a migratory bird, which comes to Hokkaido in winter. They prefer to live in coastal areas, rivers and wetlands. Some make nests and lay their eggs in the eastern or northern parts of Hokkaido. The size of white-tailed eagle is a little smaller than Steller's Sea Eagle which is the biggest raptor in Japan. The young white-tailed eagle doesn’t have the specific feature of the white tails, instead, it’s just brown. They only develop them as adults. This is one of the popular birds for bird watching enthusiasts.
Photo from Wikipedia