Contrary to popular belief, Japan is not a small country. Japan spans over 3,000 kilometers from north to south, comprising 6,852 islands and 47 prefectures. Over 70% of Japan is unpopulated mountain wilderness, home to a diverse population of wildlife. Common wildlife in Japan includes bears, deer, raccoons, lizards, squirrels, snakes, rabbits, and monkeys. There are over 90,000 confirmed animal species in Japan. To date, over 600 bird species have been recorded, of which 60% are migratory. What makes Japan so rich in flora and fauna is that Japan is divided by two ecological lines: the Blakiston’s Line between Hokkaido and Honshu, and the Watase Line just below Kyushu, between Honshu and Okinawa. Certain wildlife is found only north of the Blakiston’s Line; other species are found only south of it. These two lines create regions in Japan with unique plant and wildlife diversity. Several species north of the Blakiston’s Line are frequent subjects in my annual Hokkaido workshops. These include the Ezo Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), Yezo Sika Deer (Cervus nippon), Ezo red fox, Blakiston’s Fish Owl (Bubo blakistoni), glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus), Eurasian nuthatch  (Sitta europaea), Willow or Marsh Tit Poecile montanus or palustris), the Japanese Pygmy woodpecker or (Yungipicus kizuki), The Mongolian Gull Larus mongolicus,The Japanese Weasel (Mustela itatsi), Whooper Swan (Cygnus Cygnus), the great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), Shima Enaga (Aegithalos caudatus japonicus) Steller’s Sea Eagle ( Haliaeetus pelagicus), and the list keeps on going.