Feb 21, 2013 - 1 min read

Izumi's Wintering Cranes

Elegant birds on the plains of Kagoshima

By Mandy Bartok

Community writer

The field outside the Crane Observation Center

Izumi's appropriately-emblazoned manhole cover

I'd seen plenty of images of cranes before - on everything from postage stamps to elegant kimono. Never before had I seen a crane up close, but a recent visit to the city of Izumi in Kagoshima Prefecture changed all that. It is on the marshy plains outside this seaside town that nearly 10,000 hooded and white-naped cranes spend their winter months. They come down from the far reaches of Siberia and northern China to pass a few agreeable months foraging in Kyushu's rice paddies before making the long trip back to their breeding grounds. From Izumi's Crane Observation Center, you can get an incredible view of these elegant birds. Stand on the center's rooftop deck and be awed by the beauty of this symbol of Japan.