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The Asahi Shimbun
National Report
article
By TAKEO KATO/ Staff Writer
March 20, 2026 at 07:00 JST
Photographers line up on the Otowabashi bridge in Tsurui, Hokkaido, in the early morning of Jan. 22. (Takeo Kato)
TSURUI, Hokkaido—As the dark sky turned bluish, the dawn sunlight lit up the river fog, revealing silhouettes of red-crowned cranes along the Setsurigawa river.
An Indian tourist there clicked away with a camera, mumbling, “Heaven.”
During winter, the Otowabashi bridge in Tsurui bustles with tourists hoping to see red-crowned cranes against the backdrop of steam fog caused by cold air.
Luckily for shutterbugs around the world, Tsurui village prevented that backdrop from being dominated by solar panels.
Last year, a plan emerged to construct a large-scale solar power station on a hilly area that can be seen from the Otowabashi bridge. If completed, the red-crowned cranes would be seen from the bridge with large photovoltaic panels standing in the background.
After learning about the project, Tsurui village officials raised donations from the public to buy about 7.5 hectares of privately owned land that was planned for the solar power project.
The purchase was made jointly with the Association of National Trusts in Japan, and it effectively halted any construction there.
The village assembly also approved a budget bill that included the acquisition cost.
“It was good because it would have disappointed people from around the world who visit to take photos of the beautiful landscape,” said Masahiro Wada, a photographer who lives in Tsurui and serves as head director of the village’s tourist association.
FOGGY LANDSCAPE
Thanks to an abundant supply of spring water, the Setsurigawa river remains unfrozen even in the middle of winter when the average daily low dips below minus 10 degrees.
Steam rising from the river surface is cooled by contact with cold air to form fog, creating a fantastical landscape featuring red-crowned cranes that use the place as their refuge.
The scenery, often featured in overseas media, is widely known among bird enthusiasts and photographers around the world.
The area became so popular that the pedestrian bridge was built in 1999 to give photographers a safe spot away from the roadway.
Wada, who is also involved in a forestry business, said it was important to protect the area because it is covered with grass and larch trees, and deforestation could have reduced the amount of water flowing into the Setsurigawa river.
After learning about another deforestation project covering 16 hectares in a forest that serves as a water source for the Kushiro wetlands, Wada purchased the plot at his own expense to keep the area as a forest reserve.
“We don’t know how the wetlands and the river will be affected once the trees in the surrounding areas are gone,” he said. “I want to pass down the world’s treasure to future generations.”
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