I Saw Bears, Sperm Whales, and Red-crowned Cranes in Some of Japan’s Most Beautiful National Parks

"I experienced Shiretoko as a place dominated by brown bears and dramatic coastal scenery: the park is home to roughly 400 brown bears (per a 2020 DNA study), rangers require bear-safety briefings for certain hikes, and we even saw a bear strolling alongside a creek on the drive to the visitor center. With bears active, we used the park’s raised boardwalk (protected by an electrified fence) to view the first of the Goko lakes and later took a boat to see wildlife from the water; rangers stressed that boat trips are the safest way to watch bears and that Goko Lake is for enjoying the landscape rather than for bear viewing." - Kristen Pope