Wildlife Tourism Japan with Conservationist Eli Sooker

Outland Japan

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Episode 15 of the podcast takes us to the north of Honshu and the prefecture of Akita. Known for its natural beauty and wild landscapes, Akita is a place that my guest Eli Sooker spends much of his time. Eli is a conservationist, writer, wildlife photographer and eco tour guide based in Japan whose current research focuses on bear conservation and specifically, bear attacks. His research is the launching point for our conversation about wildlife conservation and the potential of wildlife tourism in Japan.
Chances are that when you think of the many reasons to visit Japan, wildlife isn’t the first thing to spring to mind. Yet Japan is home to 34 national parks and many more quasi-national parks, nature reserves and UNESCO Biosphere Reserves or Geoparks. Most of these are home to abundant wildlife including large mammals such as black and brown bears, serow, deer, monkeys and more. Japan also boasts a huge number of bird species and even more wildlife in its waters. With this in mind, we discuss the potential of wildlife tourism in Japan including Eli's recommendation of the best wildlife experiences in the snow country - for links and further information about each experience, visit the episode page on the Snow Country Stories Japan website.
You can follow Eli's work via his website 'The Traveling Conservationist' or follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

Outland Japan is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Peter Carnell - a freelance tour guide based in northern Nagano – that transports you to rural, regional and the wilds of Japan in pursuit of stories that lie outside the neon hum of Tokyo and golden trimmings of Kyoto. Stories of travel, life and culture beyond the big cities. Follow the show on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Please note, prior to October 2024, Outland Japan was named Snow Country Stories Japan.

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1. Episode Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Eli Sooker: The Traveling Conservationist (00:03:28)

3. Wildlife Conversation in Japan: Factors & Challenges (00:08:15)

4. Potential of Wildlife Tourism in Japan (00:12:52)

5. Bears & Japan: A Complicated Relationship (00:15:09)

6. Picchio Wildlife Resarch Center Bear & Wildlife Tours / Karuizawa, Nagano (00:20:02)

7. Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park / Yamanouchi, Nagano (00:23:16)

8. Shiretoko National Park Wildlife Cruises / Shiretoko, Hokkaido (00:27:34)

9. Red-Crowned Cranes / Kushiro, Hokkaido (00:32:11)

10. Episode Close (00:36:37)