Search for the rarest owl of Japan

Another must do activity when in Rausu is to try your luck to meet the rarest owl of Japan - Blakiston's Fish Owl.

We have an early dinner so that we have enough time to set-up our gears before dark. There is no guarantee that we will get to see the owl. We can only wait at the place the owl will likely hunt for their favorite fish. Some times the owl will only appear again after 3 or 4 nights. We were told that the owl did appear at her favorite spot, we are just hoping for the best.

It was our lucky day, after about one and a half hour of waiting, the owl suddenly appear on the river bank very near to the water edge. Since fish can't hear what is above water, the hour get really near the edge and patiently wait for fish to swim nearer.

When one unlucky fish swim to the pool, the owl strike.

The hunt is successful.

By now my finger is already numb under the sub-zero temperature. Time to go back to our warm bed.