Yesterday I was photographing the Red-crowned cranes with participants on a private Hokkaido photo tour workshop.  Today, I am visiting friends and family, the First people of Japan, the Ainu, who are master class wood carvers.  Ainu friends of mine are creating approximately a dozen totem poles for the Akanko Kotan village.  Each totem pole expresses a sentiment, which represents a particular quality or concept.  When totems are erected, there is a ceremony to express the people’s appreciation for the natural world.  There are symbols in totems for cranes, and there is a specific Red-crowned crane dance called the Sarorun Rimse (Crane Dance), imitating the dances of the Red-crowned crane.  The Ainu are brilliant storytellers, and they tell the story of a variety of animals and spiritual or divine beings who are composed of or possess a high level of spiritual energy.  Similar to North Americans First Nations Peoples, the Ainu tell the story of the Red-Crowned Crane, with human dancers, in which the live birds are considered to be the Kamuy (a divine being) Gods of the Marshes, and spirit dancers.  At Hokkaido Ainu gatherings, the mystical healing energies of the Kamuy (Gods) of the Cranes are nearly tangible as the dancers perform the sacred Ainu dances and pay tribute to many mystical beings.  The dances are Nationally Designated Important Intangible Folk Culture Assets, which are registered with UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.  The Ainu and other First Nations people have always danced and sang, whether for ceremonies, when family and friends gathered, or just during their daily work and lives.  The ancient ceremonial dances of the Ainu express happiness and sadness, and are performed not merely for entertainment but to show respect and gratitude to the Kamuy and their ancestors.  Lake Akanko is a beautiful crater lake in the highlands of Akan National Park, Hokkaido.  Participants and I are staying in the Ainu Kotan village located near the shore of Lake Akanko. This evening participants and I attended the outdoor and indoor Ainu theater of cultural awakening.  The woods surrounding Lake Akanko are a birder’s paradise. The First Nations People of Japan, the Ainu, believe that spirit and energy reside in everything.  To successfully spot and photograph any avian wildlife on your visit to Japan’s north island, you will need either a local or someone who has spent many years in Hokkaido scouting and leading Hokkaido birding workshops and knows the wildlife and landscapes. You’re in luck; I have both qualifications, and I am happy to help you find and photograph Red-crowned cranes and other kamuy, or spiritual beings, like the Blakiston’s Fish Owls among other birding photo ops while in Hokkaido.