Kyoto wildlife

Kyoto is not a big city and so it is possible to see quite a bit of wildlife even close to the most hip downtown districts. During the summer, of course, one is constantly assaulted by the sound of the cicadas and occasionally bitten by a somewhat timid mosquito. And one can, of course, encounter all kinds of bigger beasts, from snakes to hawks, in the mountains that surround the city. (Ted reports that just the other day he saw monkeys in the trees opposite his house in the foothills.) But even close to downtown, the Kamo-gawa river and a variety of parks provide suitable habitats for critters of surprising variety.

Kamo-gawa close to downtown, looking towards the Kita-yama hills

Yes, there are fish in the Kamo-gawa...

Fishing for pleasure, close to downtown

...and man is not the only creature wise to that fact...

Fishing for dinner, close to downtown

And at dusk, it's sometimes possible to see larger beasts infiltrating the city:

Deer at dusk

All this is of course not too surprising, considering that Kyoto is not a very big city that's surrounded by beforested mountains...

Takano-gawa in the evening.
Higashiyama mountains in the background, Kitayama hills just on the right

...and whose outer edges, just minutes from downtown, are still quite rural in nature...

One of several rice paddies on the way from home to work

Of course, living in these raw wilds of Japan, where nature rules supreme, some find it essential to be properly equipped with the latest of American survival technology...

...although, I suspect, the prime motivation in the above case may be the pursuit of wildlife of a completely different kind...

Kyoto wildlife

Kyoto is not a big city and so it is possible to see quite a bit of wildlife even close to the most hip downtown districts. During the summer, of course, one is constantly assaulted by the sound of the cicadas and occasionally bitten by a somewhat timid mosquito. And one can, of course, encounter all kinds of bigger beasts, from snakes to hawks, in the mountains that surround the city. (Ted reports that just the other day he saw monkeys in the trees opposite his house in the foothills.) But even close to downtown, the Kamo-gawa river and a variety of parks provide suitable habitats for critters of surprising variety.

Kamo-gawa close to downtown, looking towards the Kita-yama hills

Yes, there are fish in the Kamo-gawa...

Fishing for pleasure, close to downtown

...and man is not the only creature wise to that fact...

Fishing for dinner, close to downtown

And at dusk, it's sometimes possible to see larger beasts infiltrating the city:

Deer at dusk

All this is of course not too surprising, considering that Kyoto is not a very big city that's surrounded by beforested mountains...

Takano-gawa in the evening.
Higashiyama mountains in the background, Kitayama hills just on the right

...and whose outer edges, just minutes from downtown, are still quite rural in nature...

One of several rice paddies on the way from home to work

Of course, living in these raw wilds of Japan, where nature rules supreme, some find it essential to be properly equipped with the latest of American survival technology...

...although, I suspect, the prime motivation in the above case may be the pursuit of wildlife of a completely different kind...