When you think of encountering animals at Japanese ski resort your mind may flash to the Japanese macaques or “snow monkeys” famous for their human like love of soaking in snow laden hot-springs but it turns out they mostly keep away from the slopes and you are much more likely to encounter a fascinating animal known as the Kamoshika which is sort of in between a goat and antelope.
This following encounter with a Kamoshika happened on the slopes of Happo One, near Sakka. The Kamoshika, also know as the Japanese Serow, is a Japanese goat-antelope hybrid. It is an even toed ungulate mammal found in dense woodland in northerly part of the island and central Honshu.
Once hunted to near-extinction, the Japanese serow now thives under protection in 13 designated conservation areas covering 23 prefectures and is considered a national symbol of Japan, sometimes referred to as a “living national treasure of the forest.” Get to see one up close and personal while enjoying a day on the slopes…how do you say WIN WIN in Japanese
Not sure if this young man is clairvoyant but tossing up the ski pole horns just prior to the near miss at the very least serendipitous.
