In the early morning cold, steam fog rises from the slow-moving Setsuri River. Frost encases every surface in sparkling white. As the sun rises, the calls of red-crowned cranes—among the rarest cranes in the world—echo through the stillness. Red-crowned cranes are an iconic symbol in East Asian art and culture, representing luck, longevity, and fidelity. In the Indigenous Ainu language, the bird is known as sarurun kamuy or “god of the marsh.” The cranes use the Setsuri River as a nightly roosting spot because the river does not freeze in winter, despite…
