This is the final installment of my Eastern Hokkaido travel series. Reluctantly leaving my friend’s home in Shari Town after staying for almost a week, I felt a strong sense of nostalgia (though I may have overstayed my welcome). With some time left, I decided to visit the Okhotsk Squirrel Park by Lake Abashiri on my way back.
According to the map, the facility is located a bit off the main road, nestled by the lakeside. Coming from Shari, I approached from the north side. The lakeside road is only about 1.3 lanes wide and is also used by small trucks from the fishing port and as a local road. For sightseeing, it’s probably better to approach from the south side.
Additionally, the park is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and has irregular holidays, as the schedule is prioritized for the squirrels. It often isn’t open, and this was my third attempt to visit.
*Registration, payment of entrance fee and explanation of precautions will be given at the lodge-like entrance facility.
This is the main difference from a typical zoo: inside the park, the squirrels are completely free-roaming. Therefore, in addition to guidelines to prevent their escape, there are also instructions on how humans should move to avoid stepping on them.
The squirrels silently approach your feet, so you must adhere to a shuffling, forward-only walking method. Unfortunately, there have been some sad incidents where squirrels were accidentally stepped on. They also climb onto your hands, arms, and shoulders, so you need to be very careful. It’s best to bring minimal belongings and dress lightly.
After the instructions, you can purchase a bag of food for the squirrels. The sizes vary, but the largest bag was about 500 yen, so I bought it as a donation. The bag was filled with sunflower seeds, grain-like items, and walnuts. Including the entrance fee, it costs about 1,000 yen, which is quite reasonable. For 1,000 yen, you can create a squirrel “harem.”
The squirrels know that humans have food, so they approach you eagerly, continuously. I wore outdoor pants that made a rustling noise, and some squirrels desperately tried to climb up my legs, making a constant scratching sound.
I used the Z9 camera with the following lenses:
– Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8
– Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4
– Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8
The squirrels come very close, so for capturing cute photos, a standard zoom, a half-macro, or any lens that allows for close-ups would be ideal.
For more natural shots, the 70-200mm lens works well. Since the squirrels are not wary at all, an MC lens or an 85mm prime lens would also be good options. You might also consider using a wide-angle lens for close-up shots. Because the squirrels get so close, using a lens filter to protect your lens could be a good idea.
Given their rodent-like agility, to capture moving squirrels, you might want to increase the shutter speed to around 1/600. They move around a lot.(really)
A welcoming squirrel. Getting close to it makes you forget you’re in a park.
You always come running when I scatter the food. Such a cute face, but so greedy!
The squirrel, diligently stuffing its cheeks with sunflower seeds.
The squirrel eagerly approaches in hopes of getting food. They stretch out so much!
A high-contrast shot. But all they’re doing is eating, plain and simple.
A tiny life resting on my hand, its weight barely noticeable, yet I can feel a faint warmth through the glove… It’s adorable.
“Hey, Master, the usual, please.”
The squirrel aiming from the grass at the human holding sunflower seeds.
The most quintessential squirrel, the squirrel among squirrels.
If there were a nature-oriented monthly magazine dedicated to squirrels, this shot would be the best fit: National Squirrel Graphic.
You’ve seen a plethora of squirrel photos so far, but as you can guess, they’re all munching away on food. If you want to capture squirrels not eating, you’ll need to patiently wait or venture into the forest.
Next time, I think I’ll revisit my second hometown, Erimo Town, after a long hiatus.
