It’s been a while. Between a busy personal life and packing my schedule with work in preparation for replacing my car, I hadn’t been able to set aside much time for photography. But from the end of 2025 to early January 2026, I finally made a trip into the mountains of Shiretoko for a shoot.
After about an hour of pushing my way into a forest that I normally wouldn’t dare enter in the summer (technically accessible, but I simply don’t have the courage because of the brown bears), I sensed something moving in the distance.
It must have noticed me, but perhaps it’s used to people—or simply doesn’t see me as a threat—as it calmly walks through the snow with effortless grace.
Its profile had a somewhat pensive look—though that languid, almost melancholic expression was simply it taking a bathroom break. Even so, its gaze seemed fixed on something in the distance, as if it were tracking a movement.
Following its gaze, I spotted a mouse. Food is scarce in winter, making it a valuable source of protein—so it seems it couldn’t afford to miss the opportunity, even in the middle of a bathroom break.
It appeared to be a species called the Ezo vole(Ezo Yachi-nezumi), and according to a local resident, they’ve been seen especially often this year. I came across them several times while walking through the forest. Unfortunately, it was quite difficult to shift focus quickly, so this single shot is the only one in which I managed to capture it.
