Flaming Crane's Fire Show... A Spectacle on the Winter Field

Filmed in a Hokkaido Village Last December
Success Achieved After Several Years of Challenge

A photo capturing cranes seemingly breathing fire, perfectly timed with the sunrise, has become a hot topic among Japanese netizens. In the photo, two cranes stand upright on snow-covered ground, exhaling orange-colored breath into the sky. The white breath is tinted orange by the sunlight, making it appear as if the cranes are breathing flames from their beaks.

On the 18th, the Japanese media outlet 'J-Town Net' reported that a photo of cranes taken by photographer Ueda Koki, who lives in Niigata Prefecture, is gaining attention locally in Japan. The photo was taken on December 30 last year in the village of Tsurui-mura in Hokkaido. Tsurui-mura is famous as a gathering place for cranes, which are a natural monument of Japan. More than 100 cranes fly in from mid to late December. Especially, the river flowing through this village rarely freezes during winter, so hungry cranes search for food near the river.

A photo of cranes taken by Ueda Kiko in Tsurui-mura Village, Hokkaido, on December 30 last year.
[Photo by X (formerly Twitter) @fuehrsn]

Because of this, photographers aiming to capture the rising sun and the cranes’ wing flaps together visit Tsurui-mura every year. Mr. Ueda himself attempted seven times over the past few years to photograph the cranes. He explained, "Several conditions are necessary to take the desired photo. It must be a clear day with a good view of the sunrise, and the cranes need to fly in the morning and call out against the sunlight as a backdrop."

Ultimately, after his eighth attempt, Mr. Ueda succeeded in capturing the 'fire-breathing cranes' photo. He quietly waited from before sunrise and captured the moment the cranes flew in. He said, "The sight of the cranes exhaling orange breath while calling was very moving. I was so happy to see and photograph this scene with my own eyes."

This 'fire-breathing cranes' photo has garnered over 3.9 million views and is receiving high interest on social media. Netizens who saw the photo commented, "The legend of the phoenix might have been born from a moment like this," and "The best photo of December 2023," among other reactions.