Diverse wildlife
The storks of Toyooka. The stork park in Toyooka, in the prefecture of Hyōgo, is since 2005 a sanctuary for these birds that had disappeared from the Japanese sky in the early 1970s. The captive reintroduction and breeding programme, initiated in 1965, is now bearing fruit as there are more than 200 oriental white storks in the park. A symbol of the region, they are classified as national natural heritage
The Tajima ox. These magnificent black cows are the ancestors of all the cattle in Japan. They were used above all for their strength, very useful for agricultural work. It was the Westerners who first consumed this meat and discovered its qualities. Understanding its value, the Japanese began to breed this breed, no longer for work in the fields, but for consumption in restaurants. Many prefectures in Kansai have their own beef. Apart from the Kobe beef of course, let us note the Matsusaka beef, the Omi beef or the Wakasa beef.
The deer of Nara. Impossible to miss them when walking in the city of Nara, especially in the large 500-hectare park of Kasuga-taisha and the surrounding buildings. There are more than a thousand Sika deer and they frolic, without hesitation, between the amused visitors and the stalls of the stalls. They are really not very shy. These animals are considered messengers of the gods, so it is easier to understand why they are the kings of the park. It is said that one of the four deities of the place, Takemikazuchi-no-mikoton, came to Nara in 768 with a white deer. At the time, one had to bow to these Sika. Today, the question arises of the impact of these very numerous deer which can endanger the local flora.
The aquatic fauna
Surrounded to the north and south by sea and ocean, Kansai is a region rich in marine life. In the Mie prefecture, the ama divers, exclusively women, have been perpetuating for millennia the ancestral know-how of freediving shellfish fishing. Every day, they go out to sea to get their hands on different delicacies, such as ise-ebi, small lobsters, or sazae no tsuboyaki, a kind of turbo from the region that is cooked directly in its shell. Eels (unagi), monkeys, tanuki (the raccoon dog), fireflies, giant flying squirrels from Japan and countless birds are also part of the exceptional fauna of the region.
The
fugu of Awaji-shima
. The fugu is a puffer fish. The term is moreover a generic term given by the Japanese to more than a hundred species of several genera: diodons, spheroids, lagocephalus, takifugu. This fish is deadly if it is badly prepared. Let us recall all the same that tens of thousands of fugu are consumed each year and that fatal accidents are extremely rare. Today, everyone has the right to consume it in Japan, except one person, the Emperor. In Awaji-shima, it is possible to enjoy this fish in all its forms (sashimi, fried, boiled), from November to March. Contrary to the rest of Japan where fugu is raised for 2 years, the breeding lasts here 3 years.The snow crab. This species of crab lives in the cold waters of the Sea of Japan, a sea that borders the entire northern coast of Kansai. They are called zuwaigani here and the Japanese love them in winter. Yes, these crabs are fished between November and March and their price can rise quickly. Some crabs even have appellations, which can also play on their popularity with gourmets, such as Echizen and Matsuba crab.
The flora
The Japanese flora is rich and this can be explained in particular by the different winds coming from the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean which involve a wide variety of climates. In the prefectures of Kansai, there are many botanical varieties and temperate forests with evergreen trees (Shii, Sakaki, Tsubaki, Kashiwa), but also different varieties of pines (Kuromatsu, Sugi, Hinoki, Kunugi and Konara). As for flowers, the narcissus from Awaji Island is renowned throughout Japan, as are the many alpine species from the Maya Mountains and Rokkō. Generally speaking, the flora of Kansai includes the following species: pine, fir, maple, bamboo, giant cryptomeria(sugi), gingko (tree with 40 écus), lacquer tree (urushi), camphor tree(kusunoki), white sandalwood, serrated oak, plum tree (ume), daphne, cherry tree (sakura), wisteria, azalea, peony, peony, iris, camellia, lotus, chrysanthemum.
