Hokkaido Official Tourism Site HOKKAIDO LOVE!

A 10-hectare grassland sanctuary created by dairy farmer, the late Yoshitaka Ito, where you can observe up to 300 red-crowned cranes up close in winter.

Tsurui-Ito Red-crowned Crane Sanctuary, spreading across 10 hectares of vast grassland, is a place provided by the late Yoshitaka Ito, who continued feeding activities for red-crowned cranes for many years alongside dairy farming. From November to March when food becomes scarce in the wetlands, nearly 300 red-crowned cranes gather at most, showing their graceful figures against a pure white snowy field backdrop. Red-crowned cranes with their striking red crown and black-and-white plumage gather at the feeding ground while making their calls, and that majestic sight fascinates visitors. The experience of being enveloped in the sound of cranes flapping wings and calls in the cold, clear air of winter is an encounter with wild animals unique to Hokkaido.

Inside the sanctuary is a Nature Center operated by the Wild Bird Society of Japan, where you can observe red-crowned cranes at the feeding ground through glass from inside the warm building. While listening to detailed explanations from rangers and volunteers about crane ecology and conservation activities, you can see up close the precious appearance of red-crowned cranes, which are nationally designated special natural monuments. Inside, original goods from the Wild Bird Society of Japan and red-crowned crane postcards photographed by local photographers are also sold, allowing you to take home memories of your visit.