The Ezo Chipmunk is a subspecies of the Siberian Chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus barberi) found mainly on Hokkaido; I encounter this species of chipmunk every spring just as they come out of hibernation during my annual Hokkaido birding wildlife and cherry blossom private tour.  As the Ezo Chipmunks leave their winter burrows, their first thought is fresh food.  So when I reach Hokkaido, I stop at an organic shop that carries local nuts and seeds, and I make sure to have enough to treat the chipmunks in a mountain area that is known for being a power spot and is also great for forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku).  This power spot is used almost exclusively by The First Nations People of Japan, The Ainu.  And our 5-star lodgings are a few minutes away, which participants and my team enjoy while I am leading my annual Hokkaido photo spring tour, and the hotel has multiple private milky white healing hot springs, and the food is fantastic.  These authentic first nations Japan lodgings are owned and operated by long-time Ainu friends.  As you can see in the image, an Ezo chipmunk is standing on my finger and eating seeds from the palm of my hand.  The cuff I am wearing was handcrafted by a master metalsmith, artist Arland Ben of The First Nations Peoples of America, the Navajo.  Arland is a friend who knows my story, and he created this one of a kind storyteller warrior’s cuff for me depicting my story, which combines Cree and Navajo pictographs; the green jadeite represents the northern lights (aurora borealis) from where I was born in the far north of Canada in a mostly Cree First Nations Canadian community, in which I learned from birth a deep respect for all beings and the importance we all play in the circle of life on mother earth; peace and balance is paramount as we are all travelers through the universe.  On the cuff, you can see what looks like a wolf or other animals running behind me with me on horseback, but this actually represents a holy spiritual animal or spirit guides.  A timber wolf is on the other side of the cuff in fine detail.  This First Nations Art Cuff is entirely hand-chiseled; there is zero casting. 

The Ezo Chipmunk has an average measurement of 12–15 centimeters (4.7–5.9 in) from the tip of its nose to the base of its tail, which extends a further 11–12 centimeters (4.3–4.7 in) and weighs 71–116 grams (2.5–4.1oz). As you can see from the photo, its fur is a chestnut brown, and it has five blackish stripes running down the entirety of its back.  The Ezo Chipmunk is found on Hokkaido, and the neighboring islands of Rebun, Rishiri, Teuri, Sakhalin, Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Yagashiri.  An exhaustive study of its full distribution has not been completed; however, there has been one confirmed cluster of Ezo Chipmunks in the Karuizawa region of Japan’s main island, Honshu.  The reason for the expansion of the Ezo Chipmunks beyond Hokkaido may be due to them being caught and kept as pets in the 1960s and 1970s but then freed into the wild when the families realized keeping wild chipmunks was a challenge and not as rewarding as they were expecting.

Ezo Chipmunks eat a variety of seeds, fruit, flowers, and leaves, and their diet varies depending on the season.  During the spring, the chipmunk’s feast on sasa, or broad bamboo leaves and Japanese maple leaves, but later in the year, their diet changes to seeds, cones, pine nuts, and, of course, acorns, specifically Mongolian oak acorns.  When chipmunks are rearing their young, this largely vegetarian species supplements their diet with spiders, cicadas, snails, larvae, and even Japanese bushtit or Shima Enaga eggs.  About mid-summer, they start to gather food for the winter’s hibernation.  However, chipmunks don’t fully hibernate; they wake up about every two or three days to bring their body temperature back to normal, eat from their supply of stored seeds and nuts, and then go back to sleep.  On a side note, during summer, you can always find one or two Steller’s Sea Eagles along the Pacific Coastline that were injured during winter and could not migrate north; there are even a couple that just enjoys UNESCO Shiretoko National Park all year round.  These raptors are genuinely unique, an ice age relic species surviving three ice ages.  From summer to autumn, you may also view and photograph Red-crowned cranes, White-tailed eagles, Eastern Waterail, Shima Enaga, and countless other species.  In the sea, you can spot and photograph whales, seals, sea otters, and various different sea life.  On dry land, there are dozens of land animals such as Brown Bears, Ezo Sika Deer, the Hokkaido Fox, and many others.  Hokkaido is a nature photographer’s paradise all year round.