Over 70% of Japan is unpopulated mountains and forest, making Japan the perfect spot for 森林浴 (Shinren Yoku or as it is called in the West, Forest Therapy.  Most picture a warm spring day with green canopy for forest bathing, but I can assure you Shinrin Yoku mid winter among Spruce, Fir or Pine trees is a great place to experience the living entity of the forest, especially for us wildlife photographers.  Off the cuff, I can think of a variety of wildlife species that thrive in Hokkaido, and who depend on the dominant year round green trees of Japans most northern island. Wildlife species such as The Eurasian nuthatch  (Sitta europaea) or wood nuthatch, The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), The great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), he Japanese Pygmy woodpecker or (Yungipicus kizuki), Shima Enaga (Aegithalos caudatus japonicus), The Japanese Weasel (Mustela itatsi), The Ezo Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes schrencki), The Blakiston’s Fish Owl (Bubo blakistoni), Ural owl (Strix uralensis), The White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos), The Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos), The Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius), The Japanese tit (Parus minor), The hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes), Hokkaido Red Squirrel is a subspecies of the Eurasian red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).  Guaranteed there are more wildlife species that rely on Hokkaido’s dominant tree species, to date there are over 600 birds species that have been spotted or recorded in Japan.  And for those who love birding, a Hokkaido photo tour mid winter is truly amazing especially among Hokkaido’s main tree species that are green all year round, such as the Ezo Spruce (Picea jezoensis), Sakhalin fir (Abies sachalinensis), and Sakhalin spruce (Picea glehnii) among others.