Episode 15 of the podcast takes us to the north of Honshu and the prefecture of Akita. Known for its natural beauty and wild landscapes, Akita is a place that my guest Eli Sooker spends much of his time. Eli is a conservationist, writer, wildlife photographer and eco tour guide based in Japan whose current research focuses on bear conservation and specifically, bear attacks. His research is the launching point for our conversation about wildlife conservation and the potential of wildlife tourism in Japan. Chances are that when you think of the many reasons to visit Japan, wildlife isn’t the first thing to spring to mind. Yet Japan is home to 34 national parks and many more quasi-national parks, nature reserves and UNESCO Biosphere Reserves or Geoparks. Most of these are home to abundant wildlife including large mammals such as black and brown bears, serow, deer, monkeys and more. Japan also boasts a huge number of bird species and even more wildlife in its waters. With this in mind, we discuss the potential of wildlife tourism in Japan including Eli's recommendation of the best wildlife experiences in the snow country - for links and further information about each experience, visit the episode page on the Snow Country Stories Japan website. You can follow Eli's work via his website 'The Traveling Conservationist' or follow him on Instagram and Facebook.  00:00   Episode Introduction 03:28   Eli Sooker: The Traveling Conservationist 08:15   Wildlife Conservation Japan: Factors & Challenges 12:52   Potential of Wildlife Tourism in Japan 15:09   Bears & Japan: A Complicated Relationship 20:02   Picchio Wildlife Research Center Bear & Wildlife Tours / Karuizawa, Nagano 23:16   Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park / Yamanouchi, Nagano 27:34   Shiretoko National Park Wildlife Cruises / Shiretoko, Hokkaido 32:11   Red-Crowned Cranes / Kushiro, Hokkaido 36:37   Episode Close Snow Country Stories Japan is a bi-weekly podcast about life and travel in Japan's legendary 'yukiguni'. For more information about the show and your host, visit our website: www.snowcountrystories.com - and make sure to subscribe, rate and review the podcast and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.