​

As somewhere I've longed to visit for years for its rich culture and wildlife, a trip to Japan was the perfect way to ring in the new decade. With landscapes ranging from snowy mountains to subtropical jungles, Japan is full of weird and wonderful creatures adapted to life in the extreme. The few photos I did get go just a short way to show that - from shy Sika deer in the city of Nara which have earned a bold reputation by begging for food; to the nocturnal creatures of the country's most southerly Yaeyama Islands, such as the endemic Ryukyu Scops Owl and giant Coconut Crab. 

​

The last two shots - of the terrapin and cockatoo - were taken in Hong Kong on a short layover.