All the Cranes hold a true fascination for me. The Tanchou or Red-crowned Crane seems to be everybody's favorite, at least in Japan, if not Asia where it is the symbol of hope, fidelity, and longevity.They are most beautiful when they appear in a snowy landscape around Kushiro in Hokkaido. I have portrayed a mated pair in courtship, dancing and calling in unison in on snowy, cold and windy hillside at dawn. You can just see the morning star over the mountain ridges near Mount Akan (Akan-Fuji). Wisps of steamy breath arise from the voices of the Tanchou. In the near distance you can see old growth Pine and brown needle-less Larch; the grasses are a species of ''Suzuki'. Everything is mostly in shadows accept the clouds and morning rays coming across the landscape.