Continuing on our train journey to the west coast of Tohoku.

View at a small train station. (A very small train station.)

That’s my husband. He’s saying, “Hey, Amy, there are swans out there! Look! Look!”

Northern Japan is known for its swans in the winter months. (In summer they are in Siberia.)

I said, “Do you see any cranes?” (I was joking!) He said, “No, cranes are only in Hokkaido.”

I knew this from my research. Despite being a symbol of Japan, the crane now only lives in the area of Hokkaido, a large island in the north of Japan.

I took this photo of the swans from the train. While I was taking it, I said, “Stop, train, stop!” It’s not a tourist train, though, and did not stop so I could take a better photo.

In Sakata City–my husband’s hometown. It’s quite historic, but well off the beaten path for most foreign sightseers. Nevertheless, I recommend it.