ASAHIKAWA (Hokkaido), Feb 4 — When the wolves howl, we are all Little Red Riding Hood. Alone in the deep, dark woods. Every glimmer could be Grandmama’s house or the wicked eyes of a hungry wolf.
Fairy tales are meant to frighten, deliciously so. They certainly did when we were children and sometimes still do when we are all grown up and imagine we are long past that.
The sounds of wild beasts and the pitch black of night aren’t the most soothing of pairings which, one supposes, is why we rarely venture into a zoo after dark. Unless it’s Asahiyama Zoo in early February, when winter is at its peak and it’s time for a starlight safari of sorts.
Once a year, coinciding with the annual Asahikawa Winter Festival, the northernmost zoo in Japan opens its doors to night-time visitors.
Unlike other night safaris in the world, the snow and the cold add a dimension of wonder to viewing the animals and birds, many of which sport a white coat or plumage.
Titled “Asahiyama Zoo by Snow Light”, everything is illuminated by an ethereal glow. The “snow light” comes courtesy of ice lamps lining the paths around the zoo. Unlike Little Red Riding Hood’s dangerous journey through the woods, there is no danger of getting lost here.
Which isn’t to say one can’t get hurt. Snow and ice make for treacherous terrain and we have to be careful where we step and need to tread firmly, slowly. It’s easy to fall; just ask the penguins.
During the day, Asahiyama Zoo is famed for its twice-a-day Penguin Walk. The march of the King Penguins alongside, occasionally, other types of penguins at the zoo (the Rockhopper Penguin, Humboldt Penguin and Gentoo Penguin) is quite a spectacle.
The entire Penguin Walk spans about 500 metres so there’s plenty of opportunities for an overly enthusiastic penguin to slip and fall. If that happens, however, the well-fed bird simply slides on its belly without getting hurt.
Alas, the same can’t be said for the humans; if we slip and fall on the snow, it is almost guaranteed to hurt. And even with the “snow light”, the night is dark and the shadows long. The zookeepers always make a point to remind visitors to step carefully.
And so we do.
The noises of the zoo, amplified by the night, would sometimes freeze even the most excited visitors in their tracks. The silence is often broken by the roars of Amur Tigers, the low growls of Snow Leopards and the manic whooping of the White-Handed Gibbons.
It can be nerve-racking, especially when you don’t see the tigers or the leopards or the gibberish-spouting gibbons.
What we do see is the Hokkyokuguma-Kan (“Polar Bear House”) before us. The polar bear is a star attraction at the Asahiyama Zoo. These bears leave us awestruck; they shift their weight on their heavy legs, their powerful claws can tear a hole in the belly of a seal with a single swipe.
Imagine what they could do to a man.
They look like lumbering giants but they are fearsome creatures, and we are glad for the moat that separates us. Their low call a grumble, like a tremor.
We recall the panserbjørne, a race of armoured bears in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. They, too, were fearsome but we also see the regal carriage of Iorek Byrnison in Asahiyama Zoo’s polar bears.
Tremendous.
Further down, the Hokkyokugitsune-Kan (“White Fox House”) beckons. The kitsune or fox is a revered spirit in Japanese folklore, wise and capable of shape-shifting. The latter takes on a new meaning as the elusive and shy Arctic fox’s white fur camouflages it against the snow.
Are these benevolent zenko (“good foxes” in Japanese), the sort standing guard at Inari across the country, or are these mischievous yako (or “field foxes”) that would play a trick on you, with only its bushy tail peering from beneath its kimono to indicate it’s no fair maiden?
We don’t know the answer, but it’s fun to speculate.
Walking on, we pass by the Shika-no Mori (“Deer Forest”) enclosure where a herd of Japanese Sika Deer feed on stacks of hay. Santa Claus might give these ruminants a pass and head straight to the Tonakai-Kan (“Reindeer House”) to find his Rudolph.
The Shirofukuro-Kan (“Snowy Owl House”) houses the zoo’s adorable snow owls. Its eyes typically semi-closed like slits, as though it is sleeping away the winter. Given the cold — the temperature can drop as low as -13°C in Asahikawa in February — we can understand the urge to half hibernate.
Then the howls return.
We are not far from the Okami-no Mori or Wolves’ Forest. The glimmer in the dark. The eyes of hungry wolves. But maybe not.
Our overactive imagination can be more terrifying than the pack of wolves. These magnificent creatures are well fed by the zookeepers. They howl because it’s what they do; it’s how they communicate and draw the pack closer.
Seen in this light, what was wicked before is now winsome. Winter is for the wolves, after all. This is their season, their time. (Still, we are glad for the fencing between us.)
As night falls, the golden glow of the candles offers respite from the darkness. There are spells when the big cats cease their roaring, when the wolves stop their howling. It’s serene and snow lit and so beautiful.
Asahiyama Zoo
Kuranuma, Higashiasahikawacho, Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan
Open daily 10:30am to 8:30pm during the “Asahiyama Zoo by Snow Light” period, which runs from February 6 — 11, 2020. Zoo admission fee 820 yen (RM31).
Getting there: Take bus No. 41, 42 or 47 from Asahikawa Station to Asahiyama Zoo, a 40-minute one way ride costing 440 yen (RM16.50) with two buses per hour. By car, it takes half an hour to reach the zoo from Asahikawa town.
