A small, brown Japanese pika sits nestled at the base of a gnarled, moss-covered stone pine tree growing out of a sheer granite mountainside in Japan. Thick, vibrant green moss blankets the foreground rocks and tree roots. In the background, the twisted branches of old-growth pines extend over a steep cliff face, disappearing into a dense, heavy white mountain fog.

A near-threatened Japanese Pika (Ochotona hyperborea yesoensis), also known locally as the Naki-usagi or crying rabbit.

The Ancient Understory

In the damp, moss-choked boulder fields of Hokkaido’s highest volcanic peaks, a tiny survivor from the last ice age checks its surroundings from a hidden sanctuary.

David S. McMeans

Mount Kurodake, Daisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaido, Japan

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The Ancient Understory

In the damp, moss-choked boulder fields of Hokkaido’s highest volcanic peaks, a tiny survivor from the last ice age checks its surroundings from a hidden sanctuary. The elusive Japanese pika—a diminutive cousin of the rabbit—finds shelter within the complex root network of a weathered stone pine. Here, along the steep, fractured slopes of the Daisetsuzan range where the terrain plunges into a sheer abyss of heavy alpine fog, a delicate micro-ecosystem thrives on the constant moisture of low-hanging clouds. As the short northern summer comes to a close, this specialized mountain dweller relies heavily on the protective overhang of wind-twisted branches and the thick insulation of vibrant green moss to store its winter food reserves, highlighting the incredibly fragile balance of life on the edge of Japan's sub-alpine wilderness.

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