JAPAN: Boulder Creek residents Ken Zaremba and Susan Kamprath’s February trip to Japan included multiple wildlife photography opportunities, starting with their first stop at the Snow Monkey Park near Nagano. “The snow monkeys — Japanese macaques — are the northernmost resident primate,” Ken says. “The monkeys are very entertaining and used to people, so you can get very close to them. We then went on to the northern island of Hokkaido, where we photographed red-crowned cranes, whooper swans, Steller’s sea eagles, white-tailed eagles, deer, foxes and other wildlife.”

TRAVEL TIPS: “The snow monkeys are easily viewable after a one-mile hike over a compacted snow and ice trail. Wear traction devices, which are available at many local stores, and dress for cold weather, as below-freezing temps are normal. Hokkaido is very cold and we experienced -30 degree temperatures one day due to wind chill.”